At a glance: France

France launches UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

© UNICEF France/2005/Archambault

Singer Corneille, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah, and President of the French National Committee for UNICEF Jacques Hintzy.

PARIS, France, 8 December, 2005 – In tandem with the global launch of the UNITE FOR CHILDREN  UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign at United Nations headquarters on 25 October, the French National Committee launched their own nationwide effort in Paris the same day.

At the launch UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah gave the introductory remarks about the importance of the putting children at the centre of the fight against the disease, followed by Jacques Hintzy, President of the French National Committee for UNICEF, who spoke about a recent fact-finding trip he made to Lesotho, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Afterwards Corneille, the famous singer born in Rwanda, spoke about his involvement in the campaign and his commitment to supporting UNICEF’s work around the world.

Coinciding with the launch, two of the biggest national newspapers in France, ‘Le Monde’ and ‘Le Figaro’, published one-page stories on children and AIDS in Kenya and Lesotho. The nightly news also featured a report on Lesotho and the UNITE FOR CHILDREN  UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign.