Princess Stéphanie of Monaco offered her support to Ukraine and launched a programme to help a special category of refugees during an event marking International Women’s Day.
Her Serene Highness is President of Fight AIDS Monaco, an organisation focussed on the fight against HIV/AIDS, and was taking part in an event on 8 March, during which she made her position clear.
There was an activity to produce an art piece, and the Princess chose the word “futur” (French for “future”) and the picture of a handshake. The two elements were painted in yellow on a blue backdrop, a clear reference to the two colours of the Ukrainian flag, and a message of hope for peace.
Princess Stéphanie also offered numbers that served as a grim reminder of the human cost of the war, not just in casualties on the battlefield, but also because of the supply shortage.
During the event, Fight Aids Monaco officially joined UNAIDS, the United Nations agency for the fight against the HIV/AIDS virus, in their appeal to stop the conflict and allow medical aid to enter the country.
According to Fight AIDS Monaco, Ukraine is the second most hit country in that region in terms of HIV/AIDS infections. The Princess praised the efforts put in place by the Ukrainian government in the past to combat the epidemic.
“Of an estimated 250,000 people living with HIV, the 156,000 people on antiretroviral therapy have only a few weeks of treatment left if access to care is no longer possible due to the war,” the statement reads.
Antiretroviral drugs are the key component of managing an HIV infection and prevent it from progressing to AIDS. Often, multiple drugs are used at the same time to attack the visor in its different life cycles. This kind of therapy has to be managed by medical professionals, and a war can have a huge impact on access to the drugs for patients.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has increasingly targeted civilian buildings, with the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol being the headline of many news outlets around the world.
