Bill Clinton and WHO lend China their support for HIV/AIDS Initiative

At a time when China is stepping up its efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the world's largest population, the World Health Organization and the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative have come together to lend China their support.

On 1 July 2004, WHO and CHAI signed a trust fund agreement. Although details have yet to be worked out, the agreement calls for a close working relationship between the organizations and the Chinese health authorities on important projects. CHAI will make funds available for such efforts through WHO. This includes the secondment of health policy experts and professionals from CHAI to the WHO China office. Both WHO and CHAI are also working with other partners -- including the Ministry of Health of China, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- in supporting China's efforts.

Under the trust fund agreement, WHO will help identify areas of work, draft training activities to feed into the overall effort, and identify consultants and experts to work on various projects. The long-term goal is to develop replicable models for the scale-up of integrated programs in resource- poor settings. These activities also fall under the umbrella of WHO's global ''3 by 5'' Initiative, which seeks to make treatment accessible to at least three million people living with HIV/AIDS by the year 2005.

''China is still a low-prevalence country when it comes to HIV/AIDS,'' says Dr Henk Bekedam, the WHO Representative in China. ''WHO and its health partners should do all we can to support China in its campaign to remain a low-prevalence country, and to back China's top leadership in its stated commitment to treating the situation on a war-footing."

Former US President Bill Clinton has made the battle against HIV/AIDS a focal point of the Clinton Foundation's activities. CHAI supports countries in implementing large-scale, integrated care, treatment and prevention programs that will help turn the tide on the AIDS epidemic.

''We and our partners are committed to providing long-term assistance in each country in which we are active,'' says Ira Magaziner, CHAI Chairman. ''However, our ultimate goal is to develop capacity within the government programs to administer all necessary programs on its own. We look forward to working with WHO and the Government of China in this regard.'' WHO and CHAI Initiative will continue to provide further information as plans are drawn up in the weeks and months ahead.