Page 27 - Online Paper.pdf

THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017 International 27

DAKAR--A lack of early causes AIDS - will die before For the first time in the his-
testing for HIV and wide- turning two, and three quar- tory of the HIV epidemic,
spread stigma has left four- ters before their fifth birth- West and Central Africa
fifths of children with the day, health experts say. in 2015 recorded the larg-
virus in West and Central Limited testing in the re- est number of new infec-
Africa without life-saving gion could hinder a global tions among children, with
drugs, meaning that tens of drive by the U.N. AIDS pro- 66,000 cases - 45 per cent of
thousands could die within gramme (UNAIDS) to en- the 150,000 new cases regis-
years, aid agencies said on sure that by 2020 almost all tered worldwide - UNAIDS
Wednesday. people with HIV know their said. Only half of women in
Around 400,000 children status and receive treatment. the region have undergone
under 15 with HIV in the “It is absolutely urgent to programmes for prevention
region do not receive anti- fast-track early testing of of mother-to-child transmis-
retroviral (ARV) treatment HIV among children in the sion, leaving more children
Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes near Israel’s Ofer Prison near the because they have not been region,” said UNICEF’s re- at higher risk of acquiring
West Bank city of Ramallah, March 7, 2017. tested, according to the U.N. gional director Marie-Pierre HIV during pregnancy, birth
children’s agency, UNICEF. Poirier. “The vast majority of and breastfeeding, then go-
Without early testing and children who are tested early ing undetected, according to
ARV drugs, half of babies enough now have access to UNICEF.
with HIV - the virus that ARV therapy.”

BEIRUT/UNITED NA- The United States, an ally arly inquiry and overwhelm-
TIONS--A U.N. agency pub- of Israel, said it was outraged ing evidence, that Israel is
lished a report on Wednesday by the report. “The United guilty of the crime of apart-
accusing Israel of imposing Nations secretariat was right heid.”
an “apartheid regime” of to distance itself from this “However, only a ruling by
racial discrimination on the report, but it must go further an international tribunal in
Palestinian people, and said it and withdraw the report alto- that sense would make such
was the first time a U.N. body gether,” the U.S. ambassador an assessment truly authori-
had clearly made the charge. to the United Nations, Nikki tative,” it added.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry Haley, said in a statement. The report said the “stra-
spokesman likened the re- The Israeli ministry spokes- tegic fragmentation of the
port, which was published man, Emmanuel Nahshon?, Palestinian people” was the
by the U.N. Economic and commenting on Twitter, also main method through which
Social Commission for West- noted the report had not Israel imposes apartheid,
ern Asia (ESCWA), to Der been endorsed by the U.N. with Palestinians divided
Sturmer - a Nazi propaganda secretary-general. “The at- into four groups oppressed
publication that was strongly tempt to smear and falsely through “distinct laws, poli-
anti-Semitic. label the only true democracy cies and practices.”
The report concluded “Is- in the Middle East by creat- It identified the four sets of
rael has established an apart- ing a false analogy is despica- Palestinians as: Palestinian
heid regime that dominates ble and constitutes a blatant citizens of Israel; Palestinians
the Palestinian people as a lie,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassa- in East Jerusalem; Palestin-
whole.” The accusation - of- dor Danny Danon said in a ians in the West Bank and
ten directed at Israel by its statement. Gaza Strip; and Palestinians
critics - is fiercely rejected by The report said it had estab- living as refugees or in exile.
Israel. lished on the “basis of schol-
U.N. Under-Secretary Gen-
eral and ESCWA Executive
Secretary Rima Khalaf said
the report was the “first of
its type” from a U.N. body
that “clearly and frankly con-
cludes that Israel is a racist
state that has established an
apartheid system that perse-
cutes the Palestinian people.”
ESCWA comprises 18 Arab
states in Western Asia and
aims to support economic
and social development in
member states, according to
its website. The report was
prepared at the request of
member states, Khalaf said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane
Dujarric told reporters in
New York that the report was
published without any prior
consultation with the U.N.
secretariat. “The report as
it stands does not reflect the
views of the secretary-general
(Antonio Guterres),” said
Dujarric, adding that the re-
port itself notes that it reflects
the views of the authors.