Children and AIDS: a stocktaking report

UNICEF report shows mixed HIV/AIDS response in Southern Africa

Some countries made progress in protecting and supporting women and children affected by HIV/AIDS during 2006 but huge gaps remained, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned in a new report this week.

In its 'Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking Report', the agency charged that the overall global response was still "tragically insufficient".

Although acknowledging that the demand for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs continued to outstrip supply in most instances, Festo Kavishe, the UNICEF Country Representative for Zimbabwe, told IRIN/PlusNews that most nations had made notable breakthroughs.

To counter the global threat, at least 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa had completed national plans of action for the benefit of orphans and vulnerable children, and several others were not far behind.

"For instance, behaviour change [in Zimbabwe] has translated into a decline in HIV prevalence, and we have secured donor funds to implement a national plan of action for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and also a scaled-up response to prevention, treatment and care," he said.

Kavishe stressed that without ongoing strong leadership, commitment by all stakeholders and decisive action, the past year's gains might be lost. "The first generation affected by the AIDS epidemic has borne ... [the] brunt; we must ensure that the next generation is better prepared to deal with the challenge." (...)

Read the article at : AIDS Channel(http://www.aidschannel.org/article/view/83939/1/)
A copy of the report is available in the library.