Strengthening an Enabling Legislative Environment to Respond to the Challenges of HIV and AIDS

Strengthening an Enabling Legislative Environment to Respond to the Challenges of HIV and AIDS

November 30, 2007

UNDP and the National People's Congress Work Together to
Build an Enabling Legal Environment


    BEIJING, Nov. 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Education,
Science, Culture and Public Health Commission of the
National People's Congress (NPC) and the China
International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges
(CICETE) have signed a flagship programme today to
strengthen a harmonized legal environment for a successful
coordinated response to HIV and AIDS in China.

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/20061107113358-34.jpg )

    "The launching and implementation of this
programme will help build an enabling legal and policy
environment to combat HIV and AIDS.  It will enhance the
implementation of legislation and policy at all levels and
is significant in the overall AIDS response in China,"
said Mr. Li Honggui, Vice-Minster level member of the
Education, Science, Culture and Health Commission of the
National People's Congress.

    The 3-year "Strengthening an Enabling Legislative
Environment to Respond to AIDS in China 2007-2010"
programme aims to increase the cross-sector leadership
capacity of 500 provincial and local level legislators
across five provinces to support a harmonized legal
environment for a sustained and coordinated response to
AIDS.

    In addition, this new Programme will review and provide
recommendations to harmonize multi-sector laws and
regulations relating to HIV and AIDS at the national level,
and will assist strengthening provincial legislation. 

    In his World AIDS Day message this year, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote, "AIDS is a
disease unlike any other. It is a social issue, a human
rights issue, an economic issue. It does to society what
HIV does to the human body -- reduces resilience and
weakens capacity, hampers development and threatens
stability."

    He went on to emphasize that "leadership" at
all levels, to fully understand the social and economic
dimensions of the epidemic is key to "getting ahead of
the epidemic". 

    Since 2006, China's national policy and legal
environment has been strengthened with the enactment of two
national policy initiatives -- Regulations on AIDS
Prevention and Treatment (2006) and the National Action
Plan for HIV/AIDS Containment, Prevention and Care in China
(2006-2010). 

    "At the national level, China has done an
excellent job in developing policies and legislation to
support its efforts to respond to AIDS," stated
Subinay Nandy, UNDP China Country Director. "However,
more work remains to translate into effective and timely
local level action."

    "The UN system, through the UN Joint Programme on
HIV/AIDS in China (2007-2010), in partnership with
government and multi sector partners, will increase its
support of China's national AIDS response; and as this
programme demonstrates, hopes to focus more of our
expertise and resources at the local level," he
added.

    Strengthening leadership capacity of local legislators
and leaders and contributing to cross sector coordination
are widely recognized as vital to achieving an appropriate
and harmonized legislative framework. This will enable and
support an improved and full implementation of HIV
legislation and interventions.

    "Fighting HIV is about leadership. Advances cannot
be achieved without committed leaders where it really
counts, namely at the field level. We need to take the
response to HIV to provincial and county levels and
translate policies into action. This is what we hope this
project can do," said Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS
Country Coordinator.

    It will also support policy impact studies to identify
and address cross sector issues and assist in creating and
strengthening the legal environment to mitigate the
socio-economic impacts of AIDS. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Wang Xiaojun
     HIV/AIDS Team Leader, UNDP China
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]