EPPN Series on Children: The Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS

June 2, 2022

Office of Government Relations

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“No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime…” Isaiah 65:20 (NRSV)

While recent attention has been on the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS continues to be a major global health challenge, and we must all continue our advocacy to ensure that the progress we have made over the past several decades does not get wiped out.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that 36.3 million people have died from HIV/AIDS. In its 2020 report, UNAIDS estimates that 37.7 million people were living with HIV globally, and 1.7 million of them were children, which includes those between the ages of 0-14 years. In addition to being a sexually transmitted infection, HIV can also be transmitted to a child during pregnancy and delivery. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, 850 children became infected with HIV and another 330 died from AIDS-related causes daily in 2020. The majority of infections occur in the global south. Despite the persistence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, continued global commitment evidenced through ground-breaking research and investment in treatment has made living with HIV manageable for many. Particularly, by suppressing HIV replication, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced mortality and morbidity rates among people living with HIV, leading to improved quality of life. Furthermore, ART prevents the transmission of the virus during pregnancy and childbirth. When infants and children living with HIV are given ART early and regularly, their life expectancy increases, and their quality of life improves. Unfortunately, only 54 percent of the 1.7 million children living with HIV globally have access to antiretroviral therapy. The international community must scale up prevention and testing services, as well as access to ART for both children and adults if we are to reach the ambitious U.N. goals outlined through its 95-95-95 AIDS targets, a fast-tracked strategy to ensure that by 2030, 95% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 95% of those who know their status are on treatment, and 95% of people on treatment will have their viral load suppressed.

The achievements we have seen thus far could not be realized without the leadership of the U.S. government, as well as the commitment of faith communities focused on ending this crisis. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government has invested over $100 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, saving more than 20 million lives, including those of children, and preventing millions of HIV infections. The faith community has long pushed for global action. The Episcopal Church has continuously advocated for strong and comprehensive prevention and treatment programs in addition to eradicating discriminatory policies targeting persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The United States is also a funding contributor to the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB, and Malaria—another critical resource in the fight against HIV/AIDS globally. Since its inception in 2002, this public-private multilateral initiative has provided ART treatment for more than 7 million HIV-positive mothers and prevented transmission to their unborn children. When children are born HIV-negative, the number of new infections among this age-group decreases, which begins to break the chain of HIV in communities. The Office of Government Relations will continue to advocate for increased investments in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment for both children and adults.

Additional Resources

WHO: access to HIV medicines severely impacted by COVID-19 as AID response stalls.

UNAIDS: Global HIV & AIDS statistics – Fact sheet.

ENS: At Georgetown forum, Episcopal leaders discuss religious groups’ role in ending AIDS

General Convention Resolutions

2009-A159: Urge the Church to Address HIV/AIDS Prevention

2006-A133: Raise Awareness of the Continuing HIV Pandemic

2000-A051: Support Initiatives to Make Available AIDS-related Medications

1991-D096: Include Women and Children in HIV/AIDS Funding