[child-rights] Number of children orphaned by AIDS will rise dramatically

Joint USAID/UNAIDS/UNICEF
Press release

Barcelona, 10 July 2002 - A major international report released today
finds that an already grim global orphan crisis is set to get much
worse as more and more adults with children die from AIDS, especially
in sub-Saharan Africa. The report, Children on the Brink, calls for
action at all levels to assist children, families and communities who
are affected by the unprecedented emergency.

The report contains the broadest and most comprehensive statistics
yet on the historical, current and projected number of children
orphaned by HIV/AIDS. It finds more than 13.4 million children have
lost one or both parents to the epidemic in the three regions
studied, a number that will increase to 25 million by 2010. In
addition to the millions of children orphaned by AIDS, millions more
are being adversely affected by the disease.

Children on the Brink was released at the XIV International AIDS
Conference in Barcelona, Spain, and is the third in a series (earlier
versions were published in 1997 and 2000). For the first time, the
report is being published jointly by USAID, UNAIDS and UNICEF, with
estimates developed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. In addition to
providing statistics on orphans from 88 countries, it identifies
several trends:

Africa has the greatest proportion of children who are orphans. In
2001, 34 million children in sub-Saharan Africa were orphans,
one-third of them due to AIDS. Because of AIDS, the number of orphans
is increasing dramatically. By 2010, the number of orphans will reach
42 million. Twenty million of these children - or almost 6 percent of
all children in Africa - will be orphaned due to AIDS.

Asia has the largest number of orphans. Due to Asia's large
population, the number of orphans in Asia is much larger than in
Africa. In 2001, there were 65 million orphans, with approximately 2
million of them orphaned due to AIDS. The populations in many Asian
countries are so large, however, that even at a low prevalence, the
number of people with HIV/AIDS threatens to surpass the numbers in
some of the most severely affected African countries. Even a
relatively small increase in prevalence could lead to even greater
numbers of orphans due to AIDS.

Orphan populations are concentrated, reflecting broader trends in HIV
prevalence and population. In 2001, 12 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa accounted for 70 percent of the orphans. The three countries
with the largest populations also had the most orphans - Nigeria,
Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the impact of
AIDS will be felt even more acutely in countries with smaller
populations, but higher HIV prevalence rates. In addition, within
countries, orphan populations vary greatly based on concentration of
HIV prevalence.

Number of orphans will continue to rise. Today's prevalence rates
will largely determine the pattern of orphaning for the next decade.
In countries where HIV/AIDS prevalence has recently escalated, the
full impact on the estimated number of orphans has yet to emerge.

The new publication also discusses the devastating impact AIDS has
had on children, families and communities, and the need for a
coordinated response to address this. "HIV/AIDS has created an
orphans crisis," said Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "This
unprecedented crisis will require radically scaled-up national,
regional and community responses in the decades to come."

Children on the Brink also discusses five key strategies to assist
children affected by AIDS, and urges that responses not overlook
other children who are impacted by the epidemic. "We must respond to
these devastating statistics by addressing the needs and rights of
both orphans and vulnerable children whose parents are still living,"
said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. "Countries that
have high rates of orphaning due to AIDS also have high levels of
children seriously impacted by the epidemic, such as those with ill
parents or living in households that have taken in orphans. They are
often just as vulnerable."

At a press conference in Barcelona, programs that have successfully
helped children were also discussed, and USAID distributed a summary
of its 75 programs in 22 countries that work with children affected
by AIDS. "Communities with a high proportion of orphans require
urgent assistance," said Anne Peterson, USAID's assistant
administrator for global health. "Responses need to be focused and
scaled up in communities with high proportions of orphans and
children affected by HIV/AIDS. And communities with emerging orphan
issues need to prepare now for the upcoming challenges."

USAID is the world's leader in providing funding to fight the
HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since 1986, it has provided over $2.3 billion for
prevention, care and treatment programs in over 50 countries around
the world. Information on USAID's HIV/AIDS programs is available at
www.usaid.gov.

As the main advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS leads,
strengthens and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing the
transmission of HIV, providing care and support, reducing the
vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and
alleviating the impact of the epidemic.

UNICEF is the United Nations agency responsible for the rights and
welfare of children, with offices in 161 countries worldwide. Because
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects the young, UNICEF has named
HIV/AIDS one of its five key priorities for the coming years. The
organization is concentrating its work in: prevention among young
people, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and care and
support for children impacted by the pandemic.

Children on the Brink is available at www.usaid.gov and at
www.unaids.org/barcelona/presskit/childrenonthebrink.html

_______________________________

CONTACTS:

    *  USAID Gabrielle Bushman - US cell +1 659 652 221
    *  UNAIDS Anne Winter - Swiss cell +41 79 2134312
    *  UNICEF Liza Barrie - US cell +1 646 207 5178