[hivaids-twg] Fwd: Today's News (2009.11.20ex)

[HIV-TWG Moderator]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diaz, Clara <diazc at unaids.org>
Date: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Subject: Today's News (2009.11.20ex)
To:


 Please find attached the following AIDS-related articles compiled by UNAIDS







*UNAIDS*

1. Le Monde Bilan Planete 2009 - *L’espoir de l’Afrique face au sida
(article attached)*



*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*

1. Daily Monitor, Uganda - *Homosexuality Bill is extreme- activists*

2. Vanguard, Nigeria - *HIV/Aids - U.S. Increases Funding in Continent*

3. News24, SA - *SA women less fruitful *

4. UN IRIN - *UGANDA**: HIV-positive women need family planning services,
study shows *



*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*

1. BERNAMA, Malaysia - *Penis Measuring Device To Fight HIV/AIDS In Thailand
*



*EUROPE***

1. The Lancet, UK - *Sceptical optimism: a new take on global health data *

2. Reuters, UK - *Indian girls fight back against child marriage *

3. The Lancet, UK - *20 years on: the clinical importance of children's
rights (Editorial) *

4. The Portugal News Online - *Anti-HIV/AIDS TV ad chosen as Europe’s best *

5. AFP - *Sida : près de 7.000 nouvelles contaminations en France en 2008 *

6. AFP - *Libye: le nombre de malades du sida estimé à 10.000 *



*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

1. La Gaceta, Argentina - *Los argentinos y el Sida, según la Unesco *

2. Agencia de Notícias Orbita, Peru - *Delegaciones de más de 20 países
asistirán a foro 2009 sobre VIH/SIDA E ITS *

3. A Tribuna, Brazil - *Comissão aprova pena de reclusão para quem
discriminar doente de AIDS*



*NORTH AMERICA*

1. Los Angeles Times - *Homophobia and AIDS funding can't coexist (Op-Ed)*

2. Journal of the International AIDS Society - *Benefits and costs of
expanding access to family planning programs to women living with HIV *

3. IPS Terra Viva - *Growing Use of Cellphones for Family Planning  *

4. Associated Press - *AIDS, malaria eclipse the biggest child-killers*



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*

1. UNICEF - UNICEF’s State of The World’s Children report commemorates 20
years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child



===========================



*AFRICA** AND MIDDLE EAST*



===========================



*Homosexuality Bill is extreme- activists*

*Daily Monitor, Uganda*

20/11/2009



Patience Ahimbisibwe



Kampala - Legal experts and activists have warned government against passing
the Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently before parliament arguing that some of
the clauses go ‘overboard’.



The experts who held a public dialogue on Wednesday on the bill at Makerere
University said that if passed in its current form, the bill would hinder
the fight against HIV/AIDS because it criminalises homosexuality.



According to Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga, the Executive Director of the National
Guidance and Empowerment Network of people living with HIV/Aids in Uganda,
who has lived with the HIV virus for over 20 years, said “15 per cent of the
HIV/Aids spread is as a result of gay activities.



Maj. Ruranga said: “The best thing is to educate them (homosexuals) because
criminalization causes stigma, discrimination and denied knowledge on
HIV/Aids and its treatment.”



According to Clause 14 of the Bill, “A person in authority, who being aware
of the commission of any offence under this Act, omits to report the offence
to the relevant authorities within 24 hours of having first had that
knowledge, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not
exceeding two hundred and fifty currency points or imprisonment not
exceeding three years.”



Maj. Ruranga asked the government to do more “analysis on the clauses before
the bill is passed into law to avoid bad consequences especially in the
fight against HIV/Aids.”



Dr. Sylvia Tamale, a Law don at Makerere University and human right
activist, said that the Bill suggests that parents, counselor, friends,
employers, legislators and health practitioners will be liable to
imprisonment and appealed to members of parliament to withdraw the Bill.



“Five of the 18 clauses are problematic from the legal point of view and the
attempt to outlaw the Promotion of Homosexuality will affect everybody
because the clauses introduce censorship and undermine freedom of
expression, speech, association and assembly,” Prof Tamale said.



When contacted on phone, Mr. Bruce Kyerere, president Uganda Law Society
said that in his personal opinion, the Bill “goes overboard.”

“As Uganda Law Society, we have just received the bill asked a committee to
look into it. But as a person, I have issues with the bill. It has gone a
bit overboard. That shouldn’t in anyway suggest that I support homosexuals,”
Mr. Kyerere said in an interview.



To add on the voices on the need for the law to reflect moral values of
society, Mr. Stephen Langa, Executive Director, Family Life Network said
that people who engage in homosexuality reduce their life span by 20 to 30
years.



Ndorwa West MP, David Bahati, who tabled the Bill, said that the government
was determined to do away with development partners who have threatened to
withdraw their aid if the bill is passed.



“We are determined that this bill goes through. We are not in the hate
campaign but are in the fight for vulnerable Ugandans. We will never
exchange our dignity with money from abroad,” Mr  Bahati  said on Wednesday.



The legislator said some development partners from the United Kingdom,
America and Swedish government have put pressure on the government to
withdraw the bill but the country will not compromise with its values.



“As per now, we think all the clauses are necessary in order to combat the
evil of homosexuality but we will remain committed to ensure we have a
peaceful legislation,” he said.



*2*

*HIV/Aids - U.S. Increases Funding in Continent*

*Vanguard, Nigeria*

19/11/2009



Chinyere Amalu



Abuja — The United State's President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR) has increased funding for HIV/AIDS in Africa from $2.3 billion in
2004 to $6.6 billion in 2009.



Speaking yesterday in Abuja at a press conference organised by the United
States Embassy ahead of the 2009 World Aids Day billed for December 1, USAID
representative, Mr Alonzo Wind also promised US continuous support in the
war against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.



According to him, in five years, PEPFAR has also supported live-saving
antiretroviral treatment for more than 2.1 million people.



"PEPFAR was launched in 2003 by the US government to combat global AIDS and
it remained the largest commitment in history by any nation to combat a
single disease.



" World Aids Day provides wonderful opportunity to reflect on what had been
done and what needed to be done", he added.



*3*

*SA women less fruitful**
**News24, SA*

19/11/2009



Johannesburg - South African women are having fewer children, the SA
Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Thursday.



According to its latest South Africa Survey, there were an average of 2.7
live births per 1000 women between 2001 and 2006 and this was projected to
decline to 2.4 between 2008 and 2011.



Along with fewer births, there had also been an increase in the number of
deaths from HIV/Aids. Almost half of all deaths in 2008 were HIV/Aids
related, an increase from a third of all deaths in 2001.



This followed an increase in the HIV-positive population, from nine percent
in 2001 to 12% in 2008.



"The survey shows that in SA the spread of HIV/Aids as well as lower
fertility rates has led to a declining population growth rate," SAIRR
researcher Gail Eddy said.



Between 2007 and 2008, the country's population grew at a rate of 0.8%.



"This is compared to a higher population growth rate of 1.5% between 2001
and 2002.



"The 43% reduction in the population growth rate over seven years highlights
the extent to which the HIV/Aids pandemic is affecting the SA population.".
- SAPA



*5*

*UGANDA: HIV-positive women need family planning services, study shows **
**UN IRIN*

20/11/2009



NAIROBI, 20 November 2009 (PlusNews) - HIV-positive women in western Uganda
want fewer children than women not living with the virus, but often do not
have access to family planning services, a new study reveals.



The study of 421 women in the district of Kabarole found that the
probability of HIV-positive women wanting to stop childbearing was 6.25
times greater than it was for HIV-negative individuals.



“HIV-positive women tended to want fewer children than their HIV-negative
counterparts mainly because they are aware of the risks of mother-to-child
transmission and do not want to go through the difficulties associated with
having an HIV-positive child,” said Walter Kipp, global health professor at
the University of Alberta in Canada, and one of the study’s authors.



Statistics from the UN Children’s Fund show that in 2008, only 55 percent of
HIV-positive pregnant women received antiretroviral treatment to prevent
mother-to-child transmission; close to 30,000 Ugandan children are infected
with HIV at birth every year.



Kipp noted that the survey’s results highlight the urgent need to integrate
family planning into HIV services. “Family planning in Uganda is not well
developed, and if women want to stop having children, often they have no
access to contraceptive pills or other family planning methods,” he said.



According to the Ministry of Health, 41 percent of Ugandan women who would
like to stop having children have no access to family planning services. The
country has the third-highest population growth rate in the world; only
Yemen and Niger have higher rates.



Kipp noted there was a need to harmonize the messages of family planning
groups, which tended to recommend the use of hormonal contraception over
condoms for contraception, and HIV groups, which emphasized condom use for
prevention.



“For HIV-positive women, we would usually recommend dual protection, which
is the use of both a hormonal contraceptive and condoms,” he added.



A recent analysis published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society
found that family planning was cost-effective for preventing HIV
transmission and unintended pregnancies and would also reduce infant and
maternal mortality and result in fewer orphans.



The survey noted there was a need for education to inform the population on
the benefits of family planning and end misconceptions around the subject.



“There is a belief that hormonal contraception can affect future fertility,
and that it may lead to malformed children in the future,” Kipp said.
“However, the main barrier that needs to be overcome is the lack of
availability of these services for women who need them.”



*=======================*

* *

*ASIA** AND PACIFIC*

* *

*=======================***



*Penis Measuring Device To Fight HIV/AIDS In Thailand**
**BERNAMA, Malaysia*

20/11/2009



By D. Arul Rajoo



BANGKOK, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Thai health authorities are introducing an
official penis measuring device with the aim of advising condom users which
size to wear for comfort and protection against sexual diseases.



The Nation daily, quoting Dr Somyos Kittimankhong of the Department of
Disease Control's (DDC) anti-Aids division, said the disposable paper
measuring tape would be launched under the the Public Health Ministry's
"Condom for All" campaign.



"Men's instinctive concern over their penis size will soon be discussed more
openly - or even boasted about - with the news that an official penis
measuring device is being introduced to Thailand," the daily said.



According to Dr Somyos, the tape records widths of between 49 and 56
millimetres - covering the "Thai penis size standard", The campaign was
launched following the rise in the number of gay men and sex workers
contracting HIV.



The Government has alloacted 20 million baht (RM2 million) for a nationwide
campaign to give away free condoms to gay men, and males and females aged 15
to 25, with a special focus on ensuring that people wear the right size
protection.



"Larger size condoms can slip off or deaden the pleasure during sex, while
smaller ones will cause discomfort to wearers. These factors dissuade people
from using condoms - which encourages the spread of HIV/Aids," said Somyos.



He said making good fitting condoms available would be useful in dealing
with the re-emerging HIV/Aids problem as well as promoting widespread
practice of safe sex in the country.



The department's statistics showed that HIV infection rates among gay men
who went for HIV/AIDS testing was 17 per cent in 2003, 28 per cent in 2005
and 32 percent in 2007, a rise that has prompted warnings of a second wave
of HIV/Aids infection.



According to reports, one in four new HIV infections occur among men who
have sex with men while new cases among married women in the country have
increased by 30 percent to 40 percent.



The campaign, where more than 7,000 local authorities would be asked to
participate in promoting the practice of safe sex and in distributing the
free condoms, is aimed at cutting infection rates in half by 2011



*========================*



*EUROPE***



*========================*



*Sceptical optimism: a new take on global health data **
**The Lancet, UK*

21/11/2009



Volume 374, Issue 9703, Pages 1730 – 1731



Jeanette Birnbaum a, Krycia Cowling a, Kyle Foreman a, Nancy Fullman a, Paul
Gubbins a, Alison Levin-Rector a, Susanna Makela a, Jacob Marcus a, Rebecca
Myerson a, Matthew Schneider a



What was the state of the US manganese market in 1916? The USA imported 308
000 tonnes of manganese in 1916, with a unit value of US$50 per tonne.1 What
was the weather like in Seattle on Sunday, Sept 6, 1970? One could safely
assume it rained—and indeed, it rained 9 mm and the temperature was a
moderate 15°C.2  Finally, how many people died of HIV/AIDS in 2007? Even
though HIV has captivated public discourse and funding, including over $5·1
billion in development assistance for health in 2007 alone,3  there are only
rough estimates of its disease burden.



Despite the instant availability of an abundance of statistics in the
information age, accurate statistics about our most basic need—our
health—remain elusive.4 Vital registration systems remain weak in much of
Africa and Asia, such that many people's births or deaths are never
recorded.5 Estimates of costs and outcomes are often modelled with weak
data, yielding inconsistent estimates: estimates from WHO and the World Bank
of the cost effectiveness of intermittent presumptive treatment in pregnancy
for malaria differ by a factor of nearly forty.6, 7 A recent editorial in
The Lancet cites “ignoring their own performance” as a chief mistake of
major new global health initiatives,8 but such mistakes are difficult to
avoid when data on outcomes are sparse or inconsistent.



As postbachelor fellows at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation,
Seattle, WA, USA, we recognise both the irony and the urgency of this crisis
in the availability of data. Our generation in the USA grew up alongside
computers and the internet, and we are accustomed to on-demand access to
information both mundane and momentous. CNN News Alerts inform us within
minutes if an earthquake strikes the other side of the world, just as
Twitter alerts us whenever Ashton Kutcher enjoys a milkshake. Google is our
collective memory, and is at our fingertips 24/7. By contrast, producing
global health statistics often involves multiple models stacked on woefully
incomplete data, a process that is slow and not always transparent.



Our generation demands better information about global health progress for
reasons both emotional and logical. We use online social tools such as
Facebook to follow the lives of hundreds of friends across the globe, even
those with whom we have had little to no real-world interaction. As the
boundaries between us and them dissolve, we feel invested in others and
their quality of life regardless of geographical distance. This expansion of
empathy makes us desire change, and the technological advancements we have
witnessed leave us optimistic that change can be achieved.



As members of this information-saturated culture, however, we do not blindly
pin our hopes on any particular solution. We evaluate decisions in light of
the evidence on which they are based, and we expect continued evidence-based
accountability. In this sense we are a generation of sceptical optimists. It
is this sentiment that the Barack Obama campaign tapped into with the slogan
“Change we can believe in”. Thus, although we applaud the recent influx of
money into global health, we also believe that timely and pertinent data are
prerequisites for creating appropriate solutions. For instance, we will not
believe that the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the
most expensive global health programme to date, has achieved its goal of
reducing AIDS-related human suffering until we are presented with a reliable
time series of local disease burden indicating reduction in AIDS deaths and
a positive impact on the health system. As members of a global society,
however, we recognise that field epidemiology is not an efficient way to
produce such estimates. PEPFAR countries will produce more accurate
population-level health statistics when local officials' and researchers'
reputations are invested in the quality of the data they collect, and when
parties on all levels are rewarded for timely analysis and dissemination of
population health data.9 Such an emphasis on data collection and programme
evaluation could strengthen health reforms in developed countries as well.



By 2015, billions of dollars will have been spent on the Millennium
Development Goals, but there will be little evidence of this money's impact.
In an information-driven society, our inability to track the Millennium
Development Goals in a timely and accessible fashion means risking our
field's credibility. Yet tools for improving the quality of global health
data are available. Democratisation of data—encouraging those who collect
data to participate in analysis and publication—would ensure that local
health workers and researchers have a vested interest in data quality. The
new culture of sceptical optimism and international communication creates
the perfect environment for renewed sharing and standardisation of health
data, changes that could increase the effectiveness of national health
systems and global initiatives alike. Future work in global health should
rest in local and international involvement—working together to improve
health.



We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.



References

1 Kelly TD, Matos GR, Buckingham DA, et al. Historical statistics for
mineral and material commodities in the United States.
http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/index.html. (accessed July 25, 2009).

2 Weather underground. History for Seattle Boeing, WA: Sunday, September 6,
1970.
http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KBFI/1970/9/6/DailyHistory.html.
(accessed July 15, 2009).

3 Ravishankar N, Gubbins P, Cooley RJ, et al. Financing of global health:
tracking development assistance for health from 1990 to 2007. Lancet 2009;
373: 2113-2124. Summary | Full Text | PDF(870KB) | CrossRef | PubMed

4 Mathers CD, Fat DM, Inoue M, Rao C, Lopez AD. Counting the dead and what
they died from: an assessment of the global status of cause of death data.
Bull World Health Organ 2005; 83: 171-177. PubMed

5 Setel P, Macfarlane S, Szreter S, et al. A scandal of invisibility: making
everyone count by counting everyone. Lancet 2007; 370: 1569-1577. Summary |
Full Text | PDF(182KB) | CrossRef | PubMed

6 WHO. AFR D: cost effectiveness results for malaria. WHO CHOICE: choosing
interventions that are cost effective.
http://www.who.int/choice/results/mal_afrd/en/index.html. (accessed July 15,
2009).

7 Breman JG, Mills A, Snow RW, et al. Conquering malaria: disease control
priorities in developing countries. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.


8 The Lancet. Who runs global health?. Lancet 2009; 373: 2083. Full Text |
PDF(83KB) | CrossRef | PubMed

9 Chandramohan D, Shibuya K, Setel P, et al. Should data from demographic
surveillance systems be made more widely available to researchers?. PLoS Med
2008; 5: e57. CrossRef | PubMed



a Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, WA 98121, USA



*4*

*Indian girls fight back against child marriage **
**Reuters, UK*

19/11/2009



By Sujoy Dhar



KOLKATA, India, Nov 19 (Reuters Life!) - Fourteen-year-old Ahalya Kumar
lives on a single daily meal of starched rice and has never been to the
movies, but the girl from a dirt-poor Indian village packed enough power to
reject her arranged marriage in June.



One of four children in a family that earns a pittance rolling bidis, or
cheap handrolled Indian cigarettes, her elder sister was married off young
and forced to bear children before she turned 18, the legal Indian marrying
age.



But when it was Ahalya's turn, she said "no" after hearing about a
13-year-old girl from the same area who had shot to national fame by
stopping her marriage.



"I want to be educated first and live healthy. Marriage can wait until I am
19," she said.



In Oldih village of Purulia, one of the poorest areas in the eastern state
of West Bengal, about 300 km (190 miles) from the bright lights of the state
capital Kolkata, Ahalya had to fight poverty and parental pressure to stand
up for herself.



But times are slowly changing. The government supported by aid agencies is
setting up schools for child labourers to make them aware of their rights to
break a rife but outlawed custom.



"Girls are gradually saying 'no' to child marriage," said Anil Gulati, a
spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which works with
authorities to fight child marriage.



Gulati said girls have become bolder by encouraging each other and getting
media publicity for their refusal.



"This has a slowly growing momentum which will take some time, but it will
have a lot of value."



Impoverished families often use early marriage to get rid of the financial
burden of a daughter, and the law can be slow to react. Ahalya's father,
Nimai, repented his decision.



"I was making a mistake. I now want my daughter to study further and then
get married when she attains the right age."



MESSENGERS OF CHANGE

Ahalya's inspiration was a girl called Rekha Kalindi. Though Kalindi still
lives in a mud hut in Purulia, she became a celebrity when she resisted
early wedlock and was congratulated on her courage by India's president.



"The president was very happy to know that these girls are revolting and she
encouraged them a lot," said Prosenjit Kundu, a government official working
with girls in Purulia who accompanied them to the meeting in India's
capital.



"She said these girls are messengers of change."



Kalindi chose not to be one of the many child brides in India's 1.1
billion-plus population destined for early wedlock.



Though the numbers are falling, India's latest nationwide health survey said
nearly half of women aged 20-24 years were married before they turned 18 and
more than a fifth wed before they turned 16. Some 3 percent married before
they turned 13.



Parents sometimes use force to make their girls marry, and early motherhood
can also prove fatal.



"In some cases, when the girls revolted the parents stopped giving food to
the girls," Kundu said. "These girls don't have enough to eat and are all
child labourers. But their strength to resist child marriage amazes us."



SORRY FIGURES

Child brides often do not use contraceptives, and face high fertility rates,
unwanted pregnancies and abortions.



Some join the roughly 78,000 Indian mothers who, according to a 2009 UNICEF
report, die every year in childbirth and from pregnancy complications.



The high mortality rate, which lags far behind India's Millenium Development
Goals and rival China, is another sign of how often rural women have been
excluded from a recent economic boom that lifted millions of others out of
poverty.



One state where child marriage is widespread and socially acceptable is
Rajasthan, whose desert safaris and ornate palaces make it a magnet for
foreign tourists.



But village women workers have long fought against the practice, braving
violent resistance and even rape to do so.



"Only recently the child marriage of a girl called Babloo was stopped in
Jodhpur region by these village social workers after her parents were
convinced," said Anuradha Maharishi, a UNICEF official working in the state.




Babloo could signal a gradual trend, as across India early marriages are
slowly in decline. The same government survey said 44.5 percent of women
aged 20-24 married before the legal age in 2005-6, down from 54.2 percent in
1992-93.



"I think there'll be a positive reaction," Kundu said about Indian society's
view of girls fighting back.



"If the girls in other districts know girls from their age and their poor
backgrounds are saying 'no' to marriage, they will also come out and speak
their minds."



(Additional reporting by Matthias Williams and Jayanta Shaw; Editing by
Matthias Williams and Sugita Katyal)



*5*

*20 years on: the clinical importance of children's rights (Editorial)**
**The Lancet, UK*

21/11/2009



Volume 374, Issue 9703, Page 1723,



During the past week, the Australian Government apologised for the
mistreatment of UK children who were resettled in Australia between 1930 and
1970 as part of the child migrants programme; a similar apology from the UK
Government is expected. This forced resettlement of 500 000 children is a
reminder of their vulnerability. The 20th anniversary on Nov 20 of the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) gives an opportunity to reflect
on children's rights today—and the responsibility of health professionals to
respect and defend those rights in all settings, including the clinic.



The Convention grew out of the non-binding 1959 Declaration of the Rights of
the Child, which concentrated on needs, such as protection from maltreatment
and provision of nutrition. The CRC was a quantum leap forward. First, the
54 interconnected Articles are based on rights, so that the foundation is
justice, rather than charity. Second, it incorporates participation,
recognising that people under the age of 18 years are individuals rather
than objects. Third, it has the force of international law, having been
ratified by all member states of the UN except Somalia and USA.



Despite the Convention's brevity, its availability in all six UN languages,
and the obligation on ratifying states to conform to and publicise it, many
health workers remain unaware of their responsibilities under the CRC. The
implications of the Convention are profound and entail a fundamental change
to the structure of consultations involving children. Put simply, anyone
dealing with children or attending a person whose family includes children,
has a duty to make the child's best interest paramount.



In daily clinical practice this means access, irrespective of circumstances
or disabilities, to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental
health. The goal of best practice is not an academic nicety, but a
non-negotiable right of the Convention. Other Articles call for
participation by the child in decisions affecting him or her, and the
guarantee of information in an age-appropriate manner to enable such
decisions. Good paediatricians demonstrate just such behaviours, which,
under the Convention, should be practised by all who care for children.
Engaging with children at this level poses a challenge to systems-centred,
or worse, doctor-centred care. To build the necessary relationship for
mutual understanding and effective child-centred care takes time, respect
for the autonomy of children, and a broad appreciation of external factors
that influence health.



The CRC recognises the central role of parents to nurture children. As a
result, treatment decisions for family members, particularly mothers, have
implications for children. Obstetricians, midwives, and public health
authorities therefore have a responsibility to provide high standards of
peripartum care for the safety of mothers, the continuity of the family, and
to ensure the best start in life for neonates. In this context, widening the
provision of antenatal care and skilled birth attendants where they are
scarce is important, since improving maternal health is a critical driver
for better child health. An example is tetanus vaccination at antenatal
clinics in Ethiopia to prevent neonatal death from the disease.



A child-rights approach empowers health-care professionals to become actors
for change by giving them a mechanism to confront causes of poor health in
children. Whether the cause is inadequate vaccination programmes in
developing countries or inappropriate advertisements for calorie-dense food
in developed countries, the CRC provides a template for a multidisciplinary
approach to address threats to health. For instance, in the USA, agencies
concerned with child welfare have been united by medical—legal child health
partnerships.



For researchers, the CRC is a lens to focus on questions that are in the
child's best interest, rather than the competing interests of funders or
scientists. For example, prioritising research in developing countries on
neonatal deaths, pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS, which
are major obstacles to achieving Millennium Development Goal 4.



The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is not an end in itself but an
instrument of justice for the world's most vulnerable and least regarded
population. The potential strength of the Convention to realise better
clinical (and social) outcomes for children is enormous. But unless health
workers have an intimate knowledge of the CRC and apply it in their clinical
work, they will let children down and the potential of both the Convention
and of children will remain unrealised.



*6*

*Anti-HIV/AIDS TV ad chosen as Europe’s best**
**The Portugal News Online*

20/11/2009



A Portuguese HIV/AIDS prevention TV ad has been chosen as Europe’s best
government-sponsored anti-AIDS ad, the National Coordination for HIV/AIDS
Infection said.



Aired on Portuguese television in 2007, the “Five reasons not to use
condoms” ad was selected as the continent’s best by an international jury.
The award will be presented on Thursday in Koln, Germany. National
coordinator Henrique Barros told Lusa the award was significant because it
demonstrated the possibility of “carrying out campaigns that are recognized
as interesting and important” from the point of view of its message and
aesthetics. Barros said Portugal had about 20,000 cases of HIV/AIDS and that
the tendency was for a decrease in the rate of new infections.



*7*

*Sida : près de 7.000 nouvelles contaminations en France en 2008**
**AFP*

19/11/2009



PARIS - Près de 7.000 nouvelles contaminations par le virus du sida (VIH)
sont survenues en France en 2008, selon les estimations de l'Institut de
veille sanitaire (InVS).



La quasi-totalité de ces 6.940 nouvelles contaminations est due à un rapport
sexuel, ajoute l'Institut qui publie jeudi en ligne l'étude.



Ce chiffre de nouvelles contaminations correspond à un taux d'incidence
global de l'ordre de 17 cas annuels pour 100.000 personnes parmi les 18-69
ans (soit 41.247.480 de personnes).



Les "hommes ayant des relations sexuelles avec les hommes (HSH)"
représentent la population la plus touchée correspondant à 48 % des
nouvelles contaminations" avec mille nouveaux cas annuels pour 100.000
d'entre eux.



Le taux d'incidence (nouveaux cas) de l'infection par le VIH le plus faible
est observé au sein de la population hétérosexuelle française (5 cas par an
pour 100.000 personnes). En comparaison, ce taux est 200 fois supérieur chez
les homosexuels (HSH), 18 fois supérieur chez les usagers de drogues par
voie intraveineuse et 9 fois supérieur chez les personnes hétérosexuelles de
nationalité étrangère.



Sur la période d'étude 2003-2008, la tendance est à la baisse (8.930 en
2003, 8.140 en 2004, 7.530 en 2007, 6.940 en 2008), notamment pour les
nouvelles contaminations par rapports hétérosexuels.



En revanche, ces dernières ne diminuent pas parmi les homosexuels-HSH
(population estimée à 329.950 parmi les 18-69 ans) et les usagers de drogues
par voie intraveineuse (81.000).



Avec 70 cas estimés, les personnes infectées par usage de drogue
intraveineuses injectables représentent 1% des nouvelles contaminations.



Parmi l'ensemble des contaminations, les personnes de nationalité étrangère
représentent 23 % des nouvelles contaminations et 45% des contaminations
hétérosexuelles.

©AFP



*8*

*Libye: le nombre de malades du sida estimé à 10.000**
**AFP*

19/11/2009



TRIPOLI - Le nombre de personnes malades du sida en Libye est estimé à
"environ 10.000", a indiqué jeudi le Centre national libyen de prévention et
de lutte contre les maladies endémiques et transmissibles.



"Le nombre de cas de sida enregistrés en Libye est estimé à environ 10.000",
a déclaré le directeur du centre, Abdel Hafidh Boudhir, à des journalistes,
en marge de la signature d'un accord de coopération entre l'Union européenne
(UE) et la Libye en matière de lutte contre les maladies transmissibles.



Selon M. Boudhir, une stratégie de lutte contre le sida est en cours
d'élaboration par une équipe de l'université de Liverpool (Grande-Bretagne)
dans le cadre de la coopération avec l'UE.



La coopération entre l'UE et la Libye en matière de lutte contre le sida
entre dans le cadre de la résolution de l'affaire des infirmières et du
médecin bulgares libérés en juillet 2007 après huit ans de détention en
Libye.



Les soignants avaient été condamnés à mort pour avoir délibérément inoculé
le virus du sida à plus de 400 enfants libyens à l'hôpital de Benghazi
(1.000 km à l'est de Tripoli).



Dans l'accord signé jeudi par le chef de la délégation de l'UE à Tunis,
Adrianus Koetsenruijter et le directeur des affaires européennes au
ministère libyen des Affaires étrangères, Ahmed Ali Jroud, Tripoli s'engage
notamment à faciliter le travail des experts européens en Libye et d'élargir
le champ de leur intervention à d'autres volets dans le secteur de la santé.



Selon M. Koetsenruijter, l'UE a consacré jusqu'ici 5 millions d'euros à son
programme anti-sida en Libye.

©AFP

*========================*

* *

*LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN*

* *

*========================*



*Los argentinos y el Sida, según la Unesco**
**La Gaceta de Tucuman, Argentina*

19/11/2009



BUENOS AIRES.- Ocho de cada 10 personas piensa que los afectados por VIH son
discriminados en la Argentina y cinco de cada 10 considera que aumentará el
número de enfermos. Los datos se desprenden de un estudio de la encuestadora
Gallup, en la que se evaluó la percepción y el comportamiento de los
argentinos en relación a la enfermedad mundial.



El sondeo mostró también que cuatro de cada 10 entrevistados manifestó
preocupación por contraer el virus. El 14%, en tanto, se mostró esperanzado
en que disminuirá el número de casos en el país y el 26% piensa que se
mantendrá en un nivel similar al actual.



Sin embargo, llamó la atención que el 18% de las personas consultadas piensa
que un maestro con VIH no debería dictar clases en un establecimiento
educativo. El 15% manifestó que si un miembro de su familia se infectara, la
persona afectada debería mantenerlo en secreto. Mientras que el 8% dijo que
no recibiría en su casa un amigo o familiar infectado por SIDA.



La encuesta se realizó a nivel nacional, a personas mayores de 18 años, y
formó parte de la tercera campaña de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas
para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (UNESCO), junto a la Fundación
Huésped, Peluqueros del Mundo contra el Sida y la firma L’Oreal Argentina.
(DyN)



*3*

*Delegaciones de más de 20 países asistirán a foro 2009 sobre VIH/SIDA E ITS
**
**Agencia de Notícias Orbita, Peru*

19/11/2009



Lima - Perú, (ORBITA).- Delegaciones internacionales de 20 países de la
región asistiran al “IV Foro Comunitario y V Foro Latinoamericano y del
Caribe en VIH/SIDA e ITS” que será inaugurado en el Circuito Mágico del Agua
del Parque de la Reserva, por el ministro de Salud, Oscar Ugarte Ubilluz.



Las delegaciones extranjeras provienen de Brasil, Chile, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Panamá, Costa Rica, Cuba, México, Belice, Honduras, Perú,
Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Venezuela,
Ecuador, República Dominicana, y Haití.



Participan además redes regionales como ASICAL, ICW+, LACCASO, MLCM+,
REDLA+; REDTRASEX, RELARD, REDLACTRANS Y COASCE; y representantes invitados
del Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH/SIDA (ONUSIDA), La
Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS), y el Departamento Británico
para el Desarrollo Internacional (DFID).



Con el Foro 2009, que se desarrollará del 21 al 23 de noviembre en la sede
del Museo de la Nación, se busca asegurar el compromiso y participación de
altas autoridades públicas, tomadores de decisión, líderes nacionales,
agencias de cooperación internacional, y miembros de las redes comunitarias.



El evento servirá para compartir las lecciones aprendidas y mejores
prácticas en todos los componentes: Ciencias Básicas, Prevención, Atención
Integral, Estudios Sociales y Epidemiológicos, Respuesta Social y Gestión y
Políticas Públicas, informó la organización.



Delegaciones internacionales de periodistas

Más de cien periodistas de países como Bolivia, Brasil, China, Colombia,
Cuba, EE.UU., México, Panamá, Argentina y Colombia; así como hombres y
mujeres de prensa nacionales se han acreditado hasta el momento para
participar en el “IV Foro Comunitario y V Foro Latinoamericano y del Caribe
en VIH/SIDA e ITS”.



La acreditación de prensa se viene realizando a través del portal web del
Foro 2009:
http://www.forovih2009.org.pe/espanol/formulario/FormularioAcreditacion.htm,
y es necesaria motivos de orden y seguridad, para poder acceder al Museo de
la Nación, sede del evento internacional.



Inauguración del foro

La ceremonia inaugural será este viernes 20 de noviembre en el Circuito
Mágico del Agua, en el Parque de la Reserva (Av. Arequipa cdra. 07) y
contará con la presencia de autoridades del gobierno y del sector Salud,
ministros de Latinoamérica y El Caribe, científicos, investigadores y otros
miembros de la comunidad académica, así como representantes y personas que
viven con el virus del VIH, entre otros. El acceso para prensa será por la
puerta Nº 3.



Objetivos

Los principales objetivos son el promover los lineamientos de políticas
públicas nacionales y regionales en torno al acceso universal, a la
prevención, atención y el tratamiento, en un marco de respeto a los derechos
humanos; y el promover la participación y el involucramiento multisectorial
con equidad.



Otro de sus objetivos es el visualizar los avances de la respuesta a la
epidemia en la región a través del cumplimiento de los compromisos
internacionales asumidos en materia de VIH.



Programa de Inauguración

En la inauguración del FORO 2009 sobre VIH/Sida e ITS se anunció la
presencia del director de ONUSIDA, Sr. César Núñez; así como la exhibición
de vídeos de promoción del Perú y sobre la lucha contra el VIH/Sida; la
presentación de danzas costumbristas de las regiones del Perú; y finalmente
la presencia de representantes de las Redes Comunitarias, y de poblaciones
de niños y jóvenes viviendo con VIH.



*4*

*Comissão aprova pena de reclusão para quem discriminar doente de AIDS**
**A Tribuna, Brazil*

19/11/2009



A Comissão de Constituição e Justiça e de Cidadania (CCJ) da Câmara Federal
aprovou uma proposta que define como crime, sujeito a reclusão de um a
quatro anos e multa, a discriminação dos portadores do vírus da
imunodeficiência humana (HIV) e dos doentes de Aids. A proposta segue agora
para o Plenário.

O texto aprovado foi o substitutivo do relator da matéria na comissão,
deputado Regis de Oliveira (PSC-SP), aos projetos de lei 6124/05, do Senado,
2276/07, da deputada Jô Moraes (PCdoB-MG), e 5448/01, do ex-deputado Nelson
Pellegrino.

Regis de Oliveira destacou que a proposta é de fundamental importância. De
acordo com o texto, são condutas discriminatórias negar emprego ou demitir o
portador do vírus HIV; segregá-lo no ambiente de trabalho ou escolar;
recusar a sua inscrição ou impedir que permaneça como aluno em creche ou
escola; e recusar atendimento de saúde.

”Pela Constituição Federal, os portadores do HIV, assim como todo e qualquer
cidadão brasileiro, têm obrigações e direitos garantidos, tais como
dignidade humana e acesso à saúde pública”, afirmou o relator.

Atualmente, a Lei 7.716/89 já pune a discriminação de raça, cor, etnia,
religião, procedência nacional e relativa a doenças de qualquer natureza.
(Fonte: Agência Câmara)



*========================*



*NORTH AMERICA*



*========================*



*Homophobia and AIDS funding can't coexist (Op-Ed)**
**Los Angeles Times*

20/11/2009



By James Kirchick



Since its inception in 2003, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
-- PEPFAR -- has become the largest public health program in history.
Created by President George W. Bush, it has distributed nearly $50 billion
worldwide, mostly in Africa, to prevent the spread of HIV and to treat its
victims. Over the last five years, the fund has provided care for 3 million
people and prevented an estimated 12 million new infections. Even Bush's
harshest critics do not deny that PEPFAR has been a huge success in
combating the AIDS epidemic.



In spite of all that the program has accomplished, however, a persistent
problem remains: the promotion of homophobia by African governments
receiving American aid money. In no nation is this problem more acute than
in Uganda, one of 15 PEPFAR "focus" countries that collectively account for
half of the world's HIV infections. Homosexuality is considered a taboo in
most of Africa, yet few governments have gone to the lengths of Uganda's in
punishing it. The consequences are devastating not only for the people
directly affected by these adverse policies but for the fight against AIDS
in general.



Uganda's campaign against homosexuality took a disturbing turn last month
when a member of parliament in the nation's governing majority introduced
legislation that would stiffen penalties for actual or perceived homosexual
activity, which is already illegal under Ugandan law. According to the
proposed law, "repeat offenders" could be sentenced to death, as would
anyone engaging in a same-sex relationship in which one of the members is
under the age of 18 or HIV-positive. Gay-rights advocacy would be illegal,
and citizens would be compelled to report suspected homosexuals or those
"promoting" homosexuality to police; if they failed to do so within 24
hours, they could also be punished.



International human rights groups have protested the bill, but their
complaints have only made the government more defiant. "It is with joy we
see that everyone is interested in what Uganda is doing, and it is an
opportunity for Uganda to provide leadership where it matters most," the
country's ethics and integrity minister has said.



Aside from its evident inhumanity, such draconian legislation will only do
massive harm to HIV-prevention efforts. Gay men are an at-risk community,
and they already face severe repression in most African countries. Because
of conservative social mores and government repression, many are hesitant to
come forward to get information regarding safe sexual practices. This bill
could make the very discussion of condom use and HIV prevention for gay men
illegal. By driving gays even further underground, such governmental
homophobia only ensures that HIV will continue to spread unabated.



When a government actively encourages homophobia, the effect reverberates
throughout society. Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, has accused
European gays of coming to his country to "recruit" people into
homosexuality. Ugandan newspapers and bloggers have seized on the proposed
law to launch their own broadsides against gays, posting the names and
photographs of individuals in Wild West-style "wanted" posters in print and
online. A major tabloid, the Red Pepper, trumpeted an expose headlined "Top
Homos in Uganda Named" as "a killer dossier, a heat-pounding and sensational
masterpiece that largely exposes Uganda's shameless men and unabashed women
that have deliberately exported the Western evils to our dear and sacred
society."



>From 2004 through 2008, Uganda received a total of $1.2 billion in PEPFAR
money, and this year it is receiving $285 million more. Clearly, the United
States has a great deal of leverage over the Ugandan government, and the
American taxpayer should not be expected to fund a regime that targets a
vulnerable minority for attack -- an attack that will only render the vast
amount of money that we have donated moot.



Earlier this month, members of Congress led by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee chairman, Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village), and its ranking
minority member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), sent a letter to Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling on the U.S. "to convey to Ugandan
leaders that this bill is appalling, reckless and should be withdrawn
immediately." And in an open letter to Dr. Eric Goosby, the new U.S. global
AIDS coordinator, Charles Francis, a member of the Presidential Advisory
Council on HIV/AIDS during the Bush administration, asked, "Will we stand by
and let national governments scapegoat a sexual minority for HIV/AIDS while
receiving major funding for AIDS relief?"



Irresponsible and reprehensible behavior on the part of Ugandan officials
should lead to a serious re-evaluation of U.S. policy and an ultimatum for
the Ugandan government: It must desist in its promotion of deadly homophobia
or say goodbye to the hundreds of millions of dollars it has received due to
the generosity and goodwill of the American people.

*James Kirchick is an assistant editor of the New Republic and a
contributing writer to the Advocate.*

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times



*2*

*Benefits and costs of expanding access to family planning programs to women
living with HIV **
**Journal of the International AIDS Society*

11/2009



Volume 23 - Issue - p S123-S130

doi: 10.1097/01.aids.0000363785.73450.5ª



Halperin, Daniel T; Stover, John; Reynolds, Heidi W



Abstract

Objective: This analysis models the potential benefits and costs of adding
family planning to national strategies for achieving universal access to
programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.



Methods: We assume a service delivery perspective and estimate the
cost-effectiveness of programs to reduce the number of HIV-infected children
through using antiretroviral prophylaxis to prevent perinatal transmission,
and of family planning programs to avert additional infant infections not
already averted by antiretroviral prophylaxis, as well as of family planning
to reduce the number of total unintended births to women living with HIV.
Data are presented from the 139 countries included in the 2008 Annual United
Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS Report, although the main results are
for the 14 countries with the largest number of HIV-infected pregnant women.



Results: Programs to prevent perinatal HIV transmission would, if accessed
by all women in need with the most efficacious antiretroviral regimen
available, prevent over 240 000 infant HIV infections in the top 14
countries (over 300 000 globally) at an estimated cost of over $131 million
($208 million globally). However, almost 72 000 infant HIV infections would
still occur in the 14 countries (over 90 000 globally) that could have been
averted by preventing unintended pregnancies at a cost of only about $26
million (over $33 million globally). If all unintended births (whether or
not resulting in HIV-infected children) to HIV-positive women were prevented
with family planning, the cost per birth averted would be $61 in the 14
countries ($63 globally).



Conclusion: This analysis suggests that national strategies should adopt a
comprehensive approach to preventing mother-to-child transmission and thus
focus on preventing perinatal HIV transmission as well as unintended
pregnancies. Family planning is cost-effective for preventing HIV
transmission and unintended pregnancies and will also reduce infant and
maternal mortality and result in fewer orphans.

© 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.



*3*

*Growing Use of Cellphones for Family Planning  **
**IPS Terra Viva*

20/11/2009



Susan Anyangu



KAMPALA, Nov 19 (IPS) - The growth of cellphone use, particularly in the
developing world, is providing health experts with a new channel of
communication to provide family planning information.



"The number of mobile subscribers is increasing at a dramatic rate with the
number of global cellphone subscribers in 2006 being estimated at 2.5
billion of an estimated global population of 6.6 billion," says David
Cantor, a senior technical manager of ICF Macro - a U.S.-based research
firm. "These figures are expected to grow to 3.3 billion or approximately
half of the world's population by 2010, with the greatest growth in Asia,
the Middle East and Africa."



Cantor, who was attending the International Conference on Family Planning
held in Kampala, Uganda Nov. 15-18, says there is growing interest in the
health sector in capitalising on this rapid uptake of mobile communication.



One World's Mobile4Good in Kenya uses cellphone technology to inform
subscribers about opportunities for free exams or treatment, and also
provides a question-and-answer service that allows individuals to ask
sensitive health questions.



In South Africa and Botswana, cellular technology is being used to remind
people needing to take medicines at regular intervals.



Jamaica Corker of Population Services International (PSI) - a global health
programme targeting malaria, child survival, HIV/AIDS and reproductive
health - says a project in the Democratic Republic of Congo where mobile
users call a toll-free line to request family planning related information
has shown the power of mobile technology.



Since 2005, PSI has run a toll-free line through which callers can speak to
trained educators and get accurate information about family planning, or a
referral to the nearest clinic or pharmacy, where one is available in the
caller's location.



"While at the onset, the project was aimed at reaching more women, we have
learned that mobile technology is an effective way of reaching men with
family planning messages," Corker says.



"Since men are the majority of mobile phone owners, many call on behalf of
their wives and girlfriends and we are able to pass the message to them as
well."



The use of PSI's toll-free line by men seeking family planning information
could indicate encouraging growth interest in family planning by men,
perhaps facilitated by the privacy communicating by phone allows.



With the cost of mobile technology steadily falling, Cantor says the stage
is set for more rapid development in the sector.



Aside from providing family planning information, mobile phones are being
used as patient monitoring devices. Mobile phones are also being used to
collect community and clinical health data, for sending information to
health workers, researchers and patients, and to monitor patients' vital
signs.



*6*

*AIDS, malaria eclipse the biggest child-killers**
**Associated Press*

19/11/2009



*Story carried by Washington Post, NYT *



HANOI, Vietnam -- Diarrhea doesn't make headlines. Nor does pneumonia. AIDS
and malaria tend to get most of the attention.



Yet even though cheap tools could prevent and cure both diseases, they kill
an estimated 3.5 million kids under 5 each a year globally - more than HIV
and malaria combined.



"They have been neglected, because donor or partnership mechanisms shifted
their emphasis to HIV and AIDS and other issues," said Dr. Tesfaye Shiferaw,
a UNICEF official in Africa. "These age-old traditional killers remain with
us. The ones dying are the children of the poor."



Global spending on maternal, newborn and child health was about $3.5 billion
in 2006, according to a report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That
same year, nearly $9 billion was devoted to HIV and AIDS, according to
UNAIDS.



Pneumonia is the biggest killer of children under 5, claiming more then 2
million lives annually or about 20 percent of all child deaths. AIDS, in
contrast, accounts for about 2 percent



If identified early, pneumonia can be treated with inexpensive antibiotics.
Yet UNICEF and the World Health Organization estimate less than 20 percent
of those sickened receive the drugs.



A vaccine has been available since 2000 but has not yet reached many
children in developing countries. The GAVI Alliance, a global partnership,
hopes to introduce it to 42 countries by 2015.



Diarrheal diseases, such as cholera and rotavirus, kill 1.5 million kids
each year, most under 2 years old. The children die from dehydration,
weakened immune systems and malnutrition. Often they get sick from drinking
dirty water.



The worst cholera outbreak to hit Africa in 15 years killed more than 4,000
people in Zimbabwe last year. The country recently reported new cases of the
waterborne disease, and more are expected as the rainy season peaks and
sewers overflow.



Rotavirus, a highly contagious disease spread through contaminated hands and
surfaces, is the top cause of severe diarrhea, accounting for more than a
half million child deaths a year.



A vaccine routinely given to children in the U.S. and Europe is expected to
reach 44 poorer countries by 2015 through the GAVI Alliance.



"Every child in the United States gets it, even though they have access to
clean water and hygiene," said John Wecker, of the Program for Appropriate
Technology in Health, a Seattle-based nonprofit that is part of the vaccine
alliance. "The only effective way to prevent these deaths is through
vaccination."



Diarrheal diseases received more attention in the 1980s and 1990s, he said,
but interest has waned or been diverted elsewhere, allowing them to creep
back.



"How did the leading killers end up at the bottom of the global health
agenda? I don't know," Wecker said at a recent GAVI meeting in Hanoi. "We've
got the tools. We're not looking for the next technological breakthrough.
It's here now and it's not being used."



Death can often be prevented by giving children fluid replacement, a simple
recipe of salt and sugar mixed with clean water to help ward off
dehydration. Yet 60 percent of children with diarrhea never receive the
concoction, according to a WHO and UNICEF report released last month.



"It is so preventable," said Dr. Richard Cash, a Harvard University expert
who helped develop the oral rehydration therapy 40 years ago. "Preventing
the deaths is at the very least what we should be striving for."



*========================*



*UNAIDS WEB.SITE*



*========================*



UNICEF’s State of The World’s Children report commemorates 20 years of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child

*UNICEF*

19/11/2009



NEW YORK, 19 November 2009 – A special edition issue of UNICEF's flagship
The State of the World's Children report, tracking the impact of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child and the challenges that remain, was
released today on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Convention’s
adoption by the UN General Assembly.



“The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most ratified human rights
treaty in human history,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “It
has transformed the way children are viewed and treated throughout the
world.”



The Convention has 193 ratifications, the process by which countries decide
to be bound by the articles of an international treaty. It articulates a set
of universal children’s rights, such as the right to an identity, a name and
a nationality, the right to an education, and rights to the highest possible
standards of health and protection from abuse and exploitation.



These rights are based on four core principles – non-discrimination; the
best interest of the child as primary consideration in matters that affect
them; rights to life, survival and development, and respect for the views of
children.



The Convention also identifies the obligation of governments to do all they
can to deliver these rights, and acknowledges the special role of parents in
their children’s upbringing.



The State of the World’s Children report describes the timeless relevance of
the Convention.



More than seventy countries have incorporated children’s codes into national
legislation based on the Convention’s provisions, and awareness and advocacy
on child protection issues have increased markedly since the Convention was
opened for signature 20 years ago.



Considerable progress has been made through the past twenty years:

             The annual number of deaths of children under five years of
age has fallen from around 12.5 million in 1990 to an estimated 8.8 million
in 2008, representing a 28 per cent decline in the rate of under five
mortality;

             Between 1990 and 2006, 1.6 billion people world-wide gained
access to improved water sources;

             Globally, around 84 per cent of primary-school-age children
are in class today and the gender gap in primary school enrolment is
narrowing;

             Children are no longer the missing face of the HIV and AIDS
pandemic;

             Important steps have been taken to help protect children from
serving as soldiers or trafficked into prostitution or domestic servitude;
and

             The age of children getting married is rising in some
countries and the number of girls subjected to genital cutting is gradually
falling.



But children’s rights are still far from assured, according to UNICEF.



“It is unacceptable that children are still dying from preventable causes,
like pneumonia, malaria, measles and malnutrition,” said Veneman. “Many of
the world’s children will never see the inside of a school room, and
millions lack protection against violence, abuse, exploitation,
discrimination and neglect.”



The rights of girls still require special attention. The majority of
children who do not attend primary school are girls, and girls are more
likely to suffer sexual violence, to be trafficked or to be forced into
child marriage. In many regions they are less likely to receive essential
healthcare.



The report includes special expert essays from public and private sector
representatives, alongside examples of the child rights situation in a range
of countries.



Many of the expert essays offer advice on the role the Convention can have,
in an increasingly populous, urbanized and environmentally challenged world,
over the next 20 years and beyond. The report also provides a range of
suggestions that could ensure the protection of children’s rights continues
to advance.



More than 160 events are taking place worldwide commemorating the 20th
anniversary of the Convention. The special edition of The State of the
World’s Children is part of UNICEF’s contribution to those commemorations,
which also includes jointly hosting, with civil society and government
partners, a global commemoration and panel discussion to be held at the
United Nations Headquarters on the 20th of November.



“The big challenge of the next 20 years is to firmly position the best
interests of children at the heart of all human activity,” said Veneman. “It
is our collective responsibility to ensure every child’s rights to survival,
development, protection and participation."



About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help
children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The
world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF
supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality
basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from
violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary
contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.



Attention editors and broadcasters: Multi media packages including photos
and b-roll will be available starting from 16th of November at
www.thenewsmarket.com/unicef



For further information, embargoed copy of the report, interviews with
experts, please contact:

Rebecca Fordham, UNICEF Media, 1 212 326 7162,

rfordham at unicef.org

Kate Donovan, UNICEF Media, 1 212 326 7452,

kdonovan at unicef.org
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