When is Zero Discrimination Day 2021? Here is the theme for this year

With an aim of promoting equality before the law and in practice, the United Nations observes March 1 every year as Zero Discrimination Day. According to a report on the UN’s official website, this day was first observed in 2014 and was launched by UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe on Feb 27 of that year. Zero Discrimination Day was inaugurated in a UN event which was conducted in Beijing. Here’s more about Zero Discrimination Day 2021.

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Zero Discrimination Day 2021 theme

Zero Discrimination Day 2021 is dedicated to taking action to end the inequalities surrounding income, sex, age, health status, occupation, disability, sexual orientation, drug use, gender identity, race, class, ethnicity and religion that continue to persist around the world. The report mentions that inequality is growing for more than 70% of the global population. This is not only exacerbating the risk of division but also hampering economic and social development. Unfortunately, the inequalities worldwide have been deepened due to COVID-19, which is hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest. Even vaccines against COVID-19 are becoming available, there is great inequality in accessing them. The report then states that many intellectuals have equated this to vaccine apartheid.

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Zero Discrimination Day history

As mentioned earlier the United Nations had first observed the Zero Discrimination Day on March 1, 2014, after UNAIDS launched its Zero Discrimination Campaign on World AIDS Day. The day aims to celebrate everyone’s right to live a full and productive life that is filled with dignity. It also aims to create global solidarity towards ending all forms of discrimination. According to UNAIDS, fighting discrimination against women is very important to beat HIV/ AIDS.

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Zero Discrimination Day significance

As UNAIDS stated confronting inequalities and ending discrimination is critical to ending the menace of AIDS. It also states that the world is off track from delivering on the shared commitment to end AIDS by 2030. And the reason for this is not a lack of knowledge or capability or means to beat AIDS, but because of structural inequalities that hinder HIV prevention and treatment. The report in the UNAIDS website, also revealed that recent research shows that gay men and other men who have intercourse with men are twice as likely to acquire HIV if they are living in a country with punitive approaches to sexual orientation than if they are living in one with supportive legislation.

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