J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo
Former President George W. Bush wrote an opinion piece in Wednesday’s Washington Post calling on Congress to take more action in the global fight against AIDS, in recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1. While he was in office, Bush oversaw the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which has been credited with giving life-saving treatments to some 2 million people infected with HIV. Bush writes that although progress has been made, “to stand still is to lose ground” and “the continuing fight against global AIDS is something for which America will be remembered.” World AIDS Day celebrations kicked off in Sydney, as the Opera House became the first of more than 70 iconic landmarks in 13 countries lit up in red light to promote awareness of the disease.