GENEVA (AP) -- AIDS campaigners across the globe prepared to mark World AIDS Day on Friday with a message to men that they must take responsibility for their behavior to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
"Broadly speaking, men are expected to be physically strong, emotionally robust, daring and virile. Some of these expectations translate into ways of thinking and behaving that endanger the health and well-being of men and their sex partners," the United Nations AIDS agency said in a statement.
Campaigners planned marches, vigils, religious services, promotions and entertainment events to bring home the importance of AIDS awareness. This year's theme is "Men make a difference."
"Men can make a particular difference -- by being more caring, by taking fewer risks, and by facing the issue of AIDS head-on, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a statement.
"Until and unless we grasp that AIDS is our problem, we will be blind to the steps we need to take to protect ourselves and others against it. We will be powerless to reduce its impact. This applies as much to a leader planning the allocation of national resources as it does to a husband planning his future with his wife or a father planning for the future of his child."
According to a U.N. report issued this week, 36.1 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and there will be 5.3 million new infections during 2000. It is expected that 3 million people will die from AIDS, 80 percent of them in Africa.
The Russian Health Ministry said Thursday that nearly as many HIV cases were recorded this year as in the past 13 years altogether and that the disease posed a risk to the entire nation. It said 90 percent of new infections registered were among intravenous drug users.
In Nairobi, Kenya, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed for $10.5 million to ensure that its 2 million volunteers can make house-to-house calls in a decade-long campaign to raise AIDS awareness in Africa.
It accompanied the appeal with what it termed "a frank admission" that it has not been doing enough to deal with the epidemic in Asia.
Rock 'n' roll concerts are planned in China, Russia, Ukraine, Haiti, Laos and Belize to mark World AIDS Day. In the Rwandan capital, Kigali, children from all the schools in the city will attend a gathering in the main stadium.
On the Pacific island of Guam, the "Light Up in Solidarity" campaign calls on everyone to drive with their lights on for the day.
Sanatha Jayasuriya, the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team, will be invested as the latest Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS in a ceremony in Colombo. In Oslo, Norway, a torchlight parade will be held.
International music channel MTV is broadcasting "Staying Alive," a 30-minute documentary on HIV/AIDS hosted by singer Ricky Martin.
"AIDS continues to be a serious issue, and there is still a lot of work to be done to raise awareness around the world," said Martin.
Other celebrities, including soccer star Ronaldo and rock group UB40 have joined in with messages of solidarity.
"If I am disappointed with a tape, we shoot it again," said actor Danny Glover. "But with AIDS, the movie's over. It's up to you and me to break the silence."
