UN: First Ladies join forces to prevent new HIV infections among children

UN: First Ladies join forces to prevent new HIV infections among children

2011-06-09 07:05:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- Thirty First Ladies from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean on Wednesday joined forces to mobilize support to achieve the goal of zero new HIV infections among children by 2015.

The First Ladies agreed at an event held on the opening day of the UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS to advocate for comprehensive access to maternal and child health services and to advance 10 action steps to ensure that children are born free from HIV. The 10 steps include increasing the number of centres providing free maternal, newborn and child health services.

"Women and girls must be at the centre of the AIDS response," said Michel Sidibé, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and co-host of the event. "When women protect themselves from HIV, they protect a whole new generation from HIV."

Around 1,000 babies are infected with HIV each day, 90 per cent of whom are in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

"The fact that, in still too many places, HIV-positive women are denied the right to give birth to healthy babies is a global injustice that we can end by 2015," said Ban Soon-taek, the wife of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The First Ladies event was co-hosted by Mrs. Ban, Mr. Sidibé and Azeb Mesfin, First Lady of Ethiopia and President of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS.

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