UNAIDS, StarTimes cooperate in combating AIDS in Africa

The goal of the campaign is to curb discrimination against people living with HIV in Africa. Photo: UNAIDS

Following the signing last May 12 in the Chinese capital, Beijing, of a memorandum of understanding between The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Chinese media giant, StarTimes, to help end the pandemic in Africa, the two sides have continued discussions in pursuit of this goal. Both sides committed to work together to increase HIV awareness and reduce stigma and discrimination against people living with the disease through StarTimes digital television programmes in Africa.

The first follow-up meeting held on August 17 in Beijing with the two sides exploring ways and means of cooperation to help eliminate the impact of AIDS in Africa. The discussions involved partners such as Bundesliga, China-Africa Business Council and the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS.

Pang Xinxing, president of StarTimes Group, told the meeting that its Uganda branch and the UNAIDS Uganda office have agreed on a detailed work plan to promote the anti-AIDS campaign in the country. He also disclosed plans by StarTimes and UNAIDS to donate digital TV signal reception equipment to HIV clinics in Zambia next month to enable medical workers and patients to watch television programmes. “We are honoured to work with UNAIDS to shoulder this mission. Let’s move towards the global common goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030,” Pang Xinxing noted.

“The challenges we have today are more difficult than those we used to face. Prevention doesn’t work for people left behind. These people are difficult to reach and live in difficult conditions,” said Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director and United Nations Under Secretary-General.

UNAIDS Michel Sidibé and StarTimes Pang Xingxing join hands to end AIDS as a public health threat in Africa by 2030. Photo: StarTimes

He said UNAIDS’ collaboration with StarTimes will help find new ways to communicate information on HIV prevention. Sidibé added that the strategy entails using modern communication to influence people to have better access to services and acquire knowledge and knowhow on AIDS prevention and treatment.

The UN on June 8, 2016 unanimously passed “The Political Declaration on AIDS” and world leaders committed to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. According to “UNAIDS 2016 Global AIDS Update,” since the first global treatment target was set in 2003, AIDS-related deaths in Africa have decreased by 36 per cent since 2010. However, huge challenges lie ahead. In 2015 there were 2.1 million new HIV infections worldwide, giving a total of 36.7 million people living with the disease.

The UNAIDS-StarTimes follow-up meeting held in Beijing on August 17

*Kimeng Hilton Ndukong, a contributor to People’s Daily Online, is Sub-Editor for World News with Cameroon Tribune bilingual daily newspaper in Cameroon. He is currently a 2017 China-Africa Press Centre (CAPC) fellow.