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Five countries awarded Red Ribbons for fighting HIV

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-08 11:42

MEXICO CITY  -- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Thursday awarded five organizations from Ghana, India, Iran, Malawi and Mexico with Red Ribbon awards, in recognition of their roles in fighting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

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Rebecca Grynspan, UNDP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, conveyed the award at the 17th International Aids Conference, which runs through Friday in Mexico City.

Grynspan said the award recipients "have demonstrated extraordinary creativity, courage and leadership in response to the epidemic and achieved tangible results with limited resources."

Elhadj As Sy, director of partnerships and external relations of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said, "All the organizations that participate in this conference are winners."

The five winners would receive US$20,000 each along with the Red Ribbon award.

The Red Ribbon awards were first granted in 2006 at the 16th International Aids Conference in Toronto, Canada.

The International Aids Conference, held every two years, is the largest regular HIV/AIDS-related meeting organized by the International Aids Society, the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals.

The five prize-winning organizations are: the Center for Popular Education and Human Rights (Ghana), Women's Sanghamitra Collective (India), Mashhad Positive Club (Hamyaran Mosbat) (Iran), Consol Homes (Malawi) and Fortaleciendo la Diversidad (Mexico).