Crickety World Cup dedicated to HIV/AIDS

[Guest guest]

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will team up with UNAIDS,

UNICEF and the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS at

the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to highlight the situation of

children and young people living with and affected by HIV.

More than two billion television viewers are expected to tune in to

the seven week long ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, which begins with an

Opening Ceremony on 11 March in Jamaica. Activities at the event

will draw attention to the issues facing children and young people

affected by HIV and highlight the resources and actions required to

address them. The public, especially young people aged 15-24, will

get information on the stigma and discrimination around HIV and on

how to protect themselves against the virus. The partnership is part

of the ICC's commitment to promoting the Spirit of Cricket and its

positive impact on society.

" The Spirit of Cricket is a special part of our game and is a

concept that stretches beyond the boundaries of the outfield, " said

ICC President Percy Sonn. " We hope the range of activities delivered

at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will make a difference to raising

awareness and reducing stigma around HIV in the Caribbean and across

the ever-growing cricket world. By encouraging high profile players

to support this campaign, we hope to be able to engage those who may

otherwise be difficult to reach. "

Through high profile activities around cricket's biggest event, the

ICC will support the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign

launched in 2005 by UNICEF, UNAIDS and other partners.

A series of PSAs have been produced, each lasting 30 seconds, which

will be available to broadcasters free of charge. The PSAs feature

leading players, including Ricky Ponting from Australia and Rahul

Dravid from India, speaking about how HIV affects children.

Players and officials from each team will wear the red and blue

ribbon of the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign during

their first games and during the final. Players will also visit

programmes supporting children and young people affected by HIV.

" Young people today have never known a world without AIDS. Sports

stars – such as top cricket players – can act as role models for

today's young generation and reach out to them on AIDS issues, " said

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Piot. " Sport is a force for

change that can break down barriers, build self-esteem and teach

life skills and social behaviour. By highlighting AIDS issues, the

ICC Cricket World Cup and its cricketing stars are showing exactly

the kind of exceptional response needed for the exceptional

challenge of AIDS. "

The Unite for Children, Unite Against Aids campaign promotes four

key areas: prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, the

virus that causes AIDS; increased access to antiretroviral therapy

for children and young people who need treatment; education

programmes to help prevent HIV transmission; and increased support

for children who are orphaned and left vulnerable by AIDS.

" Children have been the missing face of the AIDS pandemic, " said

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. " The International Cricket

Council will be a powerful ally in ensuring that children are at the

heart of the global response to the epidemic. "

The ICC is also being supported in this effort by the Caribbean

Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP), a coalition of over

50 broadcasters in 23 Caribbean countries and territories. The

CBMP's new regional media campaign, LIVE UP, aims to inspire the

people of the Caribbean, especially youth, to consider what they can

do to stem the spread of HIV.

" The exceptional reach of broadcast media in the Caribbean gives us

a unique opportunity to educate audiences about how to avoid HIV,

and how to combat the stigma and discrimination that surround the

disease, " noted CBMP Steering Committee Chair Allyson Leacock. " By

doing what we do best, communicating with our neighbors, members of

the CBMP are helping our audience to remain healthy and well-

informed, while we all work together to reduce the impact of HIV in

our region. "

The CBMP is producing a series of televised public services

announcements (PSAs), as part of an ongoing media campaign, targeted

to young people. This will be debuted by Caribbean broadcasters

during the event. The spots encourage young people to take action to

prevent HIV infection, including talking openly with parents,

teachers and friends about HIV, being informed, using protection and

getting tested. Viewers will be encouraged to visit a new website,

(www.iliveup.com), providing information, local resources and the

stories of young people affected by HIV.

Cricket is popular in many of the countries that are most impacted

by AIDS, including India and South Africa. Together, these two

countries are home to around 11 million of the 40 million people

estimated to be living with HIV.

In the Caribbean, where the ICC Cricket World Cup is being held,

UNAIDS estimated that 250,000 people were living with HIV in 2006,

15,000 of which were children aged 0-14 years. It was also estimated

that in 2006, 1.1% of young women and 0.5% of young men aged 15-24

were living with HIV in the Caribbean and that around 27,000 people

became newly infected with the virus in 2006 alone.

Cricket is also a major sport in many donor countries that are

active in the global AIDS response, including Australia, Canada,

England, the Netherlands and New Zealand – all competitors in the

ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.