In brief
On November 7 the World Health Organization inaugurated a sexually transmitted infection prevention and innovation center in Guangzhou, China. The center will partner with Southern Medical University to train 100 specialists by 2030 and develop point‑of‑care testing in Africa and Southeast Asia. China’s long‑running multilateral medical cooperation aligns with WHO goals for stronger global STI control.
On Saturday, November 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially opened its Collaborating Center for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention and Innovations in Guangzhou, the capital of China’s Guangdong Province. The inaugural ceremony marked a new partnership between WHO and Southern Medical University (SMU), which will host the center at the SMU Dermatology Hospital and its Institute for Global Health.
WHO’s collaboration centers are designed to elevate national health programs by providing technical support, developing tools, and conducting joint research. Guangzhou’s new facility is the first of its kind focused solely on STIs, signaling WHO’s expanding commitment to a comprehensive global response to sexually transmitted infections.
Yang Bin, director of the center, said in a statement that the facility will pursue “systematic, forward‑looking international cooperative research” and will focus on capacity building, testing innovation, and surveillance system development. He emphasized that the center’s mission is to strengthen prevention efforts in low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs).
"…the center will conduct systematic, forward‑looking international cooperative research focused on capacity building, testing innovation and application, and surveillance system development,"
SMU will harness its clinical expertise to deliver a standardized training program designed to equip senior STI professionals for LMICs. By 2030 the center aims to train 100 specialists across 15 countries, with a particular focus on the African and Southeast Asian regions. The training will be delivered through a combination of online modules and hands‑on workshops.
Beyond training, the center will develop three to five practical, scalable strategies that optimize point‑of‑care testing. This includes creating modular testing kits that can be used in remote clinics and integrating rapid diagnostic results into national health information systems. The initiative is especially pertinent for countries with limited laboratory infrastructure.
Hannah Monica Dias, WHO representative in China, highlighted the center’s broader role in shaping global guidelines and providing expert advice. She noted that the facility will “further deepen its engagement in developing relevant international guidelines, contribute more research evidence, support STI surveillance and capacity building across countries globally, and provide expert advice to support global public health governance.”
"... the center would further deepen its engagement in developing relevant international guidelines, contribute more research evidence, support STI surveillance and capacity building across countries globally, and provide expert advice to support global public health governance,"
To support surveillance, the center will design simple, easy‑to‑use data collection tools and pilot them in priority African countries. Once proven, these tools will feed into an operational data integration platform that aligns with international standards, facilitating real‑time information sharing between national ministries, WHO, and partner organizations.
China’s involvement in the center reflects its broader strategy of multilateral health cooperation. In 2025, Beijing dispatched 1,061 medical personnel to 57 countries, treating more than 2.06 million patients. Chinese aid has also targeted malaria control and schistosomiasis elimination in countries such as Cambodia and Laos, under the China‑WHO Country Cooperation Strategy for 2022‑2026.
This new center underscores a growing partnership that can reshape public health governance. By combining WHO’s global expertise with Chinese manufacturing capacity and SMU’s academic resources, the initiative could reduce STI incidence, bolster health equity, and strengthen national health systems.
The civic stakes are considerable. The center’s training program will directly impact health professionals on the frontlines of STI prevention in regions that often lack sufficient expertise. By improving surveillance, it will give governments more accurate data, thereby informing evidence‑based policy and ensuring transparent use of resources.
In the long run, the Guangzhou hub could serve as a model for how international organizations and host nations can collaborate to tackle health challenges that cross borders. Whether it will meet its 2030 targets remains to be seen, but the foundation laid today promises a more coordinated global effort to curb sexually transmitted infections for communities worldwide.
