African leaders pledge to end AIDS in children by 2030.

International partners have set out how they would support countries in delivering on those plans, which were issued at the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children.

The meeting hosted by Tanzania, marks a step up in action to ensure that all children with HIV have access to life saving treatment and that mothers living with HIV have babies free from HIV.

The Alliance will work to drive progress over the next seven years, to ensure that the 2030 target is met.

Currently, around the world, a child dies from AIDS related causes every five minutes.

Only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment, far behind adults of whom three quarters (76%) are receiving antiretrovirals.

In 2021,160 000 children newly acquired HIV. Children accounted for 15% of all AIDS-related deaths, despite the fact that only 4% of the total number of people living with HIV are children.

This meeting has given me hope. An inequality that breaks my heart is that against children living with HIV, and leaders today have set out their commitment to the determined action needed to put it right. As the leaders noted, with the science that we have today, no baby needs to be born with HIV or get infected during breastfeeding, and no child living with HIV needs to be without treatment. The leaders were clear: they will close the treatment gap for children to save children's lives.

In partnership with networks of people living with HIV and community leaders, ministers laid out their action plans to help find and provide testing to more pregnant women and link them to care. The plans also involve finding and caring for infants and children living with HIV.

The Dar-es-Salaam Declaration on ending AIDS in children was endorsed unanimously.

Vice-President of Tanzania, Philip Mpango said, 'Tanzania has showed its political engagement, now we need to commit moving forward as a collective whole. All of us in our capacities must have a role to play to end AIDS in children. The Global Alliance is the right direction, and we must not remain complacent. 2030 is at our doorstep.'

The First Lady of Namibia Monica Geingos agreed. 'This gathering of leaders is uniting in a solemn vow - and a clear plan of action - to end AIDS in children once and for all,' she said. 'There is no higher priority than this.'

The 12 countries with high HIV burdens have joined the alliance in the first phase: Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Kenya...