The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to saving lives by improving health throughout the world. The Council works to ensure that all who strive for improvement and equity in global health have the information and resources they need to succeed. 25th Anniversary International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 25 Years of Remembrance & Global Solidarity The 25th Anniversary of the historic International AIDS Candlelight Memorial – one of the world’s first public events against HIV/AIDS that continues to be led by communities worldwide – commemorates a quarter century of remembrance, community mobilization, and global solidarity May 18, 2008. For 25 years, the Candlelight Memorial has brought people together in every region of the world to honor those lost to AIDS and demonstrate the importance of civil society, a movement in step with the spread of the disease itself. To commemorate this special occasion, the Global Health Council unveiled the 25th Anniversary poster and theme during its traditional World AIDS Day poster presentation in Washington, D.C. The theme for the 25th Anniversary – “Never Give Up. Never Forget” – reflects the crossroads in time this Memorial represents, and reminds us that we must learn from the past and never give up our collective movement as we enter a new generation with the disease. The poster, a scene from a 2007 memorial in India, symbolizes both the unity and diversity of memorials around the globe. On May 18, the Global Health Council will co-host the Opening Ceremony in Lilongwe, Malawi in partnership with the Malawi Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (MANET+), a network of community support groups around the country who plan a national memorial in the country each year. The ceremony will include lighting of the official candle that will “light around the world.” Click here to read more about the Opening Ceremony. The Global Health Council has also produced a special issue of Global AIDSLink newspaper on the history of the Candlelight Memorial. To coordinate a memorial on behalf of your group or community for the 25th Anniversary, register here to become a Candlelight Coordinator. History of the Memorial The Candlelight Memorial began in 1983 during a time of confusion and misconception about a mysterious disease sweeping the gay population in San Francisco in the United States. Knowing they would die within the year and with no political support, four young men – Bobbi Campbell, Bobby Reynolds, Dan Turner and Mark Feldman – decided to put a “face on the disease” by coordinating a small vigil behind a banner reading “Fighting For Our Lives.” The original coordinators planned a march down the Castro District to City Hall and created a poster. As others joined in, the Candlelight drew thousands, beginning a movement that would inspire countless other people living with HIV/AIDS in other countries to bring the disease into the light for communities and national leaders, to foster support, and move people to action. The Candlelight Memorial was managed by an organization named Mobilization Against AIDS until the Council began organizing the event in 2000. Today, the Candlelight remains one of the most important civil society-led efforts because it demonstrates the invaluable role communities play in the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as its critical partnership with national governments in promoting prevention, treatment and care, not just for HIV/AIDS, but for other related illnesses and issues.

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