Children and HIV and AIDS

Inter-Agency Task Team on Children and HIV and AIDS

Introduction

Millions of children have seen their lives irrevocably altered by HIV/AIDS, as it consumes families, communities, schools, health-care and welfare systems and national economies. Vulnerability due to poverty, and sometimes hunger, armed conflict, harmful child labour practices and other threats is compounded by the epidemic’s spread. Currently, an estimated 2 million children are living with HIV or AIDS. The global response for children affected by AIDS requires a sustained development response that reduces the vulnerability of children to deprivation, school dropout and poor health and improves their chances of leading healthy and productive lives.

Background

In 2001, the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO) called for the creation of a partnership of researchers, health programme implementers, advocates and policy-makers to support a coordinated, accelerated and expanded response for the protection of children affected by HIV and AIDS. The inter-agency task team (IATT) on Orphans and other Vulnerable Children, led by UNICEF, was charged with setting goals and targets for the response; identifying key strategies for scale up; agreeing on principles to guide programming; and setting expectations for inter-agency partners. In 2004, the Inter-agency partnership became known as “Children and HIV and AIDS,” to reflect a broader understanding of how AIDS affects children. It also expanded its membership beyond the UN.

The work of the IATT is guided by recommendations from the Global Partners Forum (GPF) which was established in 2003 to give momentum to fulfilling global commitments for children affected by AIDS. The IATT is also responsible for planning the GPF meetings.

As a response to the 2006 GPF recommendations, the IATT set up seven thematic working groups: Civil Registration, Communities’ role in Response, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Plans of Action, Education, Food and Nutrition and Social Protection. These working groups generated key evidence for the Fourth Global Partners Forum, held in October 2008 in Dublin, Ireland and co-convened by Irish Aid and UNICEF. This pivotal GPF generated critical momentum for improving the response for children, as well as strong recommendations for action. The IATT is now re-structuring to respond to the recommendations of the 2008 GPF.

The IATT steering committee continues to coordinate the groups’ functions and monitor the work and performance of the working groups.
The IATT has worked closely with the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA) which engaged practitioners, policymakers, and scholars in collaborative problem-solving, research, and analysis to address the needs of children living in the context of HIV/AIDS. (Read their final report, Home Truths: Facing the Facts on Children, AIDS, and Poverty)

Objectives of the IATT

The IATT specifically aims to:

• Promote coordination and harmonization of policy guidance and programming
• Advocate, both internally and externally for accelerated implementation of evidence-informed interventions
• Promote the development and sharing of technical and programming information
• Support and broaden networking and collaboration

View the Terms of Reference

Guiding Frameworks for Action

The IATT relies on the most up-to-date evidence on what works to improve children’s health. The group is guided by these frameworks and commitments:
• Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS (2001)
• Enhanced Protection for Children Affected by HIV and AIDS (2007)
• The Millennium Development Goals
• 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
• The Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS by the High-Level Meeting on AIDS in 2006
• the targets of the Unite for Children Unite against AIDS Campaign

Contact the IATT secretariat, housed in UNICEF, at caba@unicef.org.