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Press Centre

Media Advisory

2002 Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Orphans and Vulnerable Children Workshop

WHO: Representatives of twenty-two Eastern and Southern African countries are convening to confront the crisis presented by the rapidly expanding population of children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS. The workshop has been organised by the Government of Namibia with the support of UNICEF, USAID, Family Health International, Norad, SIDA, Save the Children Alliance, HACI and UNAIDS

Participants include:
Carol Bellamy - Executive Director, UNICEF
Stephen Lewis - Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for HIV/AIDS in Africa

WHAT: A five-day workshop to assess existing programs, monitor progress on national goals, and highlight programmes that are making a positive difference for children and that can rapidly be expanded. The meeting will consider recommendations made by the African Leadership Consultation held in Johannesburg this September intended to accelerate immediate and practical action to support and protect orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

WHEN: Meeting: 25 - 29 November 2002
Press Conference: 29 November, 12:00 pm

WHERE: Nampower Convention Centre, Windhoek, Nambia

WHY: Globally, more than 13 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS and this number is expected to reach more than 25 million by 2010. Ninety percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and with HIV infection rates still rising and adults continuing to succumb to the disease, HIV/AIDS will continue to cause large-scale suffering among children for at least the next two decades.

The situation of children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS has been the subject of numerous high-level meetings and reports culminating in unprecedented commitments by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June 2001. Despite this attention, Africa's orphans have little reason to be hopeful.

Issues on the Agenda:

· Examination of progress achieved, current gaps in programming, and new possibilities for expanding care and support provided to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
· Radical expansions of national, regional and community responses to meet the educational, psycho-social and economic needs of orphaned children.
· The need for an entirely new paradigm of assistance and intervention.

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Broadcasters can also obtain copies of a recently prepared B-roll on HIV/AIDS from UNICEF at http://www.unicef.org/broadcast/brolls/malawiaids/index.html

For further information, please contact:

Liza Barrie, Senior Communications Adviser, UNICEF New York, lbarrie@unicef.org
Mobile Namibia: +264 81 129 8017; New York: +212-326-7593
Marixie Mercado, UNICEF New York, mmercado@unicef.org
tel: +212-326-7133
Wivina Belmonte, UNICEF Spokesperson, wbelmonte@unicef.org,
Mobile Geneva: +41 79 502 0261
Alfred Ironside, Chief of Media, UNICEF New York, aironside@unicef.org
tel: +212-326 7261
Lavinia Shikongo, UNICEF Media, lshikongo@unicef.org
Mobile Namibia: + 264 81 129 8002
Angela Walker, UNICEF Media, awalker@unicef.org
Mobile Namibia: + 264 81 129 8018
Beatrice Karanja, UNICEF Media, bkaranja@unicef.org
Mobile Namibia + 264 81 129 8009