2008
United in Partnership against HIV/AIDS
On December 1, World AIDS Day, U.S. Consul General Tom Armbruster and Pol/Econ Officer Steven Kovacsics took part in a roundtable devoted to the development of nonmedical services (advocacy, counseling, etc.) for people living with HIV/AIDs. The roundtable was organized by the Primorsky kray branch of the Russian Red Cross and included health care providers, representatives of NGOs, the Russian Orthodox Church, government organizations and local businesses. The goal was to combine efforts of these organizations in order to overcome the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDs, to provide psychological and social support to people with HIV/AIDs (as well as their friends and relatives), and to improve their quality of life. In his remarks Consul General mentioned the role the United States and the international community play in fighting HIV/AIDs and expressed the hope for a future free of HIV/AIDS.