U.S. marks 35th World AIDS Day by highlighting important role of Kyrgyz government and communities in HIV response

Bishkek, Dec. 1, 2023. / Kabar/. The United States is proud to join the Kyrgyz Republic, its partners, and people worldwide in observance of the 35th World AIDS Day. Today is an opportunity to pay tribute to the strength, resilience, and diversity of the HIV community and honor the lives lost to HIV/AIDS, U.S. Embassy reported.

The U.S. government's theme for World AIDS Day 2023 is "World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit." This theme serves as a reminder of the global struggle to end HIV-related stigma, an opportunity to honor those we have lost, and a rallying cry to continue working toward a day when HIV is no longer a public health threat. The U.S. government salutes the Kyrgyz Republic World AIDS Day theme, "Let’s stop HIV together”, which emphasizes the important role communities play in the national response to the HIV epidemic. Such communities, and especially civil society organizations, offer safe spaces and friendly services to vulnerable populations most at risk for stigma and discrimination.

For the past two decades, the United States has partnered with the Kyrgyz Republic through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to improve access to quality HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care services. As we commemorate World AIDS Day 2023, the U.S. Mission to the Kyrgyz Republic reaffirms its commitment to supporting the political, programmatic, and financial leadership by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to strengthen, expand, and ensure equity in the national HIV program and across the entire healthcare system.

To address systemic barriers, the U.S. government is partnering with Kyrgyz Republic to build equity and sustainability into its HIV/AIDS response efforts through innovative approaches like HIV self-testing, which allows individuals to test for HIV wherever and whenever they like. Additionally, the U.S. is a partner supporting improved access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which greatly reduces the risk of contracting HIV. Such strategies, and others, are aimed at reducing the rising number of new HIV cases that the Kyrgyz Republic and other countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe have been experiencing.