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Children are the "invisible face" of HIV/AIDS, which means they are not receiving the same amount of help as adults, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The agency's latest report noted that nearly 1,800 children worldwide are infected with HIV every day, and a child aged under 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness every minute.
UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman commented, "It is critical that the world unite for children and unite against AIDS - the size of the problem is staggering, but the scale of the response has been inadequate."
Veneman noted that a campaign targeted at governments and policymakers would be launched on Tuesday in ten countries to combat the rising threat of the pandemic against children, including India, Brazil, Mozambique and Djibouti.
She urged countries to follow the example of the US, Britain and Ireland, which have earmarked part of the funds they contribute to the global fight against AIDS for youngsters.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
