OLIVIER ROUSTEING AND BALMAIN: COMMITTED TO (RED) AND THE GLOBAL FUND

To make as clear as possible the dedication that Balmain and Olivier Rousteing share for supporting the essential work of (RED) and The Global Fund, Olivier Rousteing traveled to Lyon to participate in the Global Fund Replenishment conference. In this video, Rousteing explains why he so strongly supports the efforts of The Global Fund and (RED). To say that I was honored to be asked to participate in the Global Fund Replenishment conference would be the understatement of the year. As a Frenchman, I am extremely proud that my country and President Macron hosted this important gathering, which brought together both government and private sector donors, in order to pledge the needed financial support for the fight to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The conference’s goal of securing $14 billion over the next three years would enable the Global Fund to support programs that could save 16 million lives. Those totals may be impressive, but the challenge remains a daunting one. Today, in spite of all the advances we’ve made in recent years, AIDS kills more young people than any other disease worldwide. There are 400 HIV-infected babies born every day. Right now, there are nearly 15 million children across the globe who have lost a parent to AIDS—and most of those children live in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is most prevalent. That last fact, in particular, hits very close to home. Having spent my earliest years in an orphanage, there are few things that can affect m