The World AIDS Campaign arrived at the selection of the theme Universal Access and Human Rights after close consultation with representatives of various constituencies, communications and media representatives of partner organizations.

Understanding HIV and AIDS form a human rights perspective can be difficult. Human rights are often misunderstood and can sometimes be seen as abstract ideals with not much practical relevance for real people.The slogans for the World AIDS Day materials were designed to bridge that gap and underscore the importance of awareness of Human Rights.

Among the key slogans adopted:

• I am accepted.
• I am safe.
• I am getting treatment.
• I am well
• I am living my rights.
• Everyone deserves to live their rights
• Right to Live
• Right to Health
• Access for all to HIV prevention treatment care and support is a critical part of human rights.
• The aim was to provide concise, informative texts designed to illustrate the relationship between Human Rights and Universal Access.

Why is the theme timely?

2010 will be a milestone for the Millennium Development Goals- encouraging high level review of what has, and has not, been accomplished in the aim to achieve access for all to essential care by 2010.In light of the approaching assessment of the Millennium Development Goals, the message that access to treatment for all is essential in how we approach HIV and AIDS globally is completely entwined.

The theme presents an opportunity to make understood the links between violations of human rights and HIV infection rates. Our message is that access for all to prevention, treatment, care and support is a fundamental human right that is impossible to decouple form the discussion of how we tackle HIV and AIDS now and in the future.

This theme offers a good opportunity to highlight the plight of the most stigmatised and marginalised within communities who are often neglected. The theme and needs of human rights can be powerfully articulated through contextual stories and real life case studies to principles of equality and the value of all human beings.The human rights approach is comprehensive, tying directly into the response needed for universal access to treatment, prevention, care and support.