Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and World Health Organization (WHO) goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, delivers a speech during a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, Jan 18, 2017. (XIE HUANCHI / XINHUA)
Peng Liyuan, the wife of President Xi Jinping, has called for international efforts to strengthen the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in order to better protect human health and contribute to the building of a global community of health for all.
Peng, who is also the World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador for TB and HIV/AIDS, made the remark on Monday when addressing a virtual event named "Ending TB Deaths among People with HIV: Step up the Momentum", which was organized by the WHO.
Saying that the COVID-19 pandemic brings about more challenges with regard to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, Peng Liyuan underlined the need to make united efforts and take active steps to combat the diseases
Major infectious diseases are common challenges to all humankind, and ending the threats posed by AIDS and tuberculosis is the common aspiration of people, Peng said.
Saying that the COVID-19 pandemic brings about more challenges with regard to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, she underlined the need to make united efforts and take active steps to combat the diseases.
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While praising the effective work of global efforts to prevent and treat these diseases, Peng talked about China's achievements in these fields.
China has gradually established a mechanism for institutional cooperation on the prevention and treatment of AIDS and tuberculosis, she said, adding that the nation's HIV/AIDS rate remains at a low level, and the incidence and mortality rates of tuberculosis have dropped greatly in the past two decades.
In her speech, Peng also mentioned some touching stories she became aware of since becoming the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for TB and HIV/AIDS, and she spoke of Li Xiaodan and Xu Xinghua, two Chinese volunteers who devote themselves to helping patients.
She voiced her sincere respect for those who make contributions to preventing and treating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
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The event took place ahead of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS, which will review the progress made in reducing the impact of HIV since the last edition of the meeting in 2016.
