StarTimes, UNAIDS partner to help Africa end AIDS epidemic by 2030

As part of efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, Africa’s leading digital Television (TV) operator StarTimes and Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) has formally established partnership with signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Beijing, China.

According to the MOU, the two parties created a strategic partnership with the aim of achieving a shared objective and common goal, which is to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

StarTimes and UNAIDS will work together to increase awareness on Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) 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.

“Your (StarTimes) network which will be able to reach millions of Africans with information which will help us not just to give pills to people but will be able to restore their dignity to those people,” UNAIDS Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the UN, Michel Sidibé said on the signing ceremony of the MOU with noting that people will have the knowledge and information to protect themselves, and then we can really control the epidemic.

President of StarTimes Group, Pang Xinxing said: “AIDS is the public enemy of all mankind and we are honored to work together with UNAIDS to shoulder the mission of fighting AIDS.”

Pang added that the first step of ending AIDS is to enhance awareness of HIV and StarTimes, as an influential digital TV operator, will help let more people know HIV and how HIV is transmitted.

Since July 27, 2016 when Michel Sidibé paid a visit to StarTimes, the two sides have started their discussion on exploring opportunities for collaboration in order to reduce the impact of HIV in Africa.

On December 1, 2016, the World AIDS Day, StarTimes and UNAIDS worked together to reach millions of people in Africa with two short videos message that promote the life-cycle approach to HIV prevention — finding HIV solutions for everyone, at every stage of life.