International AIDS Society
Encyclopedia
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is an independent association of HIV professionals, with 14,000 members from 190 countries working at all levels of the global response to AIDS
. IAS members include researchers from all disciplines, clinicians, public health and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic, as well as policy and programme planners. The International AIDS Society's vision is a global movement of people working together to end the HIV epidemic, applying scientific evidence and best practice at every level of the HIV response.
The IAS is the custodian of the biennial International AIDS Conference
and the lead organizer of the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
.
The current IAS President is Dr. Julio Montaner (Canada), who is Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, BC. President-Elect, Dr. Elly Katabira (Uganda) will assume the IAS presidency at the close of the International AIDS Conference in July 2010. Past presidents have included Pedro Cahn, Helene D. Gayle
, Stefano Vella, Joep Lange, David Cooper, Paul Volberding, and Peter Piot. The Executive Director is Robin Gorna, who succeeded Craig McClure in September 2009. This IAS’s headquarters are based in Geneva, Switzerland.
that was founded in 1988, with a mandate to organize the International AIDS Conference
. Initially the IAS headquarters were based in Stockholm
, Sweden
. Lars-Olof Kallings was the Secretary General from 1988 until 2003.
In 2004, the IAS restructured its organization, expanded the number of professional staff and moved the headquarters to Geneva
, Switzerland
. The move was intended to strengthen organizational links with other health NGOs and United Nations
multilateral agencies.
, the paramount gathering of all disciplines in HIV and AIDS. These prestigious conferences were annual between 1985 and 1994, but are now held every two years. They provide a unique forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership with the goal of bringing knowledge together for changes in the world's response to AIDS. In 2008, the XVII International AIDS Conference was held in Mexico City
, Mexico
. The theme of AIDS 2008 was Universal Action Now. The XVIII International AIDS Conference will be held in Vienna
, Austria
from 18–23 July 2010. The theme of AIDS 2010 is Rights Here, Right Now.
The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) was held 18- 23 July 2010 in Vienna, Austria. Given the 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 was set to help keep HIV on the front burner, and is a chance to demonstrate the importance of continued HIV investments to broader health and development goals. AIDS 2010 is also an opportunity to highlight the critical connection between human rights and HIV; a dialogue begun in earnest in Mexico City in 2008.The selection of the AIDS 2010 host city is a reflection of the central role Vienna has played in bridging Eastern and Western Europe, and was meant to allow for an examination of the epidemic’s impact in Eastern Europe.
The theme of AIDS 2010 was Rights Here, Right Now, emphasizing 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.
Rights Here, Right Now 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 a call for leadership, accountability and action.
Among speakers at the conference were Bill Clinton
and Bill Gates
. Several activist groups also attended it, among those campaigners for the so-called Robin Hood Tax
.
, France
attracted over 6000 delegates from 169 countries. The conference was held in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
in 2005 (IAS 2005), in Sydney
, Australia
in 2007 (IAS 2007) and in Cape Town
, South Africa
in 2009 (IAS 2009). The 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention IAS 2011 will be held in Rome
, Italy
.
, an online, open-access, peer-reviewed
HIV/AIDS journal. The journal’s mission is to disseminate essential and innovative HIV/AIDS research, prevention and care efforts.
The IAS Online Resource Library is an online collection of abstracts and other resources from international conferences, as well as numerous other materials produced by the IAS. The library’s search engine enables users to download in a single search materials in various formats (abstracts, webcasts, journal articles, media releases) that pertain to a particular field of interest or subject. The online collection was launched in January 2010 and is expected to grow over time.
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. IAS members include researchers from all disciplines, clinicians, public health and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic, as well as policy and programme planners. The International AIDS Society's vision is a global movement of people working together to end the HIV epidemic, applying scientific evidence and best practice at every level of the HIV response.
The IAS is the custodian of the biennial International AIDS Conference
International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Society is the custodian of the International AIDS Conference, the largest regular conference on any health or development issue. These conferences provide a forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership, and are claimed to strengthen an evidence-based...
and the lead organizer of the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
The IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention is a conference organized by the International AIDS Society. This conference occurs biennially and focuses on the biomedical aspects of HIV....
.
The current IAS President is Dr. Julio Montaner (Canada), who is Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, BC. President-Elect, Dr. Elly Katabira (Uganda) will assume the IAS presidency at the close of the International AIDS Conference in July 2010. Past presidents have included Pedro Cahn, Helene D. Gayle
Helene D. Gayle
Helene D. Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., is currently president and CEO of CARE, a leading humanitarian aid organization fighting global poverty. Before joining CARE in 2006, Dr. Gayle directed the HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and spent 20 years at the...
, Stefano Vella, Joep Lange, David Cooper, Paul Volberding, and Peter Piot. The Executive Director is Robin Gorna, who succeeded Craig McClure in September 2009. This IAS’s headquarters are based in Geneva, Switzerland.
History
The IAS is a non-profit organizationNon-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that was founded in 1988, with a mandate to organize the International AIDS Conference
International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Society is the custodian of the International AIDS Conference, the largest regular conference on any health or development issue. These conferences provide a forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership, and are claimed to strengthen an evidence-based...
. Initially the IAS headquarters were based in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Lars-Olof Kallings was the Secretary General from 1988 until 2003.
In 2004, the IAS restructured its organization, expanded the number of professional staff and moved the headquarters to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The move was intended to strengthen organizational links with other health NGOs and United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
multilateral agencies.
The International AIDS Conference
The IAS is the custodian of the International AIDS ConferenceInternational AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Society is the custodian of the International AIDS Conference, the largest regular conference on any health or development issue. These conferences provide a forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership, and are claimed to strengthen an evidence-based...
, the paramount gathering of all disciplines in HIV and AIDS. These prestigious conferences were annual between 1985 and 1994, but are now held every two years. They provide a unique forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership with the goal of bringing knowledge together for changes in the world's response to AIDS. In 2008, the XVII International AIDS Conference was held in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The theme of AIDS 2008 was Universal Action Now. The XVIII International AIDS Conference will be held in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
from 18–23 July 2010. The theme of AIDS 2010 is Rights Here, Right Now.
A Brief History of the International AIDS Conference
1985- Atlanta, USA (2,000 participants); 1986 – Paris, France (2,800 participants); 1987 – Washington DC, USA (6,300 participants); 1988 – Stockholm, Sweden (7,500 participants); 1989 – Montreal, Canada, The Scientific and Social Challenge of AIDS (12,000 participants); 1990 – San Francisco, USA, AIDS in the Nineties: From Science to Policy (11,000 participants); 1991 – Florence, Italy, Science Challenging AIDS (8,000 participants); 1992 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, A World United Against AIDS (8,000 participants); 1993 – Berlin, Germany; 1994 – Yokohama, Japan;The Global Challenge of AIDS: Together for the Future (10,000 participants); 1996 – Vancouver, Canada, One World One Hope (15,000 participants); 1998 – Geneva, Switzerland, Bridging the Gap (15,000 participants including 1,400 media); 2000 – Durban, South Africa, Breaking the Silence(12,000 participants, 1,300 media); 2002 – Barcelona, Spain, Knowledge and Commitment for Action (18,500 participants); 2004 – Bangkok, Thailand Access for All (18,500 and 2,600 media); 2006 – Toronto, Canada, Time to Deliver (26,000 participants); 2008 – Mexico City, Mexico, Universal Action Now (20,300 participants)XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010)
The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) was held 18- 23 July 2010 in Vienna, Austria. Given the 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 was set to help keep HIV on the front burner, and is a chance to demonstrate the importance of continued HIV investments to broader health and development goals. AIDS 2010 is also an opportunity to highlight the critical connection between human rights and HIV; a dialogue begun in earnest in Mexico City in 2008.The selection of the AIDS 2010 host city is a reflection of the central role Vienna has played in bridging Eastern and Western Europe, and was meant to allow for an examination of the epidemic’s impact in Eastern Europe.
The theme of AIDS 2010 was Rights Here, Right Now, emphasizing 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.
Rights Here, Right Now 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 a call for leadership, accountability and action.
Among speakers at the conference were Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
. Several activist groups also attended it, among those campaigners for the so-called Robin Hood Tax
Robin Hood tax
The Robin Hood tax commonly refers to a package of financial transaction taxes , proposed by a campaigning group of civil society NGOs. Campaigners have suggested the tax could be implemented globally, regionally or unilaterally by individual nations...
.
The IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
The IAS also organizes the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. This conference occurs biennially and focuses on the biomedical aspects of HIV. It aims to bring together participants from around the world by providing an environment for researchers and clinicians to address current issues in HIV research, prevention and treatment. The IAS 2003 Conference in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
attracted over 6000 delegates from 169 countries. The conference was held in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 2005 (IAS 2005), in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2007 (IAS 2007) and in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 2009 (IAS 2009). The 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention IAS 2011 will be held in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Publications and other resources
The society financially supports the publication of the Journal of the International AIDS SocietyJournal of the International AIDS Society
The Journal of the International AIDS Society is an open-access peer-reviewed medical journal published by BioMed Central. It covers all aspects of research on AIDS and is the official journal of the International AIDS Society....
, an online, open-access, peer-reviewed
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
HIV/AIDS journal. The journal’s mission is to disseminate essential and innovative HIV/AIDS research, prevention and care efforts.
The IAS Online Resource Library is an online collection of abstracts and other resources from international conferences, as well as numerous other materials produced by the IAS. The library’s search engine enables users to download in a single search materials in various formats (abstracts, webcasts, journal articles, media releases) that pertain to a particular field of interest or subject. The online collection was launched in January 2010 and is expected to grow over time.