Children and HIV and AIDS

UN partners cap high-level AIDS meeting with night of remembrance

© UNICEF/HQ06-0669/Markisz

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (top left) stands with the African Children’s Choir at the gala night of AIDS remembrance along with (back row, left-right) UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, Naomi Watts, Nane Annan and Salman Ahmad.

By Kun Li
 
NEW YORK, USA, 2 June 2006 – The African Children’s Choir led an evening of remembrance and hope at United Nations headquarters last night – remembrance of the more than 25 million men, women and children who have died of AIDS, and hope of winning the battle against HIV and AIDS.
 
The event capped this week’s UN High Level Meeting on AIDS, which charted new plans for halting the spread of the disease.
 
“Leadership comes not only from those who hold positions of power, leadership also comes from all of you,” said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. “Leadership means finding ways to reach out to all groups.”
 
A united voice

At the UN General Assembly Hall, heads of state, ministers and people from all walks of life – including many directly affected by HIV/AIDS – renewed their commitment to fight the disease, a quarter-century after it was first identified as a global health threat. Today, some 40 million people are living with HIV.
 
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo mesmerized the audience with a song dedicated to Africa, the continent worst-hit by the pandemic. Goodwill Ambassador Whoopie Goldberg introduced people living with HIV from Latin America, Europe and Asia.
 
At the end of the evening, hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean, Mr. Annan and all present joined the Kenyan and Ugandan members of the children’s choir in a single, united voice against AIDS.