The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF) on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, unveiled a special signage for children, as part of its efforts to put them at the center of the anti-HIV/AIDS agenda.

The signage which carries the slogan "Unite for children, Unite against HIV/AIDS'' is part of the campaign which focuses on the terrible impact of HIV/AIDS on children.

UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria Ayalew Abai, who unveiled the signage here, said the signage was also aimed at changing the commonly held belief that AIDS was mainly a problem for adults.

Abai said the UN system in Nigeria was committed to combating AIDS pandemic in the country and to building a world free of AIDS.

"As Nigeria is hosting the 14th ICASA in Africa, we are gathered here today to demonstrate our willingness to put the children at the center of HIV/AIDS agenda through the symbolic change of the Red Ribbon on the UN House facade,'' Abai said.

Hundreds of health experts on Sunday in Abuja launched the six- day the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually- Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) to discuss ways of fighting the deadly disease on the world's poorest continent.

Abai explained that the previous Red Ribbon signage on the UN House had to be changed into Blue and Red Ribbons to establish the link between children and AIDS.

Abai said that with more than 3.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, Nigeria today ranked third in the world, with children and young people being the most affected.

He said that AIDS was also destroying the families, with about 1.8 million Nigerian children having lost one or both parents to AIDS.

According to him, "90 percent of the children became infected through mother to child transmission (MTCT), and that about 50 percent do not survive their second birthday because they do not have access to treatment.''

Abai assured the Nigerian government of the UN's commitment and support towards the development of concrete program of actions for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Source: Xinhua