Zero Discrimination Day is noted by global organisations such as UNAIDS which combats discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. According to UNAIDS, “Zero Discrimination Day is helping to create a global movement of solidarity to end all forms of discrimination.”
Zero Discrimination Day began in 2013 with the then Executive Director for UNAIDS Michel Sidibé, who launched the day with a huge event in Beijing. The day was officially celebrated on 1 March 2014 and has been annually recognised annually.
UNAIDS has announced that this year’s theme is ‘Saving lives: Decriminalise’ and they are highlighting how decriminalisation of key populations, people living with HIV, saves lives and helps advance the end of the AIDS pandemic.
People living with HIV and AIDS are legally protected by The Equality Act (2010) because it is defined as a disability.
The PDA’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Networks
In 2020, the PDA launched its own Ability Network for Disabled Pharmacists as part of their work to meet the demands of their growing membership and advance their work on equality. The Ability Network concerns itself with issues of special relevance to disabled pharmacists in the UK.
The PDA has other member networks including the Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) Pharmacists Network, the National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP), and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) Pharmacists Network. These are the PDA’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Networks. The networks provide a structure in which pharmacists, pharmacy students, and trainees can work together to proactively address and campaign around various forms of discrimination and its causes and consequences.
Last year, the BAME network held an event for the launch of the PDA Anti-racist pharmacy toolkit. The event included a demonstration of how members can use the toolkit to work together to address inequality and discrimination in their workplace.
In December, the NAWP Network hosted two equal pay events with discussions about the ‘Achieving Equal Pay in your Workplace’ website which the PDA helped to launch in collaboration with the Equality Trust.
In August 2021, due to the lack of LGBT+ inclusion, the PDA LGBT+ Network committee wrote to the GPhC and the Pharmacy School Council (PhSC) to make pharmacy staff aware of the campaign #LGBTplusMPharm and update their curriculum.
Support Zero Discrimination Day
Those who would like to take part in Zero Discrimination Day, can do so by attending events or by participating in campaigns that are taking place on 1 March. This will help to show support and help raise awareness around discrimination.
Learn more
- About Zero Discrimination Day
- About UNAIDS
- Zero Discrimination Day 2023
- The Equality Act and HIV 10 years on
- Join a PDA Member Network
- PDA BAME Network launches Anti-racist Pharmacy Toolkit
- NAWP hosts informative Equal Pay events
- PDA LGBT+ Network launch resources to support LGBT+ inclusive education
Get involved
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.