PHM-Exch> World leaders launch plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015: private philantropy's role

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Brian Pazvakavambwa <PazvakavambwaB at zw.afro.who.int>


NEW YORK/GENEVA, 9 June 2011-World leaders gathered in New York for the 2011
United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS have today launched a Global Plan
that will make significant strides towards eliminating new HIV infections
among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.

"We believe that by 2015 children everywhere can be born free of HIV and
that their mothers can remain healthy," said Michel Sidibé. Executive
Director of UNAIDS. "This new global plan is realistic, it is achievable and
it is driven by the most affected countries."

"Nearly every minute, a child is born with HIV. Working together, we can
reverse this tide as we have done in the United States and they are very
close to doing in Botswana," said Ambassador Eric Goosby, the United States
Global AIDS Coordinator. "Preventing new HIV infections among children
across the globe is truly a smart investment that saves lives and helps to
give children a healthy start in life."

Providing pregnant women living with HIV with antiretroviral prevention and
treatment reduces the risk of a child being born with the virus to less than
5%-and keeps their mothers alive to raise them. Neither technical nor
scientific barriers stand in the way of responding to this global call to
action. The plan notes that what is needed is leadership, shared
responsibility and concerted action among donor nations, recipient countries
and the private sector to make an AIDS-free generation a reality.
In answering the Global Plan's call to action, the United States President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) announced an additional US$ 75
million to preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) efforts.
This funding will be on top of the approximately US$ 300 million that PEPFAR
already provides annually for PMTCT.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged US$ 40 million, Chevron
committed to US$ 20 million and Johnson & Johnson pledged US$ 15 million.

"Investments in preventing mother-to-child transmission are greatly needed
and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to ensuring that such
initiatives are fully integrated into family planning and maternal, newborn,
and child health programmes," said Stefano Bertozzi, Director of HIV and
tuberculosis at the Foundation.
"Chevron understands that its sustainability as a business is inextricably
linked to the health and well-being of its employees and the communities in
which it operates," stressed Rhonda Zygocki, Executive Vice President,
Policy and Planning, for Chevron Corporation. "We are proud to pledge US$ 20
million, joining in this mission to eliminate mother-to-child transmission
of HIV."

"We have a dream that no baby will be born HIV positive and today's pledge
continues the Johnson & Johnson enduring commitment to eliminating
mother-to-child transmission of HIV," said Brian Perkins, Corporate Vice
President, Corporate Affairs. "It is another step in fulfilling our
commitment to support achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and
reflects our long-standing dedication to improving maternal and child
health."

In 2009, approximately 370 000 children were born with HIV-almost all of
them in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Under the Global Plan, the goal would be to work toward reducing this number
by 90% by 2015. All 22 of the countries with the highest burden of new HIV
infections among children have contributed to the development of the plan
and signed up to implement it.

The Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV Infections among children
by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive was developed by a group of more
than 30 countries and 50 community groups, non-governmental and
international organizations. The group was convened by UNAIDS and PEPFAR.

Babalwa Mbono found out she was HIV positive when she became pregnant.
"Helping pregnant women to protect their babies is really important," she
said. "Like all mothers, I would do anything to give my child a healthy
start in life-and this prevention should be available to women everywhere."

"We can only achieve a generation free of HIV and AIDS by focusing our
efforts on the mothers and children at greatest risk and in greatest need,"
urged UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "The investments we make in
preventing maternal-to-child transmission of HIV-and in expanding more
women's access to quality care-will yield tremendous returns, not only in
the lives of children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, but in
improving mothers' and children's health in the poorest countries that bear
the greatest burden of the AIDS epidemic."

The plan focuses on a series of specific policy and programmatic measures
which countries will take to ensure that all pregnant women living with HIV
have access to HIV prevention and treatment services and that new HIV
infections among children are eliminated by 2015. The plan also includes
efforts to provide treatment to mothers and children living with HIV during
breastfeeding and referral to ongoing HIV prevention and treatment
programmes thereafter.

The key elements of the Global Plan include ensuring that:
. All women, especially pregnant women, have access to quality life-saving
HIV prevention and treatment services-for themselves and their children.
. The rights of women living with HIV are respected and women, families and
communities are empowered to fully engage in ensuring their own health and,
especially, the health of their children.
. Adequate resources-human and financial-are available from both national
and international sources in a timely and predictable manner while
acknowledging that success is a shared responsibility.
. HIV, maternal health, newborn and child health and family planning
programmes work together, deliver quality results and lead to improved
health outcomes.
. Communities, in particular women living with HIV, are enabled and
empowered to support women and their families to access the HIV prevention,
treatment and care that they need.
. National and global leaders act in concert to support country-driven
efforts and are held accountable for delivering results.

The plan also includes a detailed timetable for action at community,
national, regional and global levels to ensure rapid progress towards
elimination of new HIV infections in children by 2015 and keeping their
mothers alive.

About the Global Plan
This Global Plan provides the foundation for country-led movement towards
the elimination of new HIV infections among children and keeping their
mothers alive. The Global Plan was developed through a consultative process
by a high level Global Task Team convened by UNAIDS and co-chaired by UNAIDS
Executive Director Michel Sidibé and United States Global AIDS Coordinator
Ambassador Eric Goosby. It brought together 30 countries and 50 civil
society, private sector, networks of people living with HIV and
international organizations to chart a roadmap towards achieving this goal
by 2015.

This plan covers all low- and middle-income countries, but focuses on 22
countries[1] with the highest estimate of HIV-positive pregnant women.
Exceptional global and national efforts are needed in these countries that
are home to nearly 90% of pregnant women living with HIV in need of
services. Intensified efforts are also needed to support countries with low
HIV prevalence and concentrated epidemics to reach out to all women and
children at risk of HIV. The Global Plan supports and reinforces the
development of costed, country-driven national plans.

Contact
UNAIDS New York | Sophie Barton-Knott | tel. +41 79 514 6896
www.unaids.org
mailto:bartonknotts at unaids.org
Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, U.S. Department of State | tel. +1
202 663 2708
www.pepfar.gov
mailto:PetersonJL at state.gov
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