A characteristic gesture in Brazilian culture – especially of the Carioca soul – embraces will be a starting point for conducting various activities related to HIV prevention and the distribution of more than 500 thousand masculine condoms and 10 thousand female condoms, lubricant gel and informative pamphlets. During specific moments of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, quick HIV tests will be offered for free as part of the campaign.

By promoting the Olympic spirit and its principles of hope, tolerance, respect and peace, more than 100 volunteers involved in the project will raise awareness among the public regarding matters related to human rights and the importance of respecting diversity, and of the right of all types of people to have access to health services, especially those people who are living with HIV or AIDS and those populations that are most vulnerable to the epidemic.

Various “HUGE EMBRACES” are scheduled for the beginning of the Olympic Games. Check the programming:

• 4 August – 10:30 –Mauá Plaza (Maravilha Port Live Site)
• 5 August – 10:30 –Copacabana Beach (Post 2 – Olympic Rings)
• 6 August – 15:00 – Casa Brasil (Maravilha Port) - Official launch
• 7 August – 15:00 –Madureira (Madureira Park Live Site)
• 8 August – 15:00 –XV Plaza (Maravilha Port Live Site)

The #IEmbrace campaign was inspired by Principle No. 6 of the Olympic Charter: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

In addition to on site activities, the #IEmbrace campaign will take place virtually on social networks – by using the #IEmbrace hashtag – through an online platform called Hug-o-meter - which will be launched on 6 August. Through this online platform, people will be able to participate by sharing pictures of hugs and informing the size of the hug recorded (equal to the sum of the heights of each person in the photo), helping the campaign to meet the proposed goals for virtual hugs suggested throughout the 2016 Rio Games.

The #IEmbrace campaign has two mascots: Hash and Tag. They come together to create, with great joy, irreverence and levity, the campaign’s symbol. The mascots simultaneously represent the on-site actions at the Live Sites and also the virtual actions involving people all around the world.

Throughout the 2016 Rio Games, the hashtag #IEmbrace has the mission of hugging various causes: #IEmbrace respect; #IEmbrace diversity; #IEmbrace the Olympic spirit; #IEmbrace prevention; #IEmbrace testing; #IEmbrace people with HIV.

Media contacts:

UNAIDS in Brazil

Daniel de Castro, decastrod(at)unaids.org, +55 61 9.9304-2654

DDAHV

Salete Saionara, salete.barbosa(at)aids.gov.br, +55 61 9.8163-9867 

UNESCO in Brazil

Fabiana Pullen, f.sousa(at)unesco.org, +55 61 2106-3596 

UNFPA in Brazil

Ulisses L. Bigaton, bigaton(at)unfpa.org, +55 61 3038-9259  

UE

Concha Fernandez, concha.fernandez-de-la-puente(at)eeas.europe.eu, + 55 61 2104-3117

AHF Brazil

Magda Fernanda, magnanda(at)gmail.com,+55 61 9.8128-9794

Grupo Pela Vidda/RJ

Marcia Vilella, marcia(at)target.inf.br, +55 21 2284 2475 

#IEmbrace Campaign

The campaign is an initiative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and of the Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (DDAHV) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO in Brazil) and the European Union Delegation. The campaign also obtains support from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF Brazil) and the Grupo Pela Vidda-Rio de Janeiro for the social mobilisation of volunteers that will be in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and for testing actions; and with the support of the Salvador City Hall and GAPA-Bahia, for mobilising health professionals and volunteers in the Bahia State capital.