20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) plenary speakers announced
3 December 2013, (Geneva, Switzerland)—Organizers of the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) – to be held in Melbourne, Australia from 20- 25 July 2014 – today announced 19 major plenary presentations, focusing on the primary issues facing the global response to HIV and AIDS. Plenary sessions will open each day of the conference, which is expected to bring together more than 14,000 participants from over 200 countries.
"We are excited to have such a strong roster of eminent speakers as part of our conference programme," said Professor Sharon Lewin, Local Co-Chair of AIDS 2014, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University and Co-Head of the Centre for Biomedical Research at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne.
"The selected plenary topics and speakers will set the tone for a wide range of other sessions. AIDS 2014 will put focus on the most pressing issues related to HIV, including paediatric HIV, Key Affected Populations (including men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people, and people who use drugs), new developments in HIV cure and vaccine, and social and legal barriers to prevention and treatment."
"The global response to the HIV epidemic has registered many great successes in recent years," said Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, AIDS 2014 International Chair, President of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and Director of the Regulation of Retroviral Infections Unit at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.
"Recent data from UNAIDS show tremendous reductions in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, but we cannot let our guard down, we need to build on the present momentum to make sure that scientific advances are effectively implemented. By bringing together all stakeholders in the field of HIV, including scientists, people living with HIV, activists, policy makers, political leaders and young people, AIDS 2014 will provide an unique opportunity to discuss collective challenges and successes and, most importantly, new strategies on how to address the epidemic".
Plenary Speakers will speak within a theme for each day (presentation titles are subject to change).
Monday, 21 July: Where are we now?
State of the art epidemiology & access
Salim Abdool Karim, South Africa
PLHIV at the centre of the HIV response
Lydia Mungherera, Uganda
State of the ART: HIV Cure – where are we now and where are we going?
Jintanat Ananworanich, Thailand
Tuesday, 22 July: What's holding us back and how we do move faster?
HIV and the law
Michael Kirby, Australia
Strengthening health systems and community
Olive Shisana, South Africa
Gender inequality and HIV
Jennifer Gatsi-Mallet, Namibia
Better and smarter investments in the HIV response
Mark Dybul, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Wednesday, 23 July: No one left behind
No one left behind: effective drug policy and harm reduction
Khuat T.H. Oanh, Vietnam
No one left behind: HIV and tuberculosis co-infection
Diane Havlir, United States
No one left behind: HIV and Sex workers
Daisy Nakato, Uganda
No one left behind: HIV and Indigenous populations
James Ward, Australia
Thursday, 24 July: Stepping up the pace: making the long term short term
Stepping up the pace on an HIV Vaccine: what needs to be done?
Antonio Lanzavecchia, Switzerland
Stepping up the pace on new prevention technologies
Kenneth Mayer, United States
Stepping up the pace for MSM and transgender – understanding the science
Beatriz Grinsztejn, Brazil
Stepping up the pace for MSM and transgender – the community response
Laurindo Garcia, Philippines
Friday, 25 July: Where are we headed?
Where are we headed with ART – beyond an undetectable viral load
David Cooper, Australia
Where are we headed with HIV and Adolescents
L'Orangelis Thomas Negron, Puerto Rico (community perspective)
Susan Kasedde, UNICEF
Where are we headed on Ending AIDS in children
Shaffiq Essajee, United States
Other Sessions to Highlight Key Topics
The full programme is now under development, including the selection of scientific abstracts and workshops and other programme activities. Full programme details will be available on the conference website, http://www.aids2014.org in the coming months, with the full programme, including all confirmed speakers, available in June.
Activities for Delegates and the General Public
Open with free admission to general public and conference delegates, the AIDS 2014 Global Village will be a space for community to meet, share lesson learned and build coalitions. It is also a space that invites conference participants to see how science translates into community action and intervention.
AIDS 2014 will also feature a variety of activities, including many planned by and for young people as part of the official Youth Programme.
More information:
www.aids2014.org/Default.aspx?pageId=627
Provided by International AIDS Society
