ACTRESS JULIA ORMOND JOINS FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS IN RUSSIA

NGO Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA) Enlists Activist Actress as Advocate

Moscow, Russia / New York, NY – September 20, 2005 -- Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), a non-governmental organization battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and Ukraine, today announced that prominent British actress Julia Ormond will serve as an advocate for the organization. Ormond joins a growing network of public figures from Russia and the international community – including prominent television journalists Vladimir Pozner and Vladimir Soloviev, singer Andrey Makarevich, and actor Richard Gere – who work with TPAA to increase visibility, advocate for policies to strengthen care and prevention programs, and de-stigmatize HIV/AIDS.

“We’re honored that Ms. Ormond will join us to raise awareness of this devastating and rapidly spreading disease in Russia and Ukraine, and welcome her support in advocating for strengthened prevention programs, including for vulnerable populations of injecting drug users, and the elimination of discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS,” said John Tedstrom, president of TPAA. “Her impressive dedication to this cause makes her a tremendous asset to both raising visibility and mobilizing the creative community in both countries,” he added.

TPAA, as a leading organization fighting HIV/AIDS in Russia through policy, business, and media programs, is hosting Ormond in Moscow during September 19-22 through a full schedule of meetings with policymakers, government leaders, and others. Ormond’s schedule includes an official parliamentary meeting on HIV/AIDS with senior legislators at the Russian State Duma, and bilateral meetings with visiting representatives from the UK House of Commons, UN Undersecretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Antonio Maria Costa, and other representatives, alongside executives from TPAA. Her visit also includes meetings with communities of people living with HIV/AIDS, opinion makers and noted Russian personalities and media representatives, including Vladimir Solovyov and Vladimir Pozner.

On September 21, Ormond will participate in MTV Russia’s annual Russian Music Awards in Red Square as a presenter of MTV’s “Staying Alive” Award, given annually to a leading individual or organization in Russia that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This year, award nominee Aleksandra Volgina was featured in a recent TPAA “StopSPID” (Stop AIDS) public service advertising campaign currently airing on leading Russian national television networks.

In her new role working with TPAA, Ormond is charged with advocacy in the policy community with the goal of stronger prevention and treatment programs, including expanded services for high-risk groups of injecting drug users; outreach to and mobilization of creative communities in Russia and Western countries; and raising awareness through appearances in print advertisements and media interviews as a spokesperson for the cause.

“It is my privilege to partner with TPAA in advancing its education and awareness campaign of HIV/AIDS for a region of the world that’s experiencing particularly severe rates of new infection,” said Ormond, adding “Misinformation about this virus, along with cultural stigmas and discrimination, are some of the biggest problems we must overcome in our efforts to prevent its spread.”

Ormond’s previous humanitarian work has included anti-trafficking and poverty alleviation in Africa. She is founding Co-Chair of FilmAid International, a non-governmental organization that uses the power of film to alleviate refugee despair and psychological trauma, combat isolation, and communicate with disenfranchised populations in Afghanistan, East Africa, and the Balkans. In 2006, Ormond also will assume a new role as UNODC Goodwill Ambassador on Anti-Trafficking.

Ormond’s work in film and theatre includes HBO’s biopic Stalin (1992), Legends of the Fall (1994), First Knight (1995), Sydney Pollack’s remake of Sabrina (1995), and more recently, Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997), Sibirskij Tsiryulnik (The Barber of Syberia, 1998), and Resistance (2003).

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About HIV/AIDS in Russia
Russia has emerged as a new epicenter in the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, registering one of the world’s fastest-growing rates of new infection. At present, there are over 325,000 registered cases of HIV infection in Russia, although independent Russian and international experts estimate that between 700,000 and 1.5 million Russians may be living with HIV, representing between 1 and 2 percent of its adult population. Injection drug users remain the primary community at-risk, although the epidemic is increasingly shifting beyond high risk groups into the general population. Young Russians are especially at-risk, with more than 80 percent of all registered cases of HIV-infection among men and women under age 30. For more information about HIV/AIDS in Russia, visit www.tpaa.net or www.tpaa.ru.

About TPAA
Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS (TPAA), is an international non-governmental organization – with offices in Moscow, Kyiv and New York – that fights HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, Russia and neighboring countries. TPAA raises awareness and builds political will; provides high-quality policy research and analysis; strengthens civil society; forges innovative global partnerships; and, supports policymakers, business executives, and media leaders in their efforts to stem the growing tide of HIV/AIDS in Russia and Ukraine. For more information, visit TPAA online at www.tpaa.net.

Ms. Ormond’s visit to Moscow is being organized by TPAA, in partnership with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, as part of their joint work to raise awareness through the “StopSPID” (Stop AIDS) initiative, a nationwide cross-platform media campaign to combat HIV/AIDS through public service advertisements (PSAs), television and radio programming, print editorial content, consumer product placement, an interactive Internet campaign, free information resources, and special events The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provides financial support for the StopSPID campaign through a grant to TPAA.