CRC/C/HND/CO/3 page 15 (c) Continue prioritizing the issue of adolescent health on the political agenda of the Government and grant more resources to public institutions for quality care of this age group. HIV/AIDS 62. The Committee welcomes the adoption in 1999 of Decree No. 147/99 on HIV/AIDS which, inter alia, establishes a multisectoral national Commission (CONASIDA) mandated to promote inter-institutional coordination on all issues related to HIV/AIDS, as well as the HIV/AIDS Strategic National Plan 2003-2007 (PENSIDA II). However, the Committee is concerned that, despite the 2003 National Plan for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Honduras is worryingly increasing and substantially higher than the average in the region. The Committee is also concerned at the information that CONASIDA lacks the necessary support to carry out its functions properly and that coordination is lacking among all institutional actors dealing with this issue. 63. The Committee recommends that the State party, taking into account the Committee’s general comment No. 3 on HIV/AIDS and the rights of the child and the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (E/CN.4/1997/37): (a) Increase its efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS transmission among children, including by developing a clear and coherent national normative framework; (b) Strengthen its measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission, for example through coordination with the activities aimed at reducing maternal mortality; (c) Pay particular attention to children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS or who have become orphans as a result of the death of HIV/AIDS-infected parents, through providing adequate medical, psychological and material support and by involving the community; (d) Provide adequate human and financial resources to both CONASIDA and PENSIDA II; (e) Strengthen its efforts by conducting campaigns and programmes to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among adolescents, particularly among those belonging to vulnerable groups as well as the population at large, so as to reduce discrimination against children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; (f) Seek further technical assistance from, for example, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS and UNICEF. Standard of living 64. The Committee, while welcoming the adoption of a Poverty Reduction Strategy in 2001 and of the Law on the Fund for Poverty Reduction (Decree No. 70-2002), is concerned that the degree of poverty in the country remains high, especially in the rural areas and that the poor socio-economic situation of the country has a devastating impact on the standard of living of children, particularly the lack of access to basic goods, health services and education.