CRC/C/NIC/CO/4 HIV/AIDS 66. The Committee is concerned at the rapid increase of HIV/AIDS in the State party (from 2.52 per 100,000 in 2003 to 11.8 per 100,000 in 2007), and the high degree of underregistration, insufficient prevention and discrimination. 67. While acknowledging the ongoing efforts to deal with the spread of HIV/AIDS, especially with regard to treatment and care, the Committee recommends that the State party take all the necessary measures to: (a) Ensure that children, adolescents and pregnant women have universal access to HIV-related prevention, treatment, care and support, with the aim of meeting the target of eliminating vertical transmission and congenital syphilis by 2015, and with special focus on prevention among adolescents; (b) Make every effort to reach children and adolescents at risk and HIV/AIDS orphans; and (c) Expand efforts to inform and educate the population at large so as to avoid stigmatization and discrimination. Standard of living 68. The Committee notes that the National Social Welfare System (Sistema Nacional de Bienestar Social) is responsible for addressing poverty and families at risk, in particular ensuring coordination with the Amor programme under MIFAN, Zero Hunger (Hambre Cero), Zero Usury (Usura Cero), among others. The Committee is nevertheless concerned at the pervasive and high level of poverty and extreme poverty affecting children, as well as the wide income inequality among families countrywide, which creates enormous disparities in access to employment, assets and basic services and impacts the standard of living and development of children. The situation calls for a comprehensive approach. 69. The Committee recommends that the State party undertake all necessary efforts to raise the standard of living, by improving, inter alia, access to employment, housing, food, potable water, sanitary services and electricity, especially for the extremely poor, female-headed households and other populations at risk and with children. The Committee also reiterates the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food (A/HRC/13/33/Add.5, para 83(f)) that the State party integrate the human rights principles of non-discrimination, transparency, participation and accountability in the implementation of the Zero Hunger programme, and suggests that these criteria be applied universally to all programmes aimed at children and women. 7. Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28, 29 and 31 of the Convention) Education, including vocational training and guidance 70. While welcoming the Intercultural Bilingual Education policy, the fact that illiteracy has been remarkably reduced (from 22 per cent in 2006 to 3.6 per cent in 2009), more children attend school (the number of children out of school has been reduced from one million to 500,000 since 2006), and primary and middle school education fees have been waived, the Committee is concerned that: (a) About half a million children still do not attend school, and regional disparities are very broad; 14