General Kofi Annan appoints Bill Roedy as Global Media AIDS Initiative Founding Chair

In January 2011 General Kofi Annan appointed Bill Roedy as founding chair of the Global Media AIDS Initiative Leadership Committee. The Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) is an umbrella organization that unites and motivates media companies around the world to use their influence, resources, and creative talent to address AIDS.

The Global Media AIDS Initiative Mission

The GMAI mission is to use the power of media in order to help prevent the spread of HIV. GMAI aims to reduce the stigma faced by those already living with the disease.

GMAI creates a framework for sharing television and radio programming among media companies to increase the public health message. In addition to this, it educates journalists, editors and producers on how to cover the issue. HIV is preventable, and its members aim to improve public awareness and knowledge to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Within the GMAI, there are five national and regional coalitions of media companies. As of July 2009, the media initiatives in Africa, Asia, Russia, Latin America and the Caribbean included over 300 member broadcasters total. The GMAI was conceived and organized by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.