Speech Date: 02 September 2010

Background:

• Africa’s population of over 980 million is young: with children and young people below the age of 15 constituting about 40 percent of the total population .  
• Concerned that 90% of the world’s pediatric HIV is in sub-Saharan Africa

Limited progress has been made toward the UNGASS DoC targets:
 

• Among youth aged 15–24 years, globally, only 38% of females can demonstrate accurate and sufficient knowledge about ways to protect themselves from acquiring HIV; the UNGASS target is 95% by 2010.

In 2007 -- Eretria 79%, Rwanda 57%, Angola: 23%

• Programs to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child currently reach 33% of those in need: the UNGASS target is 80% by 2010.

In 2007- Botswana: 90%, Mozambique 48%, Ethiopia, 10%
 

• Linkages between child health & maternal health (especially as it relates to HIV): especially critical in African context: Nearly one out of every five maternal deaths— over 61,000 in 2008—can be linked to HIV, and many countries with large populations affected by HIV have had the most difficulty reducing their maternal mortality ratio. In 10 southern African countries, HIV causes up to one half of all maternal deaths, while in South Africa,  from 2005-2007, the maternal mortality ratio was nearly 10 times higher in women known to be HIV positive.

Key Messages

Family centred-approach, especially for children, who may be living with HIV, or especially vulnerable, as have parent/ guardian who may be living with HIV
The family-centered care package of services should, at a minimum, include:
1. Comprehensive PMTCT, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services;
2. Infant diagnosis and treatment;
3. Child survival interventions, including immunization and growth monitoring, nutritional support, access to and training in the correct use of insecticide-treated nets, and antibiotic cotrimoxazole prophylaxis;
4. Maternal HIV care;
5. Community-based care and support, including palliative care; and
6. Routine health interventions for the whole family. (Campaign to End Paediatric AIDS)

Holistic approach to addressing the needs and rights of children in the context of HIV, which addresses their psycho-social, educational, development, access to health care, including comprehensive sexuality education, appropriate for particular age-group; gender equality, poverty reduction
Comprehensive sexuality education – that promotes gender equality and human rights, and equips youth with evidence-informed knowledge, skills and resources necessary to enable them to make responsible choices about their social and sexual relationships - for young people of all age groups, in-school and out -of- school, including through:
 (i) National legislation/policy change for comprehensive sexuality education, as required;
 (ii) Development, revision, monitoring and gender-sensitive evaluation of adolescent and youth-friendly curricula, with the participation of adolescents and young people;
  (iii) Design and launch of mass media national campaigns to reach parents, out of school youth and the general public with messages about and on comprehensive sexuality education and gender equality;
 (iv) Support regional economic commissions to monitor and share lessons learned between governments on the roll out of comprehensive sexuality education. (UNAIDS Action Framework on Women, Girls & Gender Equality)

Reverse Maternal Mortality attributed to HIV – Southern & Eastern Africa; MCT; reverse southern African trend (MNCH)

Virtual Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission

: Countries to commit & implement programs to ensure the virtual elimination of Mother to Child Transmission by 2015