Children

On 11 May 2014, many countries around the world celebrated Mother’s Day. In Geneva, Switzerland, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Hotel InterContinental Genève marked the day with the opening of an inspiring exhibition of children’s art. The event was part of efforts to raise awareness and support to stop new HIV infections among children and ensure their mothers remain alive and well.

The exhibition, featuring unique drawings and paintings by young artists aged between 5 and 16 years living with or affected by HIV from Ukraine, provided an opportunity to highlight the urgent need to increase efforts to keep children free from HIV.

One of the children whose artwork was included in the exhibition was 16 year old Sofia Pinchuk. She is one of the adolescents under the care of a UNICEF-supported non-governmental organization called The Way Home, in Odesa. “The artwork is a reminder that the hopes and dreams of children and adolescents everywhere are the same,” said Sofia.

Sergej Kostin, Director of The Way Home said, "For this event, I asked some of the children and adolescents we care for in Odesa to create art reflecting what a home or family means to them.” In the captions to the pictures some of the children wrote that they dreamt of becoming footballers, teachers, writers, dancers or artists. But many simply dreamt of having a united family and a home.

Despite global progress and unprecedented investment in eliminating new HIV infections among children and reducing maternal deaths, much more needs to be done to ensure that the world reaches the 2015 goal of providing critical HIV services to 90% of pregnant women living with HIV. 

“Today more than 2 million adolescents in the world are living with HIV. But an AIDS-free generation is within reach.  We have the tools, we know what needs to be done,” said Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. “As we celebrate all mothers in the world, let us commit to building a better world, one of sharing and solidarity. And let us start by giving a voice and a future to children.”

“HIV affects children and adolescents all over the world,” said Mahesh Mahalingam, UNAIDS Director of the Office of the Director of Programme. “We hope that this artwork will encourage you to take a closer look at the world of children and adolescents living with and affected by HIV—a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility to make sure they are not left behind.”

Jurgen Baumhoff, General Manager of the InterContinental Hotel Genève said, “We—the staff and guests of the InterContinental Hotel Genève—feel honored to be engaged in and to be able to support the HIV response. The courage and resilience of these young artists inspires us all to continue to support efforts to eliminate new HIV infections among children and keep mother’s alive.”

The event, part of the joint UNAIDS and the Hotel InterContinental Genève campaign ‘Where History is Made’, also provided an opportunity to launch two new videos—‘Celebrating Birthdays’ a UNAIDS video in support of millions of mothers and children living with or affected by HIV—and and also a reminder of the global campaign “Getting to Zero” for an AIDS-Free generation.

Proceeds from the event will go towards UNAIDS and UNICEF’s joint work in stopping new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive.

The campaign, ‘Where history is made,’ invites guests to make history and make a pledge for an AIDS-free generation

GENEVA, 16 December 2013—UNAIDS and the hotel InterContinental Genève have come together in a public-private partnership to advance efforts to ensure that all children can be born free from HIV, that their mothers have access to life-saving medicines and that all children living with HIV can lead healthy lives.

Countries have committed to eliminating new HIV infections among children by 2015. Although great progress has been made—with new HIV infections among children having been reduced by 53% since 2001—there is still a major push needed to help countries reach their goals. In 2013, just 28% of children in need of treatment had access.

“By keeping children free from HIV we are not only saving lives, we are investing in a healthier future for generations to come,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “I am honoured that the hotel InterContinental Genève is partnering with us to provide more people with the opportunity to join our efforts in making an AIDS-free generation possible.”  

One of the first initiatives of the joint partnership is the launch of a campaign to raise both awareness and funds for an AIDS-free generation. The campaign, Where history is made, launched at a special event held at the hotel on 16 December, invites guests to make history and a pledge for an AIDS-free generation. Hotel staff will play an integral role with AIDS-awareness training and will be able to share information with guests about the importance of keeping children free from HIV. Hotel guests will be able to join the campaign by making a donation as they check out or when they visit the hotel restaurant or bar.

“The hotel has a longstanding history and relationship with the UN in Geneva, and we are excited to have formed this partnership with UNAIDS,” said the General Manager of the hotel InterContinental Genève, Jürgen Baumhoff.

The hotel InterContinental Genève is an important landmark in Geneva, standing at the intersection of the city and the United Nations. In 2014 the hotel will mark its 50th anniversary over which time it has welcomed world leaders and played host to the historic brokering of deals and forging of partnerships. The campaign between UNAIDS and the hotel InterContinental Genève is part of the hotel’s 50-year celebrations and captures the essence of this major milestone by joining efforts to achieve an AIDS-free generation.  

“Building healthier societies begins with children,” said UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador and internationally acclaimed musician Toumani Diabaté who performed at the special launch event. “We can all be part of history by making sure that women living with HIV and their children have access to HIV, prevention, treatment and care services.”

UNICEF report shows that new infections among adolescents could be halved by 2020 with targeted and increased investment

NEW YORK, 29 November 2013 – A new report released today by UNICEF shows great progress has been made to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with more than 850,000 new childhood infections averted between 2005 and 2012 in low- and middle-income countries.

However, the new 2013 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS raises the alarm on adolescents, citing the need for increased global and national efforts to address HIV and AIDS among this vulnerable age group.

AIDS-related deaths amongst adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 increased by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2012, rising from 71,000 to 110,000, in stark contrast to progress made in preventing mother-to-child transmission. There were approximately 2.1 million adolescents living with HIV in 2012.

With additional funding and increased investment in innovation, many of the challenges could be overcome, the report says.

A new analysis featured in the report shows that by increasing investment in high-impact interventions to about US$5.5 billion by 2014, 2 million adolescents, particularly girls, could avoid becoming infected by 2020. Investments in 2010 were US$3.8 billion.

“If high-impact interventions are scaled up using an integrated approach, we can halve the number of new infections among adolescents by 2020,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “It’s a matter of reaching the most vulnerable adolescents with effective programmes – urgently.”

High-impact interventions include condoms, antiretroviral treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, voluntary medical male circumcision, communications for behaviour change, and targeted approaches for at-risk and marginalized populations. This is in addition to investments in other sectors such as education, social protection and welfare, and strengthening health systems.

In contrast to adolescents, progress has been impressive in the area of preventing new HIV infections among infants. Some 260,000 children were newly infected with HIV in 2012, compared to 540,000 in 2005.

“This report reminds us that an AIDS-free generation is one in which all children are born free of HIV and remain so––from birth and throughout their lives––and it means access to treatment for all children living with HIV,” said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “It also reminds us that women’s health and well-being should be at the centre of the AIDS response. I have no doubt that we will achieve these goals.”

Thanks to new, simplified life-long antiretroviral treatment (known as Option B+), there is a greater opportunity to effectively treat women living with HIV and to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies during pregnancy, delivery, and through breastfeeding. This treatment involves a daily one-pill regimen.

“These days, even if a pregnant woman is living with HIV, it doesn’t mean her baby must have the same fate, and it doesn’t mean she can’t lead a healthy life,” said Lake.

Some of the most remarkable successes were in high HIV burden countries in sub-Saharan Africa. New infections among infants declined between 2009 and 2012 by 76 per cent in Ghana, 58 per cent in Namibia, 55 per cent in Zimbabwe, 52 per cent in Malawi and Botswana, and 50 per cent in Zambia and Ethiopia.

The new report also emphasizes that for an AIDS-free generation to become a reality, more children living with HIV should receive antiretroviral treatment. Only 34 per cent of children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries received the treatment they needed in 2012, compared to 64 per cent of adults. As a result, an estimated 210,000 children died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2012.

Innovations and new ways of working are making testing and treatment more accessible, effective and efficient. One example is the use of mobile phones in Zambia and Malawi to quickly deliver HIV test results. This has allowed mothers to receive diagnoses for their babies much faster than through results delivered by hand.

The challenge now is to apply the knowledge that already exists, continue to focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized children and adolescents, and pursue new opportunities and innovations—while using finite resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“The world now has the experience and the tools to achieve an AIDS-free generation. Children should be the first to benefit from our successes in defeating HIV, and the last to suffer when we fall short,” said Lake.

The report will be available at www.childrenandaids.org

Attention broadcasters: Video news stories and b-roll from Botswana, Ivory Coast, and Malawi are available at http://weshare.unicef.org/mediaresources

Note for Editors:

• About the simplified life-long antiretroviral treatment (Option B+):

UNICEF is supporting countries as they transition to the new simplified life-long antiretroviral therapy (Option B+) for all pregnant women living with HIV. The new treatment is in the form of one pill, taken once a day (compared to the previous treatment of up to six pills per day).This treatment can be provided at the community level, at local primary care facilities. It keeps mothers healthier, as they continue taking it even after giving birth, through breastfeeding and beyond. Malawi was a pioneer in offering the Option B+ treatment in 2011, resulting in massive expansion of the treatment coverage for both pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. By June 2013, 13 of the 22 Global Plan priority countries had adopted the same policy of offering life-long treatment.

• About the Stocktaking Reports:

Stocktaking reports on Children and AIDS are the flagship publications of the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. UNICEF leads the production of these publications as part of its commitment to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in collaboration with UNAIDS and the other 10 UNAIDS co-sponsors. The new ‘Children and AIDS: Sixth Stocktaking Report’ is the first of its kind since 2010.

About UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

For further information, please contact:

Rita Ann Wallace, UNICEF Media New York, tel: + 1 212 326 7586, rwallace@unicef.org
Iman Morooka, UNICEF Strategic Communications, New York, tel: + 1 212 326 7211, imorooka@unicef.org
Sophie Barton-Knott, UNAIDS Geneva, tel: +41 22 791 1697, bartonknotts@unaids.org

Children with disabilities are too often denied access to health and education and this has a detrimental effect on society as a whole. Credit: UNICEF/Marco Dormino

The marginalization of children with disabilities in critical areas like health and education not only has damaging consequences for the young people themselves but also the wider  community, according to a landmark UNICEF report released today on 30 May.  

The State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities contends that children with disabilities are the least likely to receive health care or go to school. They are also more likely to face exploitation and neglect. This is because, the report suggests, children with disabilities are too often reduced to that disability and not seen as valuable individuals who should be given the same opportunities to flourish as everyone else. 

"When you see the disability before the child, it is not only wrong for the child, but it deprives society of all that child has to offer," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Their loss is society's loss; their gain is society's gain.”

HIV provides a salient example of how young people with physical, sensory, intellectual or psychosocial disabilities can be marginalized, overlooked and excluded from programmes. The report argues that, if the burden of the virus is increased in any one group this has negative implications for society as a whole, not least in terms of slowed development and increased expenditure.

Children with disabilities are often considered to be sexually inactive and thus not in need of HIV prevention services. Many receive no information about puberty and how their bodies change and develop. There may also be issues with a greater inability to set sexual contact boundaries for others.  

In addition, a significant percentage of people with disabilities of all ages experience sexual assault or abuse during their lifetimes, especially women and girls and those in specialized institutions, schools and hospitals. Their vulnerability to HIV in these circumstances is therefore substantially increased.

HIV treatment, testing and counselling services can be physically difficult to access for those with disabilities or may not provide information in user-friendly formats such as Braille. Health care professionals are rarely trained to deal with such children and adolescents and may even demonstrate stigmatizing attitudes.

The State of the World’s Children sets out a number of recommendations to try to ensure that children with disabilities are included across a broad range of social, economic and cultural spheres so that they are involved in overall development.   

One major recommendation involves filling the considerable information gap relating to children with disabilities. Few countries know how many such citizens there are, what disabilities they have and what level of service provision they need, making it very difficult for those needs to be met.

The report also highlights the need to remove barriers to inclusion so that environments like schools, health facilities and public transport encourage the participation of children with disabilities alongside their peers, free from discrimination. Families can also be supported to meet the higher costs of living and lost income-earning opportunities often associated with caring for affected children. It is also held to be important to ensure that children and adolescents are involved in the design and implementation of programmes and services so that they can play a role as active agents of change.

Finally, the report calls on countries to ratify and implement international commitments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Around two thirds of them have ratified the former but for many implementation remains slow.

First Lady of Niger Aïssata Issoufou Mahamadou (next to UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé) launching her foundation to promote development through health, education and poverty reduction. Niamey, Niger, 28 March 2013.
Credit: UNAIDS/D.D.Abdoulaye

The First Lady of Niger, Aïssata Issoufou Mahamadou, promised to use her influence to greatly expand prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services in her country. She made her commitment during the official launch of her foundation, “Guri, for a better life,” on 28 March in Niamey, Niger. UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé was among the leaders and eminent personalities who participated in the inauguration.  

Niger has made progress in its HIV response. Between 2001 and 2011, the rate of new HIV infections was reduced by almost 30%. Niger estimates that there were a little over 6000 new HIV infections in 2011.  However, the country is struggling to improve its HIV services. In 2011 less than 40% of people living with HIV in need of antiretroviral drugs had access.  Only 30% of pregnant women living with HIV had access to treatment to prevent transmission of HIV to their children. 

In her speech during the inauguration, the First Lady said, “Guri, for a better life is the fruit of a big dream to see Niger become a haven of peace and joy for women and children.”

The First Lady’s foundation is dedicated to promoting development in Niger through health, education and poverty reduction. The country is struggling with the world’s highest fertility rate with 7.6 children born per woman in 2012. Malnutrition contributes to more than half of all deaths of children under five.

Currently in Niger, 99% of funding for HIV programming is dependent on foreign sources.  Mr Sidibé urged the government to increase the share of domestic funding on the AIDS response and applauded efforts that had already been made. In Niger in 2011, the budget for HIV programming was US$ 14 million in 2010, an increase of 7.4% compared to the previous year. PMTCT represented only 2.6% of the total government budget, but rose to 16.9% in 2011.

Mr Sidibé said, “Niger has made incredible progress in reversing the AIDS epidemic and expanding coverage of HIV services for pregnant women living with HIV.”

UNAIDS Executive Director met with President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou and urged him to support the production of ARVs in Africa.
Credit: UNAIDS/D.D.Abdoulaye

The UNAIDS Executive Director met with President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou and urged him to support the production of ARVs in Africa. Like most other countries in Africa, Niger relies on imports for its ARVs. Currently African countries import 80% of ARVs, primarily from India. 

Mr Sidibé said, “I am counting on your leadership to position Africa in the post 2015 agenda with a strategic vision and to promote the local production of ARVs in Africa.”

The President said, “I am convinced like you that the production of medicine locally is essential.”

The inauguration took place with the First Ladies of Swaziland, Nigeria and Chad who are all members of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA). The First Ladies are committed to using their influence to improve the lives of vulnerable families through advocacy, and mobilization of resources.