Press Release
Beijing, China, 12 October 2004 ��United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was
joined by his wife for a visit to an HIV/AIDS voluntary counseling, and
confidential testing center (VCCT) in Beijing today..
The
Annans congratulated the director and staff of the centre for the great job
they were doing. In the short time
they visited the centre, they met privately with People Living With HIV/AIDS
attending the centre. .On exiting, the Secretary-General told the press that he
had met with ��courageous people who are not only living with the condition but
are also determined to share their experience with others�� He added that it
would be helpful ��if we could encourage people we know to come and get tested.��
Commending
the Government on taking the fight against AIDS seriously, Annan explained that
��it is a fight that requires leadership at all levels, not only the President,
the Prime Minister, I think each of us have to do our bit.��
Adding
her remarks, Mrs Annan told the assembled media that it was so important to
reach out to all levels of society to raise awareness about AIDS because that was
the way we could stop the epidemic at the early stage.
Pointing
out the red ribbon emblem her husband was wearing on his lapel, she told the
assembled crowd how her husband and herself had been given a ��symbol of compassion
and solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS�� .She explained that the day
before they met with a woman living with HIV/AIDS, Mrs.Xia,.who was supporting
herself, her family and also caring for others.
��My
husband and I call them ��our heroes��, she added,�� those who not only deal with
their own medical situation but also reach out to others.��
For more information, please
contact UNDP China Communications Officer Guangming Xu. Email: [email protected]; Tel.65323731
ext. 239