Cecile Richards is president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Accountability, for you, for me, for us. That's the theme for World AIDS Day 2006 and there couldn't be a more appropriate time to spread a more important message. Twenty-five years into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, infection rates are at record levels and are still rising. We must hold ourselves accountable and we must take action.

The numbers are sobering, and worth repeating: Forty million adults and children are currently infected with HIV/AIDS around the world – that's the entire population of Spain. And in the last year alone, more than four million men, women, and children were infected, and three million died.

HIV/AIDS does not discriminate – that much we know. But it does destroy families, weaken communities, and affect economic growth and security. And right now, the rates of HIV infection are spiraling higher in certain populations, particularly women and youth, the most vulnerable among us. In countries such as Thailand or Uganda, where HIV/AIDS was thought to be on the decline, the epidemic is resurging. This is unacceptable, especially because we can prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

We have made considerable headway in fighting HIV/AIDS, but we still have a long way to go. And to make this disease a thing of the past, we all must be accountable, you, me, and us.

We must be accountable on a personal level – being sexually responsible, knowing our HIV status, and talking about HIV/AIDS to increase awareness and decrease stigma. And every little bit counts. Wear a red ribbon – the international symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness. Get involved. Raise awareness. Challenge the prejudice that those living with HIV/AIDS face every day.

And we must hold the highest levels of government accountable. I've said before and I will say again – there is no room for politics to get in the way of good medicine. We must demand that our elected leaders use tried-and-true prevention strategies that include education and condoms and do away with unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

We need to tell our representatives to support legislation like the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act of 2006, which would do away with the abstinence-only requirements of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and take concrete measures to halt the rapid spread of HIV infection among women and girls.

Six years ago, leaders from around the globe came together and pledged to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Toward that end, the World AIDS Campaign has adopted a simple message: Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.

At Planned Parenthood, part of our promise is carried out by our international programs, which support comprehensive reproductive health services and HIV prevention programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Here in the United States, Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers provided more than 280,000 HIV tests last year alone, and our education programs are committed to teaching young people about prevention.

As we look ahead to a new year, Planned Parenthood once again promises to do its part around the world. All we ask is that you do yours: Be Accountable.