Monrovia: The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has issued a Proclamation declaring Monday, December 1, 2025, as World AIDS Day, to be observed throughout the Republic as a Working Holiday. This declaration is in recognition of the contributions of the United Nations in combating HIV and AIDS.
According to African Press Organization, this year's World AIDS Day will be celebrated on the Grounds of the Capitol Building in Monrovia. The global theme for the event is "OVERCOMING DISRUPTION, TRANSFORMING THE AIDS RESPONSE," while the National Theme is "MOBILIZING DOMESTIC SUPPORT, TRANSFORMING THE AIDS RESPONSE." President Boakai will serve as the Keynote Speaker for the occasion.
The proclamation highlighted that the United Nations Joint Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has designated December 1st each year as World AIDS Day. This day is meant to raise awareness about the HIV and AIDS epidemic, honor those who have lost their lives, and show solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk.
The proclamation revealed that Liberia has a generalized HIV epidemic, with the reproductive-aged population showing an HIV prevalence of 2.1% according to the 2013 LDHS. The estimated HIV population in Liberia is around 36,000.
Furthermore, the presidential proclamation disclosed that significant variations in HIV prevalence exist between and within regions and counties. Urban areas have a higher prevalence of 2.6% compared to 0.8% in rural areas. The South-Central Region has the highest prevalence at 2.8% among the five regions, with Montserrado, Margibi, and Grand Bassa counties accounting for about 70% of the disease burden in the country.
The proclamation emphasized the importance of creating awareness about the threat of HIV and AIDS, aligning with government policies and recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS to educate and keep Liberians informed about the threat of AIDS.
Since the diagnosis of AIDS in 1981, it has posed a serious threat to global health, and Liberia is no exception, the Proclamation added.