Mr. Yanhai Wan

Mr. Yanhai Wan has been a leading voice on HIV/AIDS-related human rights issues in China for almost two decades. He began his career as a government official at the National Health Education Institute, but soon became increasingly outspoken on issues concerning China’s LGBT community and HIV/AIDS. In the early-2000s, he played a critical role in exposing the contaminated blood scandal in Henan Province that left thousands infected with HIV, organizing a compensation campaign on behalf of the infected and increasing public education efforts, including the establishment of China’s first HIV/AIDS hotline. In 1994, he founded the Beijing Aizhi Action Project, which was later renamed the Beijing Aizhixing Institute of Health Education. He has set up numerous other NGOs to benefit populations on the margins of society, including ethnic minorities, migrants, hemophiliacs, people with HIV/AIDS, and sex workers. During his fellowship, Mr. Wan is analyzing strategies for strengthening human rights and civil society development in China.