On 21 March, the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance convenes a number of organizations, missions and government representatives for a side-event to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, on Ending AIDS in Children by 2020.

In 2015, an estimated 1.8 million children under the age of 15 years were living with HIV, with 400 new HIV infections and 300 deaths each day. Adolescents and young people represent a growing share of people living with HIV worldwide. In 2015 alone, 670,000 young people between the ages of 15 to 24 were newly infected with HIV, of whom 250,000 were adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19.

The number of children and adolescents becoming newly infected with HIV remains unacceptably high and major challenges remain in ensuring access to effective antiretroviral therapy for children living with HIV.

This interactive panel aims to build awareness and momentum within the Human Rights Community around the new targets for children and adolescents set in the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free Framework, and in the 2016 Political Declaration on AIDS. In addition, participants will discuss how the rights of children living with HIV can be mainstreamed into the work of the human rights mechanisms.

Sponsoring organizations include:

Caritas Internationalis
Catholic Relief Services
Children's Investment Fund Foundation
Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Embassy of the Republic of Namibia
Holy See
International Catholic Child Bureau
UNAIDS
World Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
CABSA

For more information, download event flyer (pdf, 400 KB)