18th international AIDS Conference
The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) will take place at Reed Messe Wien from 18 through 23 July 2010. Under the theme Rights Here, Right Now AIDS 2010 will emphasize the central importance of protecting and promoting human rights as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV.
Introduction
The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance for stakeholders to take stock of where the epidemic is, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt, and collectively chart a course forward. AIDS 2010 will also be the mostly widely watched AIDS event in the world. An estimated 25,000 participants, including 2,500 journalists from more than 100 countries, are expected to attend and news coverage of the conference is an important source of public awareness and education.
AIDS 2010 Conference
Vienna hosts AIDS 2010
Austria is particularly proud that the City of Vienna was chosen to host the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), which will take place at Reed Messe Wien from 18 through 23 July 2010.
AIDS 2010 will mark an important milestone: the deadline by which world leaders have committed to ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The conference will be an opportunity to evaluate progress to date and to identify what must be done, both individually and collectively, to achieve this critical goal. With an estimated 25,000 participants and 2,500 media in attendance, the eyes of the world will be upon Vienna.
The choice of Vienna as host – a city that has traditionally served as a hub for effective dialogue between East and West –was made in part for its proximity to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a region experiencing the fastest growing epidemics that is fuelled primarily by injecting drug use. In addition to exploring the impact of the epidemic in this neighbouring region, AIDS 2010 will explore the impact and response to AIDS globally.
Under the theme Rights Here, Right Now AIDS 2010 will 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 urgent demand for action.
AIDS 2010 is co-chaired by Dr. Julio Montaner, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and Director of the British Columbia (BC) Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Canada, and Dr. Brigitte Schmied, President of the Austrian AIDS Society.
