The United Nations and the United States announced a new initiative Countdown to Zero, to eliminate HIV among babies by 2015.

Michel Kazatchkine, head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said achieving this goal would signal the beginning of the end of the story, because that opens the prospect for an Aids-free generation.

The initiative, developed by UNAIDS team in collaboration with Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was devised to address the staggering statistic that a baby is born with HIV every minute, mostly based in sub-Saharan Africa.

The project is estimated to decrease infection of newborn babies to under five percent, as it puts in place life-saving provisions to treat pregnant women affected with HIV. The service will be offered to 15 million women, at a cost of $2.5 billion.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said of the initiative launch, We are here today to ensure that all children are born healthy and free of disease. We are here to ensure that their mothers live to see them grow.

Executive Director of UNAIDS Michael Sidibe believes that children can be born HIV-free by 2015 and that their mothers can remain healthy. This new global plan is realistic, it is achievable and it is driven by the most affected countries.

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