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Those who plan to attend the XVIII IAC (AIDS 2010) will not be disappointed. Organizers announced on May 5 that President Bill Clinton and South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi will be among 19 who will address an estimated 25,000 attendees. AIDS 2010 will take place from July 18 to 23 in Vienna, Austria under the theme “Rights Here, Right Now.” President Clinton will deliver keynote remarks on Monday, July 19. Minister Motsoaledi's plenary presentation is on Tuesday, July 20.
"We are delighted to have secured these two high-level keynote speakers at this crucial time in the global response to HIV," said AIDS 2010 Chair Dr. Julio Montaner, President of the International AIDS Society and Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Universal access is a commitment wealthy nations made to Africa and to millions of people living in low- and middle-income countries in 2005, and those of us assembling in Vienna will not watch silently as the financial resources needed to make good on that promise falter," Dr. Montaner added.
The theme “Rights Here, Right Now,” was selected by organizers to “emphasize the critical connection between human rights and HIV. Human rights will also be the focus of a march and rally in Vienna on Tuesday, 20 July, which will include remarks and a performance by singer songwriter and activist Annie Lennox.”
"Through several plenary presentations focusing on human rights, as well as others on violence against women and girls, incarceration, drug policy and harm reduction, and positive health, dignity and prevention, we will demonstrate how stigma and discrimination are undermining public health," said AIDS 2010 Local Co-Chair Dr. Brigitte Schmied, President of the Austrian AIDS Society. "Equally important, we will show what is being done to address these barriers in all regions of the world," she added.
The full conference program will be available through the conference website at www.aids2010.org in early June and significant parts of the program—including webcasts of key sessions, speeches, slide presentations, abstracts, digital posters, session-specific and daily reports, as well as workshop handouts and audio recordings—will also be online during the conference.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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