| Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 15, 2001 |
China Vital to Global Battle Against AIDS: UNAIDS Chief |
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China can save millions of lives by preventing an HIV epidemic in the world's most populous nation. But to do this, the country must recognize the potential for public health problems on an unprecedented scale, and take action to prevent them, said UNAIDS chief in Beijing on November 14.
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China's First National AIDS Conference Calls for Attention to Fight the Disease
China vital to global battle against AIDSA top leader of the global battle against HIV/AIDS said China can save millions of lives by preventing an HIV epidemic in the world's most populous nation.
But to do this, the country must recognize the potential for public health problems on an unprecedented scale, and take action to prevent them, Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS(UNAIDS), said Wednesday.
China is at a crossroads: avoid an epidemic or lose the last chance With between 600,000 and 800,000 people estimated to be infected with the HIV virus that leads to AIDS, and the increasing possibility of outbreaks among drug users, people having unsafe sex, and ultimately the general population, China is at a crossroads: it can work now to avoid an epidemic or lose the last chance.
China has taken effective measures in the battle against AIDSChina's central government has published a five-year action plan meant to mobilize all parts of the society to join in HIV/AIDS prevention and control.
"The plan is very good, and I expect it will be implemented," Piot said, adding that he also expected the top leadership at the central level and in every province to publicly express their commitment to the fight against AIDS. "In that way China can contribute enormously to global battle against AIDS."
China has changed a lot in terms of people's response to the epidemic Piot, who is here for a national AIDS conference, just wrapped up a week-long visit to north China's Shanxi Province and Beijing, meeting with officials of various levels, AIDS researchers, some HIV virus carriers and volunteers taking care of AIDS patients.
"Compared with my last visit to China two years ago, a lot of things have been changed in terms of the (people's) response to the epidemic," he said.
"I was mostly impressed by people's compassion to those who have been infected by HIV," he said, referring to a show in Beijing on Tuesday night which aimed to help increase the general public's understanding of HIV/AIDS and its victims.
He said the national women's federation and the family planning commission have also started some projects on AIDS prevention, and the campaign "is going in the right direction."
More efforts needed for fighting against AIDS "Still, it is not enough," he said. "In spite of openness, we need to break the silence at all levels."
The UNAIDS chief stressed the significance of education, especially among officials, and the role of the media in spreading public awareness.
"The media can save more lives than doctors," he has told journalists on various occasions.
UNAIDS will further collaborate with ChinaTalking about the cooperation between UNAIDS and China, which has been underway for about six years, Piot said his organization will further collaborate with China at the central and provincial levels.
"We can only succeed by cooperating with everybody, and all we can do is offer support," he said.
Having devoted himself to the fight against HIV/AIDS for nearly 20 years, Piot said he is proud to be the director of UNAIDS.
"It's a privilege to be in this position because there are very few issues in the world today that are more important than fighting against AIDS," he said. "This is about the future of humankind."
As the main advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS leads, strengthens and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing the transmission of HIV, providing care and support, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and alleviating the impact of the epidemic.
Why UNAIDS?
From 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) had the lead responsibility on AIDS in the United Nations, helping countries to set up much-needed national AIDS programmes. But by the mid-1990s, it became clear that the relentless spread of HIV, and the epidemic's devastating impact on all aspects of human lives and on social and economic development, were creating an emergency that would require a greatly expanded United Nations effort. Nor could any single United Nations organization provide the coordinated level of assistance needed to address the many factors driving the HIV epidemic, or help countries deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS on households, communities and local economies. Greater coordination would be needed to maximize the impact of UN efforts.
Addressing these challenges head-on, the United Nations took an innovative approach in 1996, drawing six organizations together in a joint and cosponsored programme - the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The six original Cosponsors of UNAIDS - UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank - were joined in April 1999 by UNDCP. |
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