The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Global Alliance To End AIDS In Children - UNAIDS
Ahead of the Africa launch of the “Global Alliance to end Aids in children” on 1 February in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, UNAIDS warned today of a “forgotten generation of children” grappling with HIV that are not receiving any treatment. Worldwide 1.7 million children are living with HIV.
“Last year alone 160, 000 children were infected with HIV”, said Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva. “So, what is happening that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50% of those new infections. And therefore, there is a global alliance coming together to try and put an end to that.”
The “Global Alliance to end Aids in children”, has been launched by UNAIDS, UNICEF and WHO and partners in August 2022 and aims to ensure that every child living with HIV is found and receiving life-saving treatment by the end of the decade but also to prevent new HIV infections among infants and children.
While three quarters of adults living with HIV globally are on treatment, only half of children are.
According to Ms. Sector, “it is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission. Now what is vertical transmission? It’s the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding”.
Only 52% of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment versus 76 % of adults. Almost 60% of children not on treatment are between 5-14 years.
“There is a big push to get people, adults, on treatment, because the idea is: you cannot transmit the virus if you give treatment to adults”, said UNAIDS spokesperson. “So, what happens is leaders’ realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children. So now, there has been a scramble to close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born”.
Twelve countries with high HIV vertical transmission have joined the alliance in the first phase: Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“In the case of Nigeria where vertical transmission is almost 25%, there was a lack of test kits, it’s as simple as that. Lack of HIV test kits”, said Charlotte Sector. “Also, many women because it’s a very large country, are giving birth not in clinics. So how do you find those women? So, it’s a question of putting together, and they are doing this notably in Nigeria, the mapping and they are trying to figure out where are the pregnant women and how can we reach them”.
-ends-
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with spokesperson and panel of speakers on screens.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “Last year alone 160, 000 children were infected with HIV. So, what is happening that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50% of those new infections. And therefore, there is a global alliance coming together to try and put an end to that.”
- Medium shot, journalists listening
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “It is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission. Now what is vertical transmission? It’s the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding”.
- Close up, journalist.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “There is a big push to get people, adults, on treatment, because the idea is: you cannot transmit the virus if you give treatment to adults. So, what happens is leaders’ realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children. So now, there has been a scramble to close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born”.
- Medium shot, journalists working on their phones and laptops
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Charlotte Sector, Spokesperson for UNAIDS: “In the case of Nigeria where vertical transmission is almost 25%, there was a lack of test kits, it’s as simple as that. Lack of HIV test kits. Also, many women because it’s a very large country, are giving birth not in clinics. So how do you find those women? So, it’s a question of putting together, and they are doing this notably in Nigeria, the mapping and they are trying to figure out where are the pregnant women and how can we reach them”.
- Medium shot, journalists and spokesperson
- Close-up, laptop and cellphone.
- Medium shot, WHO spokesperson and WHO speaker
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A new UN Human Rights report published on Tuesday details the human rights impacts of the expanding reach of gangs in Haiti. According to data verified by the Office, at least 5,519 people were killed in Haiti, and 2,608 were injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado on Tuesday described the deadly impact of drone strikes in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civilians
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.