New global alliance launched to end AIDS in children by 2030

A new Global Alliance to End Childhood AIDS by 2030 was announced by leaders at the International AIDS Conference in Montreal, Canada.

In addition to United Nations agencies, the alliance includes civil society movements, including the Global Network of People Living with HIV, national governments in the worst-affected countries, and international partners, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Twelve countries joined the alliance in the first phase: Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Alliance consultations identified four pillars for collective action:

1. closing the gap in the treatment of pregnant and lactating adolescent girls and women living with HIV and optimizing the continuity of treatment;
2. prevention and detection of new HIV infections in pregnant and lactating adolescent girls and women;
3. accessible testing, optimized treatment and comprehensive care for infants, children and adolescents exposed to and living with HIV; and
4. addressing rights, gender equality and social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.

Speaking at the International AIDS Conference, Limpho Nteko from Lesotho told how she discovered she was HIV positive at the age of 21 while pregnant with her first child. This led her on the journey she is now working on for the pioneering women-led mothers2mothers programme. Enabling community leadership, she noted, is key to an effective response.

“We must all run together to end AIDS in children by 2030,” said Ms Nteko. “To succeed, we need a healthy, informed generation of young people who talk freely about HIV and who will get the services and support they need to protect themselves and their children from HIV. mothers2mothers has achieved the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for our clients for eight consecutive years—showing what is possible when we allow women and communities to create solutions tailored to their realities.”

The alliance will last for the next eight years until 2030, with the goal of correcting one of the most glaring gaps in the response to AIDS. The members of the Alliance are united in their assessment that the challenge can be overcome through partnership.

“The large gap in treatment coverage between children and adults is an insult,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “Through this alliance, we will channel that anger into action. By bringing together new improved drugs, new political commitment and determined community activism, we can be the generation to end AIDS in children. We can win this – but we can only win together.”

“Despite progress in reducing vertical transmission, increasing testing and treatment, and expanding access to information, children around the world are still far less likely than adults to have access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The launch of the Global Alliance to Stop AIDS in Children is an important step forward – and UNICEF is committed to working together with all our partners to achieve an AIDS-free future.”

“No child should be born with HIV or grow up with HIV, and no child with HIV should go untreated,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The fact that only half of children with HIV receive antiretroviral drugs is a scandal and a stain on our collective conscience. The Global Alliance to Stop AIDS in Children is an opportunity to renew our commitment to children and their families to unite, speak and act with purpose and in solidarity with all mothers, children and adolescents.”

dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s health minister, has pledged to “change the lives of children left behind” by putting in place the systems needed to ensure that health services meet the needs of children living with HIV.

Nigeria, Dr. Ehanire announced, will host the political launch of the alliance in Africa at the October 2022 ministerial meeting.

About UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is leading and inspiring 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 end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. part of the sustainable development goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the most difficult places in the world to reach the most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all. Follow UNICEF at Twitter and Facebook.

ABOUT WHO

Committed to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and advocates global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal opportunity to live a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health problems and expanding access to medicines and healthcare. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Learn more at www.who.int and follow TKO next Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTubeand Snatch.