Born HIV Free

In 2005, representatives of governments, multilateral agencies, development partners, research institutions, civil society and people living with HIV signed on to a Call to Action, urging other governments, development partners, civil society and private sector to join them in moving swiftly to support specific strategies and measures needed to eliminate HIV in infants and young children.

"[3] In Africa alone, 400,000 babies were born with HIV in 2009, despite the fact that we have the means to prevent transmission - Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund, called this an outrage at a ministerial meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon on 8 May 2010.

The campaign was launched in Paris, at the "Espace Pierre Cardin" on May 19, 2010 to spread awareness of the struggle to create an AIDS-free generation by 2015 and to garner popular support for its continued donor financing.

[5] Designed as an online and offline awareness campaign targeting the general public in Europe, and thanks to the unflagging commitment of strong partners - Google, YouTube, Orange, MSN, 43 Internet partner firms, 20 TV channels and 20 press groups in 11 European countries, bill-boarding (JC Decaux), entertainment companies (Live Nation, Vivendi) and fashion companies (Tiffany) – “Born HIV Free” has broadcast more than 2,7 billion messages of hope through banners, original films, posters, pins, events, and more.

[6] The first step of the Born HIV Free campaign ended in New-York on October 5, 2010, following the pledges made by donors to the Global Fund for the subsequent three years (2011-2013).

However, the total pledges fell short of the estimated resources needed to meet demand from developing countries seeking to further scale up their disease programs.

In February 2009, she travelled to Burkina Faso to visit Global Fund-supported programs; in September 2009, she called upon world leaders at the UN General Assembly to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015; on World AIDS Day she publicly emphasized the need to end mother-to-child transmission worldwide; and in January 2010, together with Melinda Gates, she visited Global Fund-supported programs in Benin to promote the need to invest in women and children’s health.