The United Nations Development Programme; the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Commission of the National People's Congress; and the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges have signed a flagship agreement to strengthen a harmonized legal environment for a successful coordinated response to HIV and AIDS in China.

"The launching and implementation of this program 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 Li Honggui, vice-minster level member of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Commission of the National People's Congress.

The three-year "Strengthening an Enabling Legislative Environment to Respond to AIDS in China 2007-2010" program 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 program 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."

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