Meeting the challenge through partnerships

HIV/AIDS shows no signs of weakening its grip on human society. New epidemics are growing with alarming speed, and children continue to be left out of efforts to combat the pandemic.

We can make a difference by taking bold and decisive action to prevent new infections and improve the quality of care and treatment for those who are HIV-positive.

In 2005, the Secretary-General of the United Nations reaffirmed that the only way to achieve the Millennium Development Goals was to break with business as usual and dramatically accelerate and scale up action until 2015. This will only be possible if all stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS work together in partnership.

The UNITE FOR CHILDREN  UNITE AGAINST AIDS Campaign will support such partnerships to advance action for children, adolescents and young people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Meeting the challenge demands strengthened partnerships among many actors. The 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS included a long list of those with a critical role in the fight against HIV/AIDS:

  • governments
  • the UN system [Read more]
  • intergovernmental organizations [Read more]
  • people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups
  • medical, scientific and educational institutions
  • non-governmental organizations [Read more]
  • the business sector, including generic and research-based pharmaceutical companies
  • trade unions
  • the media
  • parliamentarians [Read more]
  • foundations
  • community organizations [Read more]
  • sporting organizations [Read more]
  • faith-based organizations [Read more]
  • and traditional leaders.

Collaboration and cooperation between people working on all aspects of the pandemic will be required. Efforts to keep children in school by ministries of education will often depend on efforts by ministries of health to prevent childhood illnesses and malnutrition, and by ministries of finance and agriculture to prevent hunger. Managers of the health sector will have to link voluntary counselling and testing with prevention programmes, antiretroviral therapy, family planning services, nutrition support, and interventions to prevent or treat sexually transmitted infections.

The UNITE FOR CHILDREN  UNITE AGAINST AIDS Campaign will provide a platform for everyone involved in halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among children, adolescents and young people.