Prince Harry has appeared in a new short film alongside Hollywood heavyweights, urging the public to contribute to ending AIDS.
In the UNAIDS video, the Duke of Sussex, 41, delivers his message from his Montecito home, encouraging continued donations to the organization.
In the clip, Harry, clad in a black polo shirt, discusses how HIV and AIDS were once overlooked due to “stigma, shame, and misinformation”.
The prince, who shares screen time with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Charlize Theron, and Thuso Mbedu, has long been an advocate for eradicating AIDS and supporting those living with HIV, particularly in Botswana and Lesotho.
He stated: “Right now, babies are being born with HIV due to interruptions in antiretroviral treatment for their mothers. Without urgent action to reverse these crippling funding cuts, 6 million more people will become infected with HIV while 4 million will die from AIDS-related causes within the next four years.”
This issue was highlighted in the short video, featuring voices like Fabian Quezada, a Mexican-born HIV activist, and Andiswa Cindi, a 22 year old South African social media influencer who uses TikTok to raise HIV awareness.
UNAIDS has reported that funding cuts have led to health worker shortages in several countries, including Eswatini and Mozambique.
The prince’s passion for these causes is believed to stem from his late mother, Princess Diana’s, work. This passion reportedly led him to co-found the Sentebale charity, with which he is no longer involved due to a charity dispute.
The UNAIDS film, crafted by Hollywood writer and producer Ron Nyswan, was screened at the United Nations General Assembly tonight.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) aims for zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths, with a mission to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.