Globally, only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment, far behind adults where three quarters (76%) are receiving antiretrovirals, according to the data that has just been released in the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022.

Concerned by the stalling of progress for children, and the widening gap between children and adults, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO and partners have brought together a global alliance to ensure that no child living with HIV is denied treatment by the end of the decade and to prevent new infant HIV infections.

The new Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030 was announced by leading figures at the International AIDS Conference taking place in Montreal, Canada.

Consultations by the alliance have identified four pillars for collective action:

1. closing the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with HIV and optimizing continuity of treatment;
2. preventing and detecting new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women;
3. accessible testing, optimized treatment, and comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents exposed to and living with HIV; and
4. addressing rights, gender equality, and the social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.