The CABA Working Group A Children Affected by HIV/Aids (CABA) Working Group was formed in March 2004 and comprises a core group of Netherlands based Children- and aids focussed organisations, knowledge institutes and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands . The Working Group aims to contribute to the development of a collective, coherent and multifaceted response to the CABA crisis. Our mission is formulated as: Children affected by HIV/AIDS in all parts of the world must grow up in an enabling and safe environment, addressing their physical, psychosocial and socio-economic needs without discrimination and stigma. The Working Group uses the framework of UNICEF and UNAIDS as our foundation for collective and accelerated response to the needs and the rights of children affected by Aids. Our goal is to increase quality, speed and scale of rights-based responses of Dutch development agencies in order to contribute to the respect, protection and fulfilment of the rights of OVC in a context of HIV/Aids, by increasing their welfare. The CABA problem is quickly turning into a crisis (emergency) requiring short term and long term responses, from a child rights perspective, as well as the mobilisation of both child specific and general development organisations.

- Tackling CABA crisis requires duty bearers at all levels, including international development agencies to assume responsibility and be held accountable. - Up-scaling, speed, cooperation, co-ordination and the development of innovative approaches is urgently required. - The integrated and multi-disciplinary approach that is needed can be best achieved by collaboration between Dutch development organisations with complementary strengths. - There is a clear call for a joint Dutch effort and the CABA WG is a ‘vehicle’ for it. Scale and Impact The devastating consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic must be viewed in three consecutive waves. The first wave is that of the HIV infections itself, followed some years later by the second wave of aids illness and death. The third wave is that of the children left orphaned by aids, with its associated impacts at multiple levels. To date more than 14 million children worldwide under the age of 15 have lost either one or both their parents to aids. Their number is projected to reach 25 million by 2010 and will in most countries not peak until well after 2010.

Apart from orphaning children, the pandemic has left many million other children in a highly vulnerable position. They are living in households with aids-affected family members and generally much more disadvantaged than other vulnerable children. Their rights and well being are compromised, jeopardizing the overall prospects of the countries they live. While the crisis is more acute in Africa, where 80% of the pandemic CABA live, the situation is worsening in Asia and Eastern Europe. In Southern Africa the number of households headed by women only, by grandparents and even by children themselves is increasing. Most of these households are unable to provide adequate support to children. In seriously affected communities, this puts coping mechanisms and traditional safety nets under severe strain. At the national level, demographic profiles are changing, human capital is diminishing, economic growth is stalling and the gap between poor and rich is widening.

Framework The Working Group uses the framework of UNICEF and Unaids as the foundation for their collective and accelerated response to the needs and the rights of CABA. In October 2003, UNICEF and UNAIDS convened the first Global Forum where a broad range of stakeholders, including the Netherlands, endorsed in principle; the Framework for the Protection, Care, and support for children living in a world with HIV/AIDS (see box in annex 2). The framework provides principles, strategies, and programming guidance to enable countries to meet the established global goals regarding children based on the UNGASS declaration, .

and makes it clear that a long-term commitment of support to local community level initiatives is needed It reflects

consultation with government agencies and civil society, including NGO’s and FBO’s (Faith Based Organisations). The implementation of the framework contributes towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals and other related global commitments such as Education for All and the full implementation of ILO conventions 138-182 against child labour. The framework promotes the best interests of the child as stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the rights to survival, well-being and development, non discrimination and participation.

UNICEF-UNAIDS framework The five key strategies in the framework are: • Strengthening the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children by prolonging the lives of parents and providing economic, psychosocial and other support; • Mobilising and supporting community-based responses to provide immediate and long term assistance to vulnerable households; • Ensuring access for orphans and vulnerable children to essential services including education, health care and birth registration, • Ensuring that governments protect the most vulnerable children through improved policy and legislation and by channelling resources to families and communities; • Raise awareness at all levels through advocacy and social mobilisation to create a supportive environment for children and families affected by HIV/Aids For an effective and accelerated response to orphans and other vulnerable children the following challenges are identified: • National governments in affected countries must give priority to orphans and vulnerable children in national policies (National Policy HIV/Aids strategies that include an explicit focus on OVC and National OVC policy and guidelines), budgets and child care legislation: working in collaboration with NGO's and community organisations to ensure that efforts at all levels are well co-ordinated. • All stakeholders must create awareness of available services (including fast track access to it) and advocate putting an end to the stigma, discrimination and silences that surrounds HIV/Aids and the children affected by it. • National governments in partnership with international agencies and other stakeholders must monitoring their progress in policy formulation (what is being done and remains to be done) to satisfy the rights for orphans and vulnerable children and ensure their well being, • Governments must re-assess their use of resources (especially for education, food security) to ensure they urgently increase and sustain financial support for an adequate, long-term response to the orphans and other vulnerable children crisis. • Besides these above-mentioned challenges mostly on national level, NGO's and other CBO's are facing many challenges at the programme and executing level. The activities range from policy formulation and legislation at national level to direct support interventions at the community level.