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Greater attention must be paid to the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) told an international gathering in London on Thursday.
According to UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman, children who had lost parents to the pandemic or were themselves HIV-positive still lacked access to appropriate care.
"Less than 10 percent of the world's children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS receive public support or services," Veneman told the representatives of 90 international organisations, including UNAIDS, at the two-day Global Partners Forum.
UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot confirmed Veneman's sentiments by noting that if the cycle of HIV infection is to be broken, children and young people would have to know how to protect themselves.
The agencies recommended that orphans and vulnerable children receive counselling and psychosocial support, and that the sucessful efforts of various organisations be implemented in national programmes.
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