November 29, 2021

2021 World AIDS Day Webinar – 40 Years of HIV: Addressing Inequities in the Global AIDS Response

Monday, November 29 | World AIDS Day 2021

A 90-minute virtual panel discussion focused on the inequities facing children and youth living with and at risk for HIV.

 

Forty years after the first AIDS cases were reported, the harsh reality is that deep inequities continue to exist in the global response to HIV and AIDS, with gaps in rights and services preventing real progress. And while it is painful to admit, one of the most overlooked segments of the population is children. As articulated in the “End Inequalities, End AIDS” UNAIDS strategy, “One of the most glaring disparities in the HIV response is the failure to meet the needs of children living with or at risk of HIV.”

COVID has exacerbated this longtime inequity. In fact, as of September 2021, over 2.3 million children have lost one or more primary caregivers to the virus. The most recent data update from UNAIDS indicates that gaps in testing have left more than two fifths of children living with HIV undiagnosed. And the number of children on treatment globally has declined since 2019, leaving almost 800,000 children living with HIV without the medicines they need to save their lives. Although children accounted for just five percent of people living with HIV in 2020, they represented 15 percent of all AIDS-related deaths. Almost 90 percent of all children living with HIV globally are located in Africa, which is why EGPAF believes it is so imperative that we center the role of African leaders and partners if we are to make meaningful progress in ending HIV in children, youth, and families.

In the lead up to World AIDS Day 2021, EGPAF will host an online discussion, bringing together stakeholders, policymakers, youth advocates, and national leaders to discuss the actions needed right now to end inequities and create an AIDS-free generation.

 

Event Overview:

  • Opening Remarks: Rhoda Igweta, Associate Director, Public Policy & Advocacy, EGPAF (Moderator)
  • Investing in PEPFAR and Addressing COVID’s Impact on the Global AIDS Response (via video): California Representative Ami Bera
  • The U.S. Response to HIV/AIDS in Children and Youth: Dr. Angeli Achrekar, Acting Global AIDS Coordinator
  • Ending Pediatric AIDS on the Continent: What Will It Take? Dr. Angela Mushavi, National PMTCT and Pediatric HIV Care and Treatment Coordinator, Zimbabwe
  • Working to Create an AIDS Free Generation as We Address the Deep Disruption of COVID-19: Dr. Judith Kose, Associate Director, Pediatric Services, EGPAF
  • Giving Children and Youth a Voice in the AIDS Response: Dee Mphafi Tanka, EGPAF Youth Leader
  • Panel Discussion and Q&A, moderated by EGPAF CEO Chip Lyons