Think AIDS ... Before You Start, Before You Shoot, Before You Share

Dear Partner,

The world celebrates World AIDS Day on the 1st of December, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has created a campaign website to mark the day focusing on young people and drug use: www.unodc.org/thinkaids.

Among the estimated 16 million people injecting drugs worldwide, one in five are likely to be HIV positive. Our campaign hopes to help raise awareness of this fact, and to provide information for young people, who are at the center of the HIV epidemic.

An estimated 25 per cent of the 38.6 million people infected with HIV are between 15-24 years of age, and half of all new HIV infections worldwide are among this age group. In some parts of the world, and in some marginalized sub-groups, the most frequent modes of HIV transmission for these young people are unsafe injecting drug use and unsafe sexual activities.

As an organization working to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS issues, we would like to ask you to help us spread the word about HIV and AIDS and drug use by either:

Informing your partners about the Think AIDS campaign website www.unodc.org/thinkaids in your newsletter, website, etc;

Adding the link www.unodc.org/thinkaids to your website;

Adding the Think AIDS campaign web banner to your website for World AIDS Day 2008. We have a banner ready for you at www.unodc.org/thinkaids/en/logos.html

We hope to be able to count on your support, and thank you in advance for your time and help.

Yours sincerely,

Alun Jones
Chief of Communications and Advocacy
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime