Speech by Chair of the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and UNICEF Representative, Dr. Christian Voumard 

Teleconference 'Empower Women, Fight HIV/AIDS' to Mark World Population Day 2005 in China

Beijing Telecommunication Company, July 11 2005

Honorable Chair Gu Xiulian, distinguished participants, dear friends,

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak today at the launching of the "Empower Women, Fight HIV/AIDS" program at this year's World Population Day event in China.

AIDS is a complex problem. But it is also a problem with a solution, and a priority for the UN system in China -- one of the five key areas on which we will focus our efforts over the next five years -- to help the Chinese government address the problem effectively.

Key elements of an effective response to AIDS are elaborated in a policy note we have prepared for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to help the government address AIDS in the 11th five-year plan. This morning I will touch on a few of these issues: fighting stigma and discrimination, strengthening HIV testing and counseling, dealing with women's vulnerability to HIV, and improving multi-sector planning and coordination.

Let me first talk about the shame, stigma and discrimination surrounding AIDS, which make people afraid of finding out if they are HIV positive -- and prevent those who know they are infected from informing others of their status, from taking action to protect others, and from seeking treatment and care for themselves.

To prevent new HIV infections and to provide treatment and care to people living with HIV, more people need to be tested, and for people to come forward and be tested they must not be afraid of being stigmatized or discriminated against.

Because of this, HIV testing must include protection from stigma and discrimination and equal access for men and women to treatment and care.

Specifically, the "three Cs" must be respected. Testing must: be confidential; be accompanied by counseling; only be conducted with informed consent, meaning that it is both informed and voluntary.

However, the availability of HIV testing services is still limited: only a small number of those who need voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) have access to it.

One way to address this problem is to bring family planning and AIDS programs closer together and use family planning and reproductive health networks to expand confidential testing and counseling and other AIDS services and information.

In the fight against AIDS, the UN is looking forward to continued and close collaboration with the National Population and Family Planning Commission and its partners. Because AIDS -- like family planning -- touches almost all parts of peoples' lives, learning from the experience in family planning in China to fight AIDS is important. To deal effectively with AIDS will require talking about sex -- an area in which NPFPC has considerable experience.

Dealing with AIDS will be a challenge for some time to come. There is no doubt about that. China will not be able to achieve a harmonious and well-balanced well-off society without an intensified response to AIDS, which also addresses women's vulnerabilities.

We know what needs be done. Now is the time to act: fight stigma and discrimination; promote testing and counseling; address women's vulnerability to HIV; and, make full use of family planning and reproductive health networks.

I commend the four organizations that have come together to develop and launch the program Empower Women, Fight HIV/AIDS -- a manifestation of critical thinking and collective action to control the spread of HIV and AIDS. Initiatives of this kind are much needed -- but need to be part of broader efforts which are coordinated by one authority, the State Council Working Committee on AIDS, and its equivalents at provincial and lower levels. They must also fit in as part of one overall action plan at each level, and be monitored and evaluated as part of one monitoring and evaluation system which is common to all AIDS activities.

(China.org.cn July 11, 2005)