Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Ten thousand children are expected to march late Wednesday with lit candles around the Africa Hall at the Ethiopian capital, venue of a major international gathering on Development and AIDS, in memory of all those that have died from the pandemic in Africa.

The event is intended as a call for action by youth addressed to several Heads of State and government, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, heads of UN agencies and participants of the second African Development Forum (ADF 2000) at the Africa Hall.

More than 1,500 delegates from 44 African countries have been deliberating since Sunday on the theme "AIDS As The Greatest Leadership Challenges."

Wednesday's vigil, which will last nearly for hours, is organised by the Addis Ababa HIV/AIDS Council in collaboration with UNICEF.

Organisers say the children are to assemble at Maskal Square by mid-afternoon in downtown Addis Ababa, Headquarters of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Musical and drama performances are planned at the Square by the city's AIDS Council "Save Your Generation Association (SYGA," to sensitise youth to HIV/AIDS prevention measures.

The children will later march from the Square to Africa Hall, through the offices of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

A group of 20 children representing the marchers will be joined by another 200 youth at the entrance of Africa Hall along with youth forum participants and a youth delegation to the African Development Forum.

The joint youth group will be received at the UN conference centre, venue of the ADF gathering by Carol Belamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, and proceed to the Hall where African leaders, Annan and other participants are assembled, to deliver three messages.

These are the resolution from ADF youth forum, a message from Ethiopian youth by SYGA, on "breaking the silence" on the killer disease, and another by HIV/AIDS advocacy group, "Dawn of Hope, In Addis Ababa," on ending the stigma against people living with AIDS.

The UNICEF Executive Director will later convey the message of the African leaders from the ADF conference to the children.