The U.S. government announced that the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day (WAD) is “The Time to Act Is Now.”

Observed on December 1, which falls on a Tuesday this year, WAD is a time to recommit to fighting the epidemic and achieving an AIDS-free world.
 
“This year, we will celebrate the tremendous progress we have made together in expanding access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, and focus on the potential to achieve sustainable epidemic control and end AIDS as a public health threat,” reads a White House statement by Douglas M. Brooks, MSW, the director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, and Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, MD, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator and special representative for global health diplomacy.

“In 2015,” the statement continues, “we know what it takes to prevent HIV infections and improve the lives of people living with HIV, and we are building on the success of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the release of the United States’ National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020, and our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. ‘The Time to Act Is Now’ looks to the future and demonstrates the urgent need for action today.”

Follow World AIDS Day on social media—and join the conversation—with the hashtag #WAD2015.