United Nations agencies, donors and non-government organizations (NGOs) have agreed on how they can make a united response to the growing crisis of children left orphaned by AIDS.
During a two-day meeting in Geneva, the groups agreed on a strategic framework to ensure that the 14 million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS receive as much help as possible. The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) projects that number will rise to 25 million by 2010, with four out of every five of those children in sub-Saharan Africa.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UNAIDS and key partners will discuss new spending estimates for tackling the crisis. According to UNAIDS, $1billion a year is necessary to help the orphans, who are at much greater risk of suffering from poor health, abuse and exploitation, missing educational opportunities and becoming mired in poverty.
UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said: "The challenge now is for countries to prioritize the implementation strategies that keep parents alive, protect children from violence and exploitation, ensure their good health, and keep them in school."