Speech by Mr. Serge Dumont, UNAIDS Special Representative, at Tsinghua University for the 5th Serge Dumont Tsinghua Communications Scholarships Award Ceremony on May 7th 2008.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

It is a privilege for me to be standing once again, in the Omnicom building at Tsinghua University, to announce the winners of the annual Serge Dumont -Tsinghua communications scholarships.

I started this private initiative over 5 years ago, after the SARS crisis made me realize that China needed to attract more of the best and brightest into the communications industry.

This year’s topic is very close to my heart, as a UNAIDS special representative: “Chinese Companies and Corporate Social Responsibility: Their Role in HIV/AIDS Prevention in China.”

We are honoured to welcome Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, Country Representative UNAIDS China, who will present the three top winners with their scholarships and internships at UNAIDS Geneva and Bangkok.

I would like to also take this opportunity to thank my friends and partners from the China Youth Development Foundation, Ms. Gu Xiao Jin and Ms. Gu Lan, Ms Yuan Hanfen, as well as the faculty and students from Tsinghua University, and members of the press – working with all of you is always a genuine pleasure.

AIDS started small—a bit like SARS, which emerged in late 2002 and wound up infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774 within less than a year, amidst a worldwide panic.

On June 5 1981, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first warning about a mysterious and rare disease affecting a limited group of people in a small geographic area around Los Angeles.

Since then over 20 million people have died of AIDS-related causes throughout the world – children, women, men – often the poorest and most vulnerable.

33 million people worldwide now live with HIV, more than 700,000 of them here in China.

In fact, over 20,000 people died due to AIDS in China last year. This is roughly the equivalent of 40 jumbo jets crashing in a year and killing all the promising young Chinese passengers who might have otherwise lived to become the next great scientist, entrepreneur or artist…

AIDS currently accounts for more deaths in Asia annually than any other disease.

The good news is: we now have treatment to allow HIV infected people to live longer, healthier and normal lives.

The bad news is: too many people and companies still feel unconcerned – they consider that AIDS is not their problem.

They are wrong, because experience around the world has demonstrated that beyond the moral imperative, there is a compelling business imperative to get involved.

If left unchecked, AIDS is a direct threat to the national, social and economic stability of a country.

And this is where you, as graduates from the department of journalism and communications, at one of the best universities in the world, can make a real impact.

Through your work, by disseminating information, you can contribute to slowing down the spread of the disease in China and prevent new infections. UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot often says that in the case of AIDS, a journalist can save more lives than a doctor!

But you can also help bring about a change of attitude in society at large, and reduce the stigma that people living with HIV face in their daily lives.

Because unlike those who have the misfortune of being affected by other diseases like cancer, people living with HIV too often face discrimination in their work, in their families, in their relationship with others…

Some countries still limit their ability to travel.

You can change this…and much more.

As Chairman Mao once said: “a single spark can set off a prairie fire”. This has never been truer than now!

You can help change people’s attitudes and create a more tolerant and welcoming environment. Our closest friends, our family members or even ourselves—all could very well be the next victims.

I would like to take a few more minutes to show you examples of exceptionally creative communication campaigns developed by one of the Omnicom agencies, TBWA. We hope, and we believe, that such campaigns are making a difference.

Thank you very much for your time and commitment, and congratulations to all of you.