The first meeting of UNAIDS and StarTimes
partnership was held on Thursday (17th August) in Beijing with the
two sides having deeply talked about the future cooperation plan to help
eliminate the influence of AIDS in Africa and achieve the global common goal of
“Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030”.
On 8th June, 2016, Members of
United Nations 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 the UNAIDS 2016 Global AIDS Update, since the first global treatment target was
set in 2003, annual AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 43%. AIDS related
deaths in the region have decreased by 36% since 2010. However, huge challenges
lie ahead. In 2015 there were 2.1 million new HIV infections worldwide, adding
up to a total of 36.7 million people living with HIV.
On 12th May, StarTimes and UNAIDS
formally established partnership with signing a memorandum of understanding in
Beijing with the aim of achieving a shared objective and
common goal, which is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
StarTimes and UNAIDS are
committed to work together to increase awareness of HIV and to
reduce stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV and whose live
affected by HIV across the broadcast networks of StarTimes that are available throughout the African
continent.
Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive
Director and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations, said at the first
meeting with StarTimes: “Challenges we are having today are more difficult than
the challenges we used to face. The prevention doesn’t work for the people left
behind, the people difficult to reach and the people living in difficult conditions.”
“We are failing to reach them,” Sidibe
said with noting that UNAIDS’ collaboration with StarTimes will help find new
ways and best ways to communicate with people about the HIV prevention.
“It is about how we collaborate in
global health in a different way, how we use the modern communication to help
us to influence the people to have a better access to services, to make them have
information which will protect them, have information which will equip them
with knowledge and know-how to do with this disease in general.”
“Ending the AIDS epidemic, StarTimes is in
action.” The President of StarTimes Group, Pang Xinxing said at the meeting and
illustrated that the branch company of StarTimes in Uganda and UNAIDS Uganda
Office have reached a detailed work plan to promote the anti-AIDS campaign in
Uganda.
He also disclosed a plan that StarTimes
together with UNAIDS is to donate digital TV signal receiving equipments to HIV
clinics in Zambia in September, enabling the medical workers and patients to
watch abundant digital TV programs for free.
“We are honored to work together with UNAIDS
to shoulder the mission…Let’s move towards the global common goal of ‘Ending the
AIDS epidemic by 2030’,” Pang concluded.
At the meeting, StarTimes and UNAIDS also had
discussions on involving more partners in their cooperation, such as
Bundesliga, China-Africa Business Council and Organization of African First
Ladies Against HIV/AIDS.
