- November 14, 2008 - Beijing - The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC) and partners today kicked-off the China HIV/AIDS Media Partnership (CHAMP), a multi-year awareness campaign to counter stigma and curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Hao Yang, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, of the Chinese Ministry of Health stated that "Today marks a turning point in tackling HIV/AIDS in China. I believe that GBC's new initiative, CHAMP, will be able to play an important role in achieving the objectives of China's action plan for Reducing and Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS 2006 - 2010"

CHAMP is a unique initiative to mobilize the communication power of mass media and commercial marketing to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in China. The project was initiated in August 2007, and addresses an urgent need for greater public dialogue and understanding on HIV/AIDS in China. It is an unprecedented collaboration between China's leading media outlets and private enterprises to develop a coordinated cross-platform public awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS.

"The Coalition is pleased to initiate this partnership, which will bring HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and anti-stigma issues to millions of Chinese through CHAMP's evidence-based campaign messages" stated Michael Shiu, Vice President and Regional Director for GBC in China. This fight will only be won through the active and results-oriented mobilization of the business sector. CHAMP connects the formidable resources and reach of mass media and other companies with our partners in government and civil society to maximize our effectiveness and save more lives."

Over 100 guests from the government, international agencies, non-governmental organizations, media and the private sector including the representatives of CHAMP project donors, Mr. Charles Tang, VP of Coca-Cola China Ltd., Mr. Dr. David S. Chen, Vice President of General Motors China and Mr. Leonard Stephens, Procurement Manager, Anglo American attended the ceremony.

Many new and innovative ideas were discussed regarding the role of business in the response to HIV/AIDS, the Role of broadcast, alternative & creative media in the response to HIV/AIDS, the importance of an evidence based approach to communication campaigns and the development of the CHAMP public service announcements, synergetic partnerships in the response to HIV/AIDS, and media campaigns related to stigma & discrimination against people living with HIV.

Dr. Bernhard Schwartlander, County Coordinator UNAIDS, stated that "UNAIDS strongly supports GBC and its initiative CHAMP in facilitating public-private partnerships in the response to HIV/AIDS in China. CHAMP is a prime example of this, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with GBC and CHAMP partners in the future".

The ceremony took place at the Shangri-La Kerry Centre and was sponsored by The Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) and The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and organized by Ogilvy PR Worldwide in Beijing.

» Read more about the Coalition's ongoing Impact Initiatives

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GBCHealth is the preeminent organization focused on business engagement in support of meeting global goals for health. Its vision is health equity and a global business community that contributes its assets, skills, influence and reach to create a healthier world for employees, their families, and communities. GBCHealth works with companies worldwide and with the United Nations, governments, academia, civil society & others. In September 2022, GBCHealth launched future united, a global initiative harnessing the power of the private sector to fight for - and achieve - health equity, tackle the impact of climate change on health, and address antimicrobial resistance and future pandemics.

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