Zhang Tingkai's efforts for zero discrimination in UNAIDS

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Editor’s Note:

Tsinghua University plays an active role in promoting the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by nurturing innovative talents and enhancing research, among many other important ways.

December 1 marks World AIDS Day. This time, the Tsinghua students for SDGs series brings you the story of Zhang Tingkai. In this feature, he shared his experience as a communication and advocacy intern in UNAIDS, which is widely known as “The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS”, and his quest to promote public awareness of the disease.

▲ Zhang at the symposium following the 8th ministerial conference of FOCAC

Meet Zhang, a postgraduate at the Vanke School of Public Health at Tsinghua University. He is passionate about creating awareness of health issues.

A former undergraduate majoring in life sciences, Zhang, who had a 6-months internship in UNAIDS in his last year of undergraduate study, has become an advocate for Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

Zhang is one of the many people fighting against the stigma and discrimination faced by those living with HIV, doing so through education, positive messaging via artwork exhibitions and social media.

Zhang’s internship at UNAIDS is aligns with promoting SDG 3 which is ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.

As early as 2017 when Zhang participated in a Freshman Dream Show, he proposed a blueprint to promote sex education among college students.

Later, in the Red Cross Society of Tsinghua University (RCST), Zhang led the Peer Education Department and was devoted to popularizing of sex education and health.

Meanwhile, thanks to his major courses and specialized knowledge, Zhang had the opportunity to join relevant academic research programs, which strengthened his awareness in this respect. All of these experiences motivated him to pursue this path.

“There were so many unforgettable memories that still sparkle in my mind until now,” said Zhang when asked about his most impressive work in UNAIDS. Though working for eight hours a day and five days a week is not an easy assignment for an undergraduate with a study load, Zhang handled the tasks well and integrated into many programs.

On World AIDS Day (WAD) on December 1, 2021, UNAIDS set the theme as “End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics”. Zhang along with his colleagues organized an online activity through the WeChat platform aimed at improving people’s understanding of the disease. 

▲ Zhang in the United Nations

Zhang also took part in the awareness campaign for Zero Discrimination Day, which is on March 1 every year. Supported by worldwide designers, he together with some colleagues successfully organized a poster exhibition corresponding to the slogan “Symbiosis, Solidarity and Sustainability”.

For this exhibition, artists strived for the purpose of eliminating the stigma of AIDS, for instance, Russian Artist Daniil Vyatkin created a picture named “Love not AIDS” and French Artist Melisse Massol called for gender equality. Art played a crucial role in this campaign with its visual impact.

▲ Zhang and all the pressed handouts

On both commemorative days, Zhang participated in designing creative products like posters, brochures, cups, and masks with the theme printed on them. During the publicity, the team not only translated the language into Chinese but also substituted the portraits on the photos for Chinese people.

By replacing the international official pictures with our own translated texts and pictures, those handouts appealed to and gained much social attention.

▲ Zhang at the symposium following the 8th ministerial conference of FOCAC

“Undoubtedly, it was a great opportunity to step out of the campus and research the critical issues in a global context,” says Zhang, when looking back to the time he spent in UNAIDS. “Maybe being an intern or volunteering at international organizations such as the UN can be a way to free the young from peer pressure and open up a world of possibilities, where we do not set any boundaries and can make unique contributions.”

As a graduate of the Vanke School of Public Health at Tsinghua University, Zhang remains passionate about a health career and keeps solicitous of mankind. “I do hope that we could be tolerant of everyone around us, no matter where they belong or what their past was.” After all, “each one has his or her specialty and should not be simply defined by society”, “To welcome a world where people enjoy good health and can realize their own value, we need to make joint efforts and accelerated steps together.”

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TsinghuaRen | Zhang Tingkai's efforts for zero discrimination in UNAIDS

Writers: Hua Yusi, Guo Wenqing

Editors: Maria Vula, Liu Shutian, Gillian

Designer: Hua Yusi 

Reviewers: Chen Ken, Lin Yuan