LocationsThe solidarity event held in honor of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial takes place in the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial: Global Solidarity with Lives Lost to AIDS
May 18, 2025
As part of the event, a flowerbed shaped like a red ribbon—a symbol of remembrance for those lost to AIDS — is restored each year.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus
The annual observance of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, held on the third Sunday of May, has become a significant fixture in the global health calendar.
The memorial event, traditionally staged in the National Academy of Sciences' Botanical Garden, centres around the restoration of a flowerbed shaped like a red ribbon – the universally recognised symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness. Beyond its symbolic importance, the gathering includes practical landscaping and planting activities across the garden grounds.
Senior officials from UN agencies in Belarus stood alongside representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, non-governmental organizations and members of the HIV-positive community in a show of solidarity.
The commemoration traces its roots to 1983, when a group directly affected by the then-emergent AIDS illness established the day to honor those lost to the infection and raise public awareness. The World Health Organization formally endorsed the initiative in 1987, transforming it into one of the most significant global HIV awareness events.
"Love and solidarity for healing and remembrance" is the theme for the 2024-25 observances, a message that resonates against the sobering statistic that some 42 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the epidemic began. Currently, more than 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV.
Belarus has made notable progress in its response to HIV. Of the country's 25,500 people diagnosed with HIV infection, approximately 89% are receiving antiretroviral therapy, with 86% of treated patients achieving an undetectable viral load – figures that demonstrate significant advances toward the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for 2030.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus
The UNDP has been instrumental in supporting Belarus's HIV response, promoting access to treatment, prevention services and rapid testing, while working to reduce stigma and discrimination. UNDP has partnered with the Ministry of Health to dismantle legal barriers facing key populations, including contributing to the development of a National Strategy on overcoming stigma and discrimination.
Key achievements include providing expert support and improvements to legislation affecting labor rights and social protection.
UNDP remains committed to combating stigma and discrimination associated with HIV by improving legal frameworks, raising public awareness about the disease, and promoting health empowerment. Additionally, UNDP will continue working directly with people affected by HIV to prevent self-stigmatization — a critical barrier to seeking treatment and social inclusion.
Furthermore, UNDP has supported the preparation of Belarus’ National Report for the Global Validation Committee on the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and/or Syphilis. The document highlights the country’s progress in this critical public health effort.
UNDP continues to assist Belarus in the response to HIV, working toward the global goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Moving forward, the agency will intensify efforts to ensure that people living with HIV have access to essential services and can lead dignified, fulfilling, and socially engaged lives.
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