Lady Owen-Jones assists the L’Oreal-UNESCO programme “Hairdressers of the World Against AIDS”
18-09-2006 9:00 am On 18 September 2006, the L’Oreal-UNESCO programme “Hairdressers of the World Against AIDS” was launched in China in Beijing’s Tianlun Dynasty Hotel. Lady Cristina Owen-Jones, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS Prevention Education, opened the ceremony and gave an overview of the programme in the presence of UNAIDS Special Representative Serge Dumont, GBC (Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS) China Director Michael Shiu, and Representatives of the Chinese Health Ministry.
This year the China campaign seeks to train more than 50,000 hairdressers on key HIV/AIDS prevention and anti-stigma messages. Since 2005, the programme “Hairdressers of the World Against AIDS” has been introduced in Africa, India, Brazil, France and Great Britain, where it trains hairdressers and salon owners on key HIV/AIDS messages, empowering them to educate their vast clientele. In 2007 the programme will be launched in numerous other countries, for example in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Worldwide L’Oreal forms 2 million hairdressers, whose clientele is estimated to be around 500 million persons.
Related to this programme and at the invitation of the Education Sector of UNESCO, Lady Owen-Jones made a speech in favour of collaboration between the private sector and the United Nations Agencies during the 2006 High-Level Meeting on AIDS at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 May 2006, in the presence of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. As an example and model of excellence Lady Owen-Jones presented the innovative programme “Hairdressers of the World Against AIDS”.
Lady Cristina Owen-Jones, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS Prevention Education, opened the ceremony and gave an overview of the programme in the presence of UNAIDS Special Representative Serge Dumont, GBC (Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS) China Director Michael Shiu, and Representatives of the Chinese Health Ministry.