First international AIDS conference ever held in Latin America
Conference theme, Universal Action Now, underscores the need for decisive action to accelerate scale-up of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and end human rights violations that fuel the pandemic
Organisers of the XVII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2008) - to be held in Mexico City from 3-8 August 2008 - announced the participation of 17 plenary speakers, including leading HIV scientists, community leaders, practitioners and policy experts from across the globe, says a press release. The theme of AIDS 2008 is Universal Action Now. "AIDS 2008 is taking place at a unique moment in the epidemic, when there is widespread consensus on the need to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010," said AIDS 2008 Co-Chair Dr. Pedro Cahn, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and Fundación Huésped in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With over 25,000 participants expected, AIDS 2008 will be the first International AIDS Conference ever held in Latin America and is expected to increase awareness of the disease and its impact throughout the region. "Latin America and the Caribbean have shown tremendous leadership - from the production of low cost HIV treatments, to innovative prevention campaigns and high levels of access to care - but we still have challenges," said AIDS 2008 Co-Chair Dr. Luis Soto-Ramírez, Head of the Molecular Virology Unit at the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán and Coordinator of the Clinical Care Committee of CONASIDA. "We look forward to learning with and from our colleagues from around the world." Over 10,500 abstracts submitted
More than half of all sessions will be scientific sessions based on abstracts submitted in one of five tracks. Organisers received over 10,500 submissions by the 19 February deadline. Other sessions to highlight key topics
The conference is organised around three components: science, community and leadership. In addition to the abstract-driven programme, over the past year, organisers have designed 50 non-abstract driven sessions focusing on key issues within and across these three programme areas. Some of the many important issues to be addressed include: coping with AIDS in political crisis and conflict situations; mobile populations and globalisation; youth, sexual health and the impact of education on HIV vulnerability; and community involvement in HIV research. For the first time, the programme will include six regional sessions designed to focus attention on major issues within each region. The AIDS 2008 Opening Session will take place on Sunday, 3 August and will include Mexican government and international leaders, as well as community leaders representing people living with HIV and youth. Daily Special Sessions, held during the lunch hour, will feature high-level speakers (including Heads of State) and discussion of major issues on the horizon. One session will provide a report on the outcomes of the Positive Leadership Summit, a major international meeting of people living with HIV/AIDS, which is scheduled to take place in Mexico City just prior to AIDS 2008. Additional details about all sessions, including confirmed speakers, will be available through the conference website (www.aids2008.org) in June 2008. Programme activities planned for delegates and the general public
In addition to sessions, AIDS 2008 also will feature a wide variety of activities, including some planned by and for youth, and a cultural programme that will showcase the relationship between AIDS, art and culture. Open to conference delegates and the general public, the AIDS 2008 Global Village will be a space to share lessons learned, knowledge and skills, and to build coalitions, and promote interactive learning among communities living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The Global Village will be located at Las Americas Hippodrome, which is adjacent to Centro Banamex. Expanded access and online programming
Conference organisers are again offering a two-tiered fee structure to make participation more affordable to delegates from low- and middle-income countries. Language access has also been expanded. Though English is the official language of the International AIDS Conference, for the first time simultaneous translation (English-Spanish) will be available at all sessions. The AIDS 2008 website is also available in both English and Spanish, and the Opening Session will offer simultaneous translations from English to all official U.N. languages (French, Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin and Russian). In order to make conference proceedings available to as wide an audience as possible, the AIDS 2008 website will include direct links to the full conference programme, including links to abstracts and related information, as well as speeches and slides, when available. Webcasts, podcasts and transcripts from all major sessions will again be produced by kaisernetwork.org, with Clinical Care Options, Inc. serving as the official online provider of scientific coverage. A new feature this year is the introduction of hubs, or remote viewing locations, where those who are unable to come to Mexico City will be able to attend local screenings of select sessions, along with local discussion. An official hub is planned for South Africa. Others, organised by conference partners and third parties, will take place in various locations around the world.
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