China

The UNAIDS Country Director for China, Catherine Sozi, has received an award for her exceptional contribution to health cooperation between China and Africa. The China Alliance for South–South Health Cooperation Research presented Ms Sozi with the special award during the 6th International Roundtable of China–Africa Health Cooperation on 22 November in Shanghai, China.

Ms Sozi has helped to strengthen China’s collaboration with Africa, especially around increasing access to medicines and health commodities. She has supported China’s efforts to scale up Africa’s pharmaceutical industry, helping to ensure that the more than 25 million people living with HIV on the continent access life-saving HIV treatment.

Africa imports 80% of its antiretroviral medicine from Asia, with many of the ingredients coming from China. The China–Africa Development Fund is supporting the local production of medicines and health commodities in Africa through joint ventures with China. Ms Sozi has advocated for an equal partnership that puts the needs of Africa at the centre of the dialogue for collaboration.

The First Lady of Malawi and Vice-President of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), Gertrude Mutharika, has spoken to Chinese high school students about the impact of the AIDS epidemic on African women and children. The First Lady spoke at an event in Beijing, China, on 31 October celebrating the participation of the Affiliated High School of Beijing University in an ongoing campaign called China–Africa Hand in Hand: Chinese Youth’s Campaign for the Social Benefit of Africa.

Students from several high schools in Beijing and representatives of UNAIDS, the China–Africa Business Council (CABC), the China–Africa Development Fund and volunteer groups participated in the event.

The CABC and partners have established the Increasing Love for Decreasing AIDS Fund, which has raised US$ 200 000 for HIV programmes in eight African countries. High schools participating in the youth campaign are helping to collect donations for the fund. The campaign is also encouraging young people to join hands with their counterparts in Malawi and other African countries in order to build a brighter future together.

A Chinese delegation visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 11 to 13 October to promote innovative partnerships between the government and civil society. Both countries have partnered with communities and tailored their AIDS response to the specific needs of key populations at higher risk of HIV.

The mission was organized on the eve of an official visit by China’s President, Xi Jinping, to Cambodia, with support from the UNAIDS China and Cambodia country offices and the Gates Foundation. It included representatives of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and the Chinese Association of STD/AIDS Prevention and Control.

The delegation was welcomed by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD, the National AIDS Authority and KHANA, the largest Cambodian nongovernmental organization (NGO) working on HIV.

Sun Xinhua of the National Health and Family Planning Commission headed the Chinese delegation and commended the progress achieved by the Government of Cambodia in decreasing HIV prevalence among the general population. Mr Sun noted that, “This visit is a great opportunity to better understand the strategies and approaches for reaching key populations and opens new avenues for South–South cooperation.” Ly Penh Sun, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and STD, explained that, “Cambodia has recently adopted the “treat all” policy, which is a key step forward to achieving the 90–90–90 targets by 2020.”

The Chinese delegation presented the experience of civil society’s participation in the HIV response in China, noting in particular the China AIDS Fund for NGOs funding process for community organizations. Most international funding for the AIDS response in China ended in 2013, which affected civil society’s participation in the response. The Government of China committed to fill the gap with domestic resources, leading to the establishment of the China AIDS Fund for NGOs in 2015, which in its first year awarded US$ 7.5 million to more than 460 civil society organizations, with 41% of the funds going to support programmes for men who have sex with men.

“Learning from China’s transition towards more sustainable national funding was very useful, as Cambodia faces declining international funding. A key factor of success for both countries is the strong cooperation between government and civil society,” said Ieng Mouly, Chair of the National AIDS Authority, at an event organized to highlight civil society’s experience.

In Cambodia, the government works closely with civil society organizations to provide HIV prevention and support for enrolling key populations in treatment and care. Their efforts help bring services closer to key populations. The delegation visited a karaoke bar where peer counsellors provide rapid finger-prick HIV screening for entertainment workers as they wait for customers. The group also toured a club where men who have sex with men can access HIV prevention services.

“China and Cambodia are on the Fast-Track and building the sustainability of their AIDS response. UNAIDS values South–South sharing and cooperation, which promotes the scale-up of innovative approaches to better reach people,” concluded Marie-Odile Emond, UNAIDS Country Director for Cambodia.

The village of Jiele is where China’s first HIV cases were reported in 1989. Located in Dehong prefecture in Yunnan province, the village experienced an AIDS epidemic that resulted in almost 200 deaths. However, a quarter of a century later, the village is now brimming with hope and renewed energy.

“In the past, everyone was so scared of HIV, but now we are getting great health services and we are living normal healthy lives. We are not afraid of HIV anymore,” said a resident of Jiele.

The more than 100 people currently living with HIV in the village are receiving regular check-ups and almost all are on HIV treatment. The village’s success is echoed across Dehong prefecture, which was at the heart of China’s early AIDS epidemic.

Located near the opium producing areas of the Golden Triangle and the major drug trafficking routes, Dehong’s initial HIV cases were among people who inject drugs, as well as sex workers and their clients. In the past 15 years the prefecture has worked with community organizations, the central government and international organizations and has implemented a wide range of innovative measures, leading to a remarkable turnaround in the AIDS epidemic.

During a week-long mission to China, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé witnessed the achievements made in Dehong. He met with officials and community groups and visited a range of sites, including Ruili Hospital on 7 September. He saw how the city hospital provides one-stop-shop HIV prevention and treatment services, including health education, HIV testing, methadone for people who inject drugs and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services.

In 2009, Dehong started to decentralize antiretroviral therapy management down to the community level for people living with HIV who had been accessing treatment for more than a year. Ruili Hospital provides assistance and technical support to the community-level antiretroviral therapy sites, which in 2014 were providing treatment to more than 600 people living with HIV.

“Ruili Hospital is a model of how one-stop-shop HIV services save lives and money,” said Mr Sidibé. “It’s remarkable how the hospital is spreading its know-how down to the community level and ensuring that quality health care is available in even the most remote corners of China.”

“The fourth round of the People’s War against AIDS has just been launched in Yunnan,” said Gao Feng, Vice-Governor of Yunnan. “We are confident we will achieve the 90–90–90 targets by 2020 in Yunnan.”

Dehong’s HIV response has evolved to meet the new challenge of providing quality health care to cross-border migrants. While in most parts of China access to key HIV services, such as treatment and methadone, require a Chinese identification card, in Dehong, HIV treatment is available to non-Chinese people who can present residence and employment permits and health certificates.

Mr Sidibé visited Jiegao, which is a district of Ruili where around 50 000 Burmese people are estimated to live. The Needle Exchange and Methadone Maintenance Treatment Extension (MMT) sites provide services to mainly migrants who inject drugs. Truck drivers crossing the China and Myanmar borders are provided with comprehensive services at a government-funded truck driver action spot. The services include health education, HIV counselling and testing, condom distribution, and referral to HIV treatment.

The local government in Dehong has a strong partnership with community-based organizations, which have played a key role in reaching migrants and people who use drugs, engage in sex work or are living with HIV.

Owing to these effective strategies, Dehong is the only prefecture in Yunnan province to receive public recognition for having reversed its AIDS epidemic. Health authorities report that HIV treatment coverage is around 60% of all people living with HIV, while prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programme coverage is 100%. In Ruili, among people living with HIV eligible for antiretroviral therapy, the mortality rate has decreased by 95% compared to 2005. There were zero new HIV infections reported among people who use drugs attending MMT clinics from 2008 to 2014 and no babies born to pregnant women living with HIV have been reported to be HIV-positive since 2008. Dehong’s success is all the more remarkable as neighbouring prefectures in Yunnan province continue to experience expanding epidemics.

“Political leadership and engagement with communities and programmes based on scientific evidence can inspire other communities in China to end the AIDS epidemic,” said Mr Sidibé.

The First Lady of China, Peng Liyuan, and her counterparts from other Group of 20 (G20) countries have taken part in an event at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou to raise awareness of HIV among students. The Red Ribbon Health Ambassador’s Campus Tour campaign event took place on the sidelines of the 2016 G20 summit, where leaders of the world’s foremost economies have gathered for their annual meeting.

The first ladies, China’s Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Li Bin, and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé also participated in the event. They met students and made a symbolic gesture of placing red ribbons on a banner.

“This meeting is another expression of China’s strong commitment towards ending AIDS by 2030,” said Ms Li.

Mr Sidibé expressed his appreciation for China’s efforts following the event. “We will not end the AIDS epidemic unless we stop new HIV infections among young people. China’s HIV campaign in universities is a great start,” he said. 

The Red Ribbon Health Ambassador’s Campus Tour campaign was launched in November 2014 to improve knowledge of HIV prevention and to promote a healthy lifestyle among students. Nearly 20 colleges and universities and 10 medical schools have participated in the campaign, reaching around 400 000 students.

Young people are at higher risk of HIV. In 2015, globally there were 3.9 million young people aged 15 to 24 living with HIV and there were 670 000 new HIV infections among this age group. To reach the global commitment of ending AIDS by 2030, countries have pledged to ensure that, by 2020, 90% of young people have the skills, knowledge and capacity to protect themselves from HIV and have access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Mr Sidibé is on a week-long mission to China and participated in the G20 summit, which focused on promoting stable economic growth. He also met with international business leaders at the B20 summit, which looked at how the business community could contribute to sustainable and balanced growth in the global economy.

While in China, Mr Sidibé also discussed the financing challenges for the global HIV response with Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, held wide ranging discussions with Vice-Premier of China, Liu Yandong in Beijing on 28 July.

The discussions touched on global and domestic health issues including China’s own health care reform programme and moves towards universal access to healthcare through the uptake of its medical insurance system. Mrs Liu underlined China’s commitment to improving health outcomes and welcomed the strength of the country’s partnerships with both UNAIDS and the World Health Organization.

Mr Sidibé congratulated the Chinese authorities for significantly reducing the number of AIDS-related deaths in the country and for expanding HIV prevention programmes nationwide to stop children from becoming infected with HIV. Since 2014, Beijing has reported that no babies have been born with HIV. Mr Sidibé also mentioned China’s highly successful harm reduction programmes, which continue to reduce the number of new HIV infections among people who inject drugs.   

China’s contribution to the international AIDS response was also discussed, particularly the country’s support to some of the world’s most affected countries in Africa. The importance of building robust health systems and ensuring the local production of pharmaceuticals were both stressed as being key to the future response to the HIV epidemic in Africa.   

Earlier in the week, Mr Sidibé met with the Vice-Chairman of the China-Africa Business Council, Xu Zhiming and thanked him for the organization’s ongoing support to the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS. During his five-day visit, Mr Sidibé also met with Li Bin, the Minister for National Health and Family Planning, and discussed scaling up HIV prevention efforts among men who have sex with men and other key populations.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé has presented the President of Xinhua News Agency, Cai Mingzhao with the UNAIDS Leaders and Innovators Award in recognition of his leadership as a media partner and his contribution to the AIDS response

BEIJING, 28 July 2016—In recognition of the key role that media plays in the Fast-Track response to ending the AIDS epidemic, Cai Mingzhao, the President of Xinhua News Agency, has been presented with the UNAIDS Leaders and Innovators Award at an event held during a joint cooperation visit to Xinhua headquarters in Beijing, China.

The award recognizes Mr Cai’s efforts towards reaching the globally shared vision of Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths. 

“Mr Cai is a leader with vision. He understands that the three zeros are not just about the numbers but about social justice and inclusion," said the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé. “AIDS is not over in any part of the world and Mr Cai’s leadership is helping to ensure that HIV remains at the forefront of public awareness so that no one is left behind.”

With Mr Cai at the helm of Xinhua, the media news group has promoted public awareness of HIV in China and abroad. During the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS in June 2016, Xinhua showcased UNAIDS “Fast-Track to an AIDS-Free Generation” message on a giant electronic screen in Times Square, New York. In addition, the group is working with UNAIDS to promote zero discrimination messages through social media and other platforms. 

“We understand that the fight against AIDS requires concerted efforts from the whole of society — especially the media.” said Mr Cai. “We have a key role to play to ending AIDS." 

UNAIDS recognizes the unique role of the media in the global effort to end the AIDS epidemic. Media is able to reach billions of people with important life-saving messages and to encourage engagement and action. With more than 30 domestic branches and nearly 170 offices overseas, Xinhua is one of the largest news agencies in the world.

The Vice-Minister of Information at the Office of the State Council, Guo Weimin, underlined the importance of Xinhua’s contribution. "Xinhua News Agency is an active supporter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and promotes efforts to involve more people in achieving these aims."

The Vice-Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Committee, Cui Li said, "The cooperation between Xinhua News and UNAIDS is a good example of multi-sector participation and cooperation in advancing the AIDS response."  

In March 2016, UNAIDS and Xinhua signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding of Strategic Cooperation to find innovative solutions to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Two major stars of the footballing world have joined forces to encourage young people in China to get informed and protect themselves from HIV. UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Youth and China-Africa Collaboration, Gervinho, and UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador for China, Shao Jiayi took part in an event with Chinese media called Sports For Change which was moderated by another UNAIDS National Goodwill Ambassador, the television personality, James Chau. The Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, also attended the event in Beijing.

The event on 26 July honoured Gervinho in his new role. The football star, whose full name is Kouassi Gervais Yao moved to China in January 2016 to play for the Chinese Super League team, Hebei China Fortune. Originally from Côte d’Ivoire, Gervinho is already active in promoting HIV awareness and prevention to young people in Africa and will expand this work in China.

Shao Jiayi has actively used his popularity in China to speak up on issues surrounding HIV, highlight the challenges faced by people living with HIV in their everyday lives and encourage young people to take up leadership roles in the AIDS response.

Mr Sidibé, who is on a five-day visit to China, thanked the two football stars and Mr Chau for their continued efforts to reduce the impact of the AIDS epidemic in China and around the world. He also underlined how new HIV infections had to be stopped and stressed the role that Gervinho and Shao Jiayi could play in raising HIV awareness among young people.        

At the end of 2015, there were 3.9 million young people aged 15 to 24 living with HIV and 670 000 new HIV infections among this age group. 

In recent years, the AIDS response in China has seen increasing civil society involvement in focused, community-based HIV prevention and treatment programming, which has contributed to maintaining low levels of HIV prevalence in the country and ensuring an increasingly evidence-informed, tailored response.

The strategies, progress and achievements of Chinese civil society organizations were the focus of a session at the 21st International AIDS Conference, taking place in Durban, South Africa, which brought together representatives of the Government of China, Chinese civil society, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS.

The session, held on July 20, showcased the China State Council approved Fund for Participation of Civil Society Organizations in AIDS Prevention and Care, which has invested 50 million renminbi (nearly US$ 7.5 million) to support the work of nongovernmental organizations in education, communication, testing, counselling, care and support, including with key populations.

Although overall HIV prevalence continues to be low, the absolute number of people living with HIV and the annual number of new HIV infections remain significant, particularly among key populations. Recognizing that social and community organizations that have the trust of key populations are best able to reach at-risk communities, the fund—which has been designed, established and implemented in partnership with UNAIDS—is playing an important role in increasing prevention and treatment programmes for key populations in China.

Opening the session in Durban, UNAIDS Executive Director Jan Beagle underlined how China has undertaken impressive efforts to analyse its epidemic and tailor its response. Recalling the visit of a delegation from the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) to China in May 2016 to explore the national response and the role of communities, Ms Beagle noted how the PCB delegation had seen first-hand that cost-effective and rights-based approaches that focus on populations and locations were proving to have impact.

A delegation of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) visited China from 9 to 12 May to get insight into how the country’s national AIDS response is on the Fast-Track to end the epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

The PCB delegation met representatives of the government, civil society and the private sector. Innovative and focused strategies, the engagement of non-traditional stakeholders, accelerated efforts and the importance of political leadership and advocacy on AIDS were identified as critical to Fast-Track the national AIDS response in China.

Confirming China’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending AIDS by 2030, the Vice-Minister of Health, Wang Guoqiang, emphasized China’s support for a strong Political Declaration on Ending AIDS at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS to be held in June. This would be an important driver for further acceleration of the AIDS response globally and in China.

China’s epidemic is concentrated among key populations at higher risk of HIV. Men who have sex with men, especially in major cities, are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. HIV is prioritized at the highest levels of government and is addressed across sectors. The response is funded almost entirely from domestic resources.

“China’s leadership on HIV is an example of shared responsibility in action, with multisectoral approaches engaging the government, civil society and the private sector drawing on comprehensive national data,” said UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Jan Beagle, who led the visit. “This can provide important lessons learned across continents, for South–South collaboration and particularly on sustainability,” she added.

Combining science, technology and community action for results

A variety of innovative approaches were showcased during the visit, including Beijing’s response to HIV. The city engages community-based organizations for enhanced service delivery. In addition, it has adopted a one-stop-shop model for HIV testing, has accelerated the test and treat strategy among men who have sex with men, has piloted HIV self-testing programmes and uses new technologies to support HIV prevention and treatment initiatives.

The PCB delegation made a site visit to Danlan, a nongovernmental organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Danlan has combined a community-driven HIV prevention programme with a social enterprise scheme through social media—its dating application Blued, which has some 15 million users, includes links to HIV prevention and treatment services. The founder of Danlan, Geng Le, underlined how Blued provides an example of how combining science and technology can integrate the HIV response into the lives of people away from clinics and hospitals.

In discussions with the PCB delegation, members of Beijing’s Health and Family Planning Committee emphasized that their data are showing that community-based organizations, such as Danlan, have been particularly effective in carrying out rapid testing campaigns that reach communities at higher risk of infection. Although small in size, such campaigns have identified some 30% of all new HIV cases in the city.

The private sector’s role

The visit also focused on private sector engagement and action on AIDS within the Chinese national response.

The delegation met with the Red Ribbon Foundation, a national philanthropic fund comprising some 50 companies that are raising funds, providing materials and cooperating with the government on accelerating AIDS efforts.

Discussions with the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products (CCCMHPIE) focused on China’s support for the local production of medicines and health commodities in Africa. With the active engagement of UNAIDS, CCCMHPIE is engaging in technology transfer between Africa and China.

The PCB delegation included representatives of Burundi, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Norway and Switzerland, as well as the PCB nongovernmental organization delegation and UNAIDS Cosponsors. During the visit, the delegation met with a range of national partners, including representatives of the government at the national and city levels, the National AIDS Committee, civil society and community organizations, business leaders, health-care workers, development partners, media representatives and the United Nations Country Team. The delegation visited several sites in Beijing, where the team saw how the city has scaled up access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services, including prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and community-based responses.