LET COMMUNITIES LEAD - WORLD AIDS DAY 2023

The world can end AIDS, with communities leading the way. Organisations of communities living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV are the frontline of progress in the HIV response. Communities connect people with person-centred public health services, build trust, innovate, monitor implementation of policies and services, and hold providers accountable.

But communities are being held back in their leadership. Funding shortages, policy and regulatory hurdles, capacity constraints, and crackdowns on civil society and on the human rights of marginalised communities, are obstructing the progress of HIV prevention and treatment services. If these obstacles are removed, community-led organisations can add even greater impetus to the global HIV response, advancing progress towards the end of AIDS.

This World AIDS Day is more than a celebration of the achievements of communities; it is a call to action to enable and support communities in their leadership roles. World AIDS Day 2023 will highlight that to unleash the full potential of community leadership to enable the end of AIDS:

• Communities’ leadership roles need to be made core in all HIV plans and programmes and in their formulation, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. “Nothing about us without us.”
• Communities’ leadership roles need to be fully and reliably funded to enable the required scale up,and be properly supported and remunerated. “Not ending AIDS is more expensive than ending it.”
• Barriers to communities’ leadership roles need to be removed. An enabling regulatory environment is needed which facilitates communities’ role in provision of HIV services, ensures civil society space, and protects the human rights of all, including of marginalised communities, to advance the global HIV response. “Remove laws that harm, create laws that empower.”

Communities are leading World AIDS Day, and across the world are shaping the events and tailoring the detailed calls to their specific needs. Through photos and videos shared by groups on social media and aggregated by UNAIDS, people will be able to witness the kaleidoscope of events taking place, be inspired by the determination and hope, and hear communities’ calls for action.

Adaptable materials for World AIDS Day will be shared on the UNAIDS special World AIDS Day page, beginning in November. To highlight the narrative continuation, the campaign materials’ colour scheme and fonts are similar to, and echo, those which were used in July in The Path That Ends AIDS. The imagery is also similar to, and echoes, the design concept as used in The Path That Ends AIDS, with important shifts including that to highlight communities’ leadership role the angle has moved from looking from above people to looking up at them, and more face on. Materials are tailorable by countries and communities.

Because change depends not on a moment but on a movement, the message “Let Communities Lead” will not only ring out on one day. It will be at the core of activities that will build up across November, see the release of the World AIDS Day Report – entitled Let Communities Lead – in late November, reach a crescendo on World AIDS Day on 1 December, and continue to echo throughout December and beyond.

“The end of AIDS is possible, it is within our grasp” says UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “To follow the path that ends AIDS, the world needs to let communities lead.”

First class flags - guaranteed

We make and supply flags of every size, description and design to clients worldwide- no order too small.

The design and creation of custom one off design flags is our speciality.

Flag design

We have the artwork for all national and generic flags on file, so there are no hidden charges for their use, nor are they covered by any trademark restrictions.

For us to make a flag of your specific choice of design we will need to create the artwork for you (if you haven’t had this done already). Please refer to the Artwork Guidelines link in the footer of our website for more information.

No obligation quotes

All quotes are supplied with no obligation and are valid up to 14 days.

Flag finish

Each flag is made to order and finished with a strong canvas, cored rope and ash wood toggle with triple sewn fly end as standard.

Other finishes include top and bottom loop, Dring/s, Inglefield brass clips, extra length halyard… available on request.

Terms and conditions

Our terms are payment before production by bank transfer or by card via an emailed payment link. We also accept cheques.  We don’t take card payments over the phone, sorry.

The link to the full terms and conditions of doing business with us is located in the footer section of our website.

Flag sizes and dimensions

The measurements listed on our website are rounded up and down to the point 5 when converted from inches to cms. Flags are traditionally measured in Imperial units, so inches take priority over cms. Your flag will be generously made to the inch format. Measurements listed are for guidance – we can make any size as we create from scratch.

Please note that the MOD specification fabric is only available in a max width of 1.5m, so if the STITCHED flag you require is bigger than the fabric allows, a central seam (either vertically or horizontally) will be incorporated into the flag design.

Fully stitched, part stitched part printed or fully printed

Where flags are fully STITCHED with detail, applique is sewn through in layers giving a sewn mirror image on reverse. We use Ministry of Defence specification woven polyester as standard - this replaced the traditional wool and linen/cotton mix fibre fabric in and around the 1980s and has a matt finish and a strength and durability which lasts longer than previous natural fibre fabrics.  The colours are dense and strong.

Please refer to the 'fabric we use' section in the footer of our website to see the stock colours available where we also talk about the linens and other fabrics we use.

Where flags are part-SEWN part-PRINTED, Ministry of Defence specification woven polyester ground (base) is stitched and hemmed and the detail (badge, emblem etc.) is printed twice to cotton LIMA poplin fabric and stitched to each side of the flag around the detail facing left to right on the front and mirror image on the reverse unless otherwise requested.

Where flags are fully PRINTED, the format is single layer, printed through with mirror image on reverse to a strong knit polyester. Printed flags are slightly opaque in appearance.

PLEASE NOTE that our strong knit polyester is NOT to same as what retailers and other manufacturers describe as 'economy' flag fabric (roughly translating to inexpensive and not likely to last more than a few days at best). We print our flags using a sublimation heat process which prints and melts through the fibres to give a crisp and clean image on both sides, mirror image on reverse. Our flags are automatically double sided.

What does it all mean?

Please refer to the glossary page to clarify any terms you are unsure of. Use the search button at the top left of the website to search all other info throughout the site.

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