AIDS 2010, the XVIII International AIDS Conference

The XVIII International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2010, held from 18-23 July in Vienna, drew 19,300 participants from 193 countries. It had as a main theme Rights Here, Right Now, which sought to emphasize the central importance of protecting and promoting human rights as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV. The right to dignity and self-determination for key affected populations, to equal access to health care and life-saving prevention and treatment programmes, and the right to interventions based on evidence rather than ideology, are all incorporated in this demand for action.

Rights Here, Right Now also emphasized that concrete human rights measures need to be in place to protect those most vulnerable to and affected by HIV, especially women and girls, people who use drugs, migrants, prisoners, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender persons.

Rights Here, Right Now also emphasized the location of the conference in Vienna, chosen in part for its proximity to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a region experiencing one of the fastest growing epidemics that is fuelled primarily by injecting drug use. It also underscored this critical moment in time for the global epidemic – with the 2010 deadline that world leaders set for providing universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support on the immediate horizon. Rights Here, Right Now was therefore a call for leadership, accountability and action.

The International AIDS Conference brought together many stakeholders: those working in the field of HIV; policy makers; persons living with HIV; and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic, providing an opportunity to assess progress made, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward.

Given the 2010 deadline for universal access set by world leaders, AIDS 2010 coincided with a major push for expanded access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. With a global economic crisis threatening to undermine public investments, the conference sought to keep HIV on the forefront of discussions and to demonstrate the importance of continued HIV investments to broader health and development goals. AIDS 2010 also provided an opportunity to highlight the critical connection between human rights and HIV; a dialogue begun in earnest in Mexico City in 2008.

On 20 July, delegates and local residents participated in a “HIV and Human Rights March” through the streets of Vienna with conference participants calling for human rights as a fundamental component of efforts to prevent new infections and provide treatment for people living with HIV. Human rights were central to a number of plenary presentations, sessions, and Global Village and Youth Programme activities.

On 22 July, participants highlighted the “appalling” lack of access to scientifically proven interventions for key populations at risk – including sex workers, men who have sex with men and people who use drugs – and the lagging scale up of simple and inexpensive treatment regimens to prevent vertical transmission of HIV reflect persistent, underlying human rights violations that threaten future progress on AIDS.

“To deny a woman the tools and information she needs to protect and care for her own health and that of her child is to deny the value of their lives,” said Dr. Brigitte Schmied, AIDS 2010 Local Co- Chair and President of the Austrian AIDS Society. “Gender inequality puts women at greater risk for HIV and also means that sufficient resources are not being provided to implement even the simplest and most effective interventions,” she added. Fewer than one-half of pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries who require care to prevent vertical transmission have access.

The disconnect between currently available knowledge and access to HIV prevention and treatment services for people who use injection drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has also emerged as a key conference theme. Though injecting practices fuel the region’s epidemic, access to scientifically sound strategies, including needle and syringe exchange programmes and opioid substitution therapy, are scarce and even illegal in many locations, including Russia.

The meeting concluded on 23 July after clear evidence of tangible progress being made in HIV research and programme scale up, yet an urgent and growing need for increased resources, the protection of human rights, and broader use of scientifically sound prevention strategies. Participants signed the Vienna Declaration.

The next International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington, DC in July 2012.

Youth Pre-conference, 14–17 July The Vienna YouthForce and the Youth Programme of AIDS 2010 organized a Youth Pre-Conference, open to young people attending AIDS 2010 and other youth between the ages of 16 and 26, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The pre-conference consisted of informative sessions and skills-building workshops on HIV issues ranging from scientific knowledge to effective political advocacy. Participants also gained skills in research methodology, monitoring and evaluation, and media and communications, as well as updated information on HIV prevention strategies, harm reduction, and HIV treatment, care and support.

Global Village The Global Village provided a diverse and vibrant space where community gathers from all over the world to meet, share and learn from each other. It is also a space that invites conference participants to see how science translates into community action and intervention.

As a platform for communities involved in the response to HIV, the Global Village programme highlighted the conference theme of “Rights Here, Right Now,” and focused on the following objectives:

1. Present the state of HIV and human rights in various regions of the world to promote efforts to strengthen diverse community involvement in shaping HIV policy and programmes at national, regional and global levels;

2. Engage affected communities by providing opportunities to address priority issues and to create change related to key challenges communities face in responding to HIV and AIDS issues;

3. Host debates on key HIV-related issues and provoke discussion on the social, technical and economic challenges that must be overcome to enable effective responses to HIV and AIDS;

4. Stimulate the development of community responses to HIV by providing delegates and members of the public opportunities to learn, connect and form coalitions; and

5. Provide feedback to donors, governments, corporations, UN agencies, the International AIDS Society and other international bodies concerned with HIV and AIDS on the impact of policies, laws and funding commitments on affected communities in order to remind these leaders of past commitments and advocate for renewed commitments.

The XVIII International AIDS Conference Vienna is convened by the International AIDS Society (IAS) and international, regional and local partners.

Click here for the AIDS 2010 programme.

Click here for the General Information Guide.

Click here to access the media centre.

Click here for the conference blog.

Click here for information about the Youth Pre-Conference.

Click here for information on the Global Village.

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