UNICEF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports have teamed up again this year to highlight the risks of HIV/AIDS for young people - this time through the power of sports, Trend reports citing official statement by UNICEF's Baku Office.
The nationwide football tournament among young people celebrating the first anniversary of the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign has started on October 10 with pre-qualifying games and will culminate in a final game on the World's AIDS Day, December 1.
The official launch of the tournament will take place in the Gandja Olympic Centre on October 25.
We believe in the power of football. We believe that sport helps children both boys and girls - not only to grow physically strong; it also helps to build the confidence and self-esteem that will serve them throughout their lives, said Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan Child and Youth Football Federation helped to arrange games
in three stages (local, regional and final) and get 14-18 years-old young people from secondary and sport schools all over the country involved in the tournament.
The games will take place in the cities of Baku, Gandja, Guba, Lenkoran, Shamakha and Nakchivan with participation of about 7,000 young football players representing 60 different regions.
We're deeply committed to working with young people not merely for them. And we are grateful to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for believing in the power of youth and believing that young people are the first line of defence in the country, she said.
Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS is a global campaign to alert the world to the fact that children are missing from the global AIDS agenda. It provides a platform