XVI International AIDS Conference

Friday, July 28, 2006

XVI International AIDS Conference

Hi all,

This blog has been created for the AIDS Taskforce's staff members who will be attending the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada from August 13-18.

We look forward to your comments!

Herman Jara-Droguett
ATCG Website Content Author

posted by AIDS Taskforce @ 6:11 PM  

59 Comments:

  • At 10:08 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Just a quick note to say what an exciting opportunity this to take part in the IAC. Toronto is probably as close as the conference will get to the US so long as current policies remain in place. We're looking forward to posting information here and on our main site to include all the discussion and headlines. Check back often for new material.

     

  • At 10:30 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Those of us attending from northeast Ohio are excited by the opportunity to attend the conference. Every other year, over 20,000 researchers, educators, medical professionals, activists and people with HIV/AIDS, social workers, media representatives, governmental official, and NGO members from around the world gather for the International AIDS Conference. Participants learn about new developments in care and treatment, prevention education, and public policy, and share ideas, experiences, lessons learned, and hopes.

    Over the next week we will try to share glimpses of all that through blog entries. We encourage you to share your responses, questions, and opinions.

    Thanks!

    Earl Pike
    AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland

     

  • At 11:45 AM, Blogger Christine Kohls said…

    Not attending the conference? Ask our staff participants questions here to find out the latest info.

     

  • At 11:48 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Last night was the opening session, with the usual welcome from Canadian (host country) officials -- but with one exception: the new Prime Minister, a conservative, declined an invitation to appear, purportedly because he believed that by doing so he would give "approval" to homosexuality. Another example of how far we have yet to go . . .

    The most compelling presentations were by Bill and Melinda Gates, and a young woman from Jakarta, Indonesia, who was born the year AIDS was first noted (1981) 25 years ago, and who tested positive five years ago. She spoke movingly of difficulties in accessing antiretrovirals, and the Gates spoke of the need to accelerate reserach on microbicides and an oral prevention pill (think of birth control pill, but for AIDS). Melinda made a very powerful point: that microbicide reserach is essential because women should not have to depend on men to save their own lives (and the point could be made for MSM and rectal microbicides as well: that men should not have to depend on someone else to save their own lives).

    As I write Bill Clinton is speaking; I can hear him in the background. There are an overwhelming number of sessions to attend, but a main theme so far seems to be prevention and prevention technology research -- perhaps because we haven't heard any buzz yet about dramatic breakthroughs in treatment.

    Earl Pike

     

  • At 4:42 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    This is a great opportunity to attend the 16th international aids conference. although i am not an atfgc employee, i consider them my friends, colleagues, and mutual supporters in every effort.

    this is the 2nd day of the conference, and i must say there is definitely not enough time to do all that i want to do and see. the city of toronto is the setting of the entire conference, not just the convention center. art shows all over the city, performances of all kinds, and stagings of rallies and actions on virtually every corner.

    although this is the 2nd day, and there are much more sessions, panels, and presentations to attend, it seems that the scope of information addressing hiv/aids is limited to developing/underdeveloped countries. there are a lot of sessions on gender, sexuality, and of course sex work. but i am limiting my attendance to the sex work forums/presentations, simply due to the fact that i know most of the presenters, and love them dearly, but do not need to hear their words of sex work wisdom again. the thai-based sex work org, empower, are here this week, whom i've never met. and a group of transgender sex workers from the philippines are here as well- i was able to meet some of them and they are truly inspiring!

    well, my times almost up! i'll post again soon!

    peace, love & condoms!
    vanessa a. forro

     

  • At 4:55 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Vanessa and I attended a session on women and HIV/AIDS that included Janet McGrath, an anthropologist at Case, as one of the presenters, speaking about reasons Ugandan women with HIV choose not to seek treatment . . . the panel also included the beginnings of a presentation (the presenter ran out of time) on "AIDS feminism" -- or looking at how structural, political, economic, and cultural inequality affect women's risk and experience of living with HIV/AIDS. It's an interesting idea, and makes me wonder whether it would be worthwhile to hold a kind of "mini-conference" -- just an afternoon or so -- in which we invited feminist analyses of the local Cleveland epidemic . . .

    I also attended a session on organizing business coalitions to combat HIV/AIDS. It's a neglected area in Cleveland, and one that we should probably pay more attention to . . .

    Earl

     

  • At 7:55 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Our Cleveland contigent met last night for dinner and to review the days activities. Everyone was tired, but full of stories and ready to debate about everything from Bill Gates and PEPFAR to breastfeeding and access to medication.

    The Taskforce group of Earl, Chris, Doug and myself (Julie) was joined by Dr. Wendy Johnson of MetroHealth - former City medical director and just returned from work with Health Alliance International in Mozambique - plus one of Wendy's colleagues, Mark, from HAI, Vanessa Foro from Recovery Resources, and Regina McEnery of the Plain Dealer.

    I'll let others post about their experiences, but let me tell you a bit about mine:

    I started the day at the main plenary session seated amongst several Swedes who wanted to talk seriously with me about changing US travel restrictions on people living with HIV. I soon realized that I am not only a representative of the Taskforce, but of the United States as well.
    The US has much to answer for in this epidemic.

    I attended the morning session with Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. I was set to be irritated with both of them, but found them quite well-spoken. The crowd loved Clinton and one delegate sent up a question that asked him to become Prime Minister of Canada.

    As I walked around the Global Village, I met people who are doing work very similar to what we do at ATGC - grassroots, community-level advocacy, education, and services. One woman I met works specifically with the prison population and was curious to hear about Ohio's experience. I also met a man who works in Asia with IDUs and we wondered together why it is that Bill Gates is getting star billing at this conference when philanthropist George Soros, who has been funding controversial HIV-related projects such as harm reduction programs and needle exchange, has never been put up on the main stage....

    I also met several young people in an afternoon session on positive youth in Africa who lamented the major role that the US plays on the World Stage because of the abstinence-only limitations on prevention dollars. We spent time together dissecting stigma and my small group had young people from Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. All were just as welcoming and honest as the young people we have involved at ATGC - I wish we could bring them to Cleveland to be with us and share experiences.

    I'm looking forward to today and capturing more of the magic of this amazing conference!

    Julie Patterson

     

  • At 9:33 AM, Blogger greerahill said…

    i'm so glad and excited that you all are participating in this great opportunity! toronto is a beautiful, energetic, diverse, and inspiring place: a perfect back drop for the conference. as you're all inspired by the conference i hope you find time to enjoy such a beautiful city!

    all of your entries provide great conference snap shots.it would be great to hear about any of the effective prevention strategies specific to youth that are being implemented in other places.

    julie: it would be great if you might be able to get the addresses/contact information of any of the young people with whom you met from Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. i'd love to have some of the BICC members begin a pen pal project contrasting youth prevention efforts. given that some BICC members have expressed an interest in international prevention and travel this could be an opportunity for them to discuss the AIDS pandemic from an international perspective with other young people.

    the whole dialogue on "AIDS feminism" and how the multiple intersections of inequality (race, class, gender,politics, etc...) affect women's risk and experience of living with HIV/AIDS is one that needs to be had. BICC female members often lament that as young women they feel left out of many prevention efforts and discussions, with the emphasis being on primary prevention for msm's and secondary prevention efforts for older women and msm's. an analysis of the local epidemic might shed new perspectives from multiple feminine contexts.

    have a blast! can't wait to hear more of your experiences!

     

  • At 9:33 AM, Blogger greerahill said…

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

     

  • At 10:05 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    microbicides are truly a diamond in the rough, so to speak. the research is extensive, and many trials will be coming to and end in the next 1 month to 1 year. (www.global-campaign.org). great advances in treatment and prevention such as male circumcision, pre-exposure prophalaxis, and hsv II prevention hold promise for the future.

    all of the people and events and ideas are truly inspiring and i cannot wait to get back to cleveland and begin new projects, dialogue, and forums around what not only cleveland needs, but the world.

    more soon!
    vanessa

     

  • At 2:15 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Some news on the treatment side: it seems that certain two-drug combinations (in contrast to three-drug treatment combinations recommended in the past) are as effective at viral supression, without undue side effects or resistance. This is good news because 1) treatment can be done more cheaply, and 2) treatment can be carried out more easily . . .

    Also, a review of drug resistance among HIV+ people in over a dozen European countries showed that about 10% of patients had resistance to at least drug -- not terribly high, but cause for concern . . .

    The most exciting news is clinical trials on microbicides and other technological developments in prevention. It's estimated that a microbicide with just 60% efficacy could save over 2 million lives a year.

    Earl

     

  • At 4:36 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Thanks, for the update on medications and resistance. Hopefully, as the conference continues there will be more updates that talk about one a day regiments. Some of the new medications that will be coming out of research like fusion inhibitors and other cell inhibitors.

    Also, More information about Health care accessiblility; Health care delivery; health care planning; Health care polices more HIV/AIDS Treatment updates.

    Question? Are HIV infected people at greater risk of Cancer? There is great concern about this as a possible complication to therapy.

    The management of HAART and the complications continue to be of great concern for those that have been on HAART for over a decade.

    Could someone please bring me information back about Prevention for positives and HIV and Co-Infections.

    Gary Richardson

     

  • At 4:52 PM, Blogger kanisha said…

    i want to know more about it.

     

  • At 4:52 PM, Blogger kanisha said…

    can i learn more about this

     

  • At 5:22 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Gary and Greer: I'll do what I can to find out more. The co-infection issue has not been on my radar, but I have seen a lot of visible youth from Africa and will try to get contact information.

    All: I attended an interesting session this morning on the issues of adult male circumcision. The panelists were all scientists who were modeling effects on community- and continent-wide levels, but several members of the audience rejected their underlying premise that male circumcision is a "harmless" intervention - even if voluntary. Questions were asked about culture, traditional healers, consent, and why there is not a forum to discuss this issue in more depth from an anthrological perspective. One man from South Africa said we do not yet know about the full biological role of the foreskin and further research is needed....

    There is a stage performance by sex workers in a few minutes, so I am going to run.

    Julie

     

  • At 5:26 PM, Blogger misskanishaat bicc said…

    y r'nt there more outreach things for teenage girls?
    We learn all the time that black women keep getting HIV more and more. Y r'nt there more programs for girls like the ones for biys? R there programs for girls in other places that work?

     

  • At 5:27 PM, Blogger misskanishaat bicc said…

    y r'nt there more outreach things for teenage girls?
    We learn all the time that black women keep getting HIV more and more. Y r'nt there more programs for girls like the ones for biys? R there programs for girls in other places that work?

     

  • At 5:30 PM, Blogger SoHollywood said…

    Why Are Kids So Resistant To Learn About HIV Aids?
    Teenagers today see their peers dying from aids releated complications, and they still pretend that this problem doesn't exist. They still have unprotected sex, ignorant of the fact the it only takes one time to contract an sexually transmitted disease or HIV. HIV is a huge problem, not only with teens in the USA but also with 3rd world countries around the globe. HIV discriminates against no individual, no matter your demographic.

     

  • At 5:35 PM, Blogger DEVEN said…

    what i would like to know is what started this whole thing and would it ever be a cure and if the population of people with AIDS would drop?

     

  • At 5:42 PM, Blogger SoHollywood said…

    With all the technology that th world has today plus everthing that researchers know about AIDS Does anyone feel that there will be a cure within thw next 20 years or less. There are many people that say they support the AIDS research but do these people know when they were there money is going and do you feel that wealthy people coul do more to help people who are less fortantion thwn thwm selfs. TYGEE

     

  • At 5:43 PM, Blogger bogieatbicc said…

    Why is the HIV infection rate higher so high in countries like Africa? Julie, when you talked to the kids from Africa how do they feel knowing that the rates of HIV is so high there?

     

  • At 5:48 PM, Blogger bogieatbicc said…

    out of gays straits and lesbians who is most infected by the disease?

    -Markel Blahnik
    From BICC

     

  • At 5:49 PM, Blogger DeWayneT said…

    If A.I.D.S. hasd been studied and looked at for so long, why is there still no cure for the virus? Is it that we know so much but really know just a piece of the puzzle? Can I ask this question? Is there a cure? Is it that the makers of these drugs, are trying to make money? If you make billions of dollars a year why come up with a cure? Is money worth more than the lives of millions and billions of people? I think that people need to look and find answers to these questions.

     

  • At 5:53 PM, Blogger TIAODOM said…

    What are some successful social marketing campaigns that you would do for the ages 14-25 or 25-30?

    What are the pros and cons of a good social marketing campaign?

     

  • At 5:53 PM, Blogger bogieatbicc said…

    What kind of workshop,class do they have in Africa where more people have aids or do they have people come their talking 2 them about aids.

     

  • At 6:00 PM, Blogger kieshabicc said…

    Can you bring back infor about the aids in how many people how aids in Africa .

     

  • At 6:04 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    Has there been any discussion there about women who have sex with women and getting HIV? a lot of times lesbians think they can't get HIV from oral sex or any other kinds of sex acts. What sre people saying there about lesbians and HIV? ANd how come people don't talk more about lesbians when they talk about women and HIV?

    Miss Rainbow at BICC

     

  • At 6:06 PM, Blogger Darius Dowell said…

    What resources are useful in planning a social marketing campaign for youth audiences?

     

  • At 6:09 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    In countries where there are a lot of women getting HIV are they treated as badly as gay people are treated when it comes to HIV? How do young people feel about this in other countries. Especially young people and girls?

    Ms. Earlean "Jimmy Choo Fighter" at BICC

     

  • At 6:10 PM, Blogger Darius Dowell said…

    Is it ever necessary to use any form of fear in risk reduction?

     

  • At 6:15 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    Have you found out from any of the young people there if the fear of getting HIV has stopped them from having sex? Has being scared made any young people have to deal with policies like the abstinence stuff that people keep trying to preach here? ANd in other countries where kids get the abstinence teaching do they also get prevention teaching too?

    Jonathan "Icey" Earnheart from BICC

     

  • At 6:17 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    I want to know how people from other countries feel about how its not possible for a person with HIV/AIDS to come into the UNited States? And if someone from here leaves and contracts AIDS or HIV are they able to come back into the UNited States?

    AHAJJ at BICC

     

  • At 6:18 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Where in the world?! Where in the world could I be that in one day I am privelidged to experience a fashion show in the middle of an international city…then dash to catch the last moments of former President Bill Clinton’s reflections on the AIDS crisis…only to arrive in time to sing with thousands of others happy birthday to the former president…and then have the opportunity to experience my first “glory hole”. Where in the world?
    Right here in Toronto at AIDS 2006! That’s where!

    I never imagined as I laid my head on the pillow last night that this day would hold such wonderful surprises and once in a lifetime experiences. I never imagined as I rushed to the metro this morning on my way to the convention center that I would meet and interact with so many people from so many distant places around the world. It has been a day beyond my imagination.

    This morning’s plenary session was filled with useful information on microbiocides and other prevention strategies that are being tested around the world. Definitely useful information that will help in slowing and stopping the spread of HIV.

    Then it was off to hear a presentation by a pair of men from China, an MD and a social worker on counseling clients towards greater adherence. It certainly was interesting to hear the perspective of these men as they face much greater challenges in rural China than we do in greater Cleveland when it comes to med adherence with clients. While it seemed so far away in some respect, some of the issues are the same…how do we educate clients about the importance of adherence in ART (anti-retroviral therapy)....how do we support clients when ART is toxic, painful, and disruptive to their lives…how do we assist clients in finding hope for some normalcy in their lives? I was hopeful that we have already recognized these needs for our clients in Cleveland and we are already using some of these very techniques. Sometimes it is good just to be affirmed in what we are already doing well.

    From there it was a short subway ride back to Dundas-Younge Square. An open block in the very center of Toronto’s downtown retail district. Surrounded by Calvin Klein, Guess, H&M, and so many others…this is place to be if you are a shopper in Toronto. It was tempting, but shopping was not what I came to Toronto to do. No, this day in Dundas-Younge Square a group of 50 teens from Canada, India, and China were about to teach me an incredible lesson.

    I grabbed a sandwich and coffee and made myself comfortable in the open air setting amidst the high rises and bustling shoppers and then it started…

    Fashioning Change…a fashion show created and produced by teens from around the world to teach their peers about HIV/AIDS. For about 45 minutes these teens moved proudly to the beat of thumping music and a roaring crowd to tell the world about HIV/AIDS and how it impacts them. All of this done without words, but through their fashions. T-shirts declaring “Don’t spread it…get tested!” and featuring a slice of bread and butter. Jeans with the words “AIDS…DON’T FEAR IT!” printed up one leg and down the other…an elegant gown made of black silk with a simple red scarf draped across and around the beautiful young woman who designed and made it to symbolize the RED RIBBON…traditional Indian garb of saris worn with messages of “LOVE…NOT HATE” and “I AM PROUD TO WEAR A CONDOM”…and Chinese youth eager to express through their traditional dance the message of acceptance and diversity. As the music played and kids paraded…the crowd grew and before long…people had filled the entire square…from every corner…out of stores and shops…construction workers from a nearby building…and business people pushing through just for lunch. All of us…there in the center of Toronto...in the middle of a bright and sunny day…learning from 16 and 17 year olds the power of our fashion and the impact we can have on the world through what we wear. I couldn’t see it at the time, but all around the edges of the large crowd that had gathered there was the city of Toronto Health Department passing out thousands of condoms and free information about safe sex and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

    WOW…when it was all done…all I could do was sit and soak it in…what an incredible experience. I know that one day soon I will see the creativity and the strength of the youth of our community in Cleveland take on a project like this…I am excited about the talent and the power our own youth hold.

    After all that…I needed a break. I headed back to the conference center to wander the Global Village and learn what I could from thousands of people doing thousands of things all around the world to fight HIV/AIDS.

    There in the Global Village I took in a session about Pallative Care and learned about a hospice house here in Toronto called Casey House. It is similar to our own Gurnick and Abdenour facilities. They shared some very good information about offering clients comprehensive care in these settings…the challenges and benefits…I am sure we share some of these.

    Then it was on to a display set up by the international MSM group. It was here that I got to sit in an actual bathroom stall and witness what a “glory hole” was like…NO…not the full experience…but as close as I have ever been. Anyway the whole display was intended to share information about the need to scale up work with the MSM community regarding not only HIV/AIDS, but so many other STI’s that we are vulnerable to in settings like the bathroom stall. I got some great information here and look forward to passing it on to our educators at the Taskforce.

    Finally as I navigated my way out of the Global Village I was hooked by a display about HIV/AIDS in Canadian prisons. As I stood there reading, I was pleasantly surprised by a light pat on my ass…and as I turned hoping it was that hot guy I saw in the last presentation…I was greeted by a giant smile and warm hello from Cristine…a transvestite that headed up the organization that does work with clients in Canadian prisons. She was a delight and we talked for a long while about the similarities and differences in the US and Canadian prison system and their dealing with HIV/AIDS. I am still convinced I would not want to be a prisoner in either place. I am also convinced that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to providing service to people in the prison system with HIV/AIDS.

    Needless to say…it has been A DAY!

    I won’t even try to imagine what tomorrow will bring.

    Chris Esmurdoc

     

  • At 6:23 PM, Blogger Bae Bae said…

    How have other outreach workers, in different states or countries, targeted high risks populations with the least health resourses?

     

  • At 6:24 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    In other countries, what kind of drug testing is going on? ANd are there any HIV/AIDS drug tests going on that use people from the groups that keep getting HIV more? Like is there any drug research or testing going on that uses young black msm's to see if they work?

    CEE Jay at BICC

     

  • At 6:28 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    In other countries do poorer people receive health care for AIDS treatments?

    Kiesha Prodigy at BICC

     

  • At 6:30 PM, Blogger Bae Bae said…

    How do we, as outreach workers, provide proper resources to minority black ymsms ages 14-24, in communites where they lack the bascic education of what we are trying to do?

     

  • At 6:35 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    Is it hard for transgendered people in other countries in other countries to be accepted? Is there a lot of discrimination aganst them? In the countries where Julie talked to the kids from Africa, especially Kenya and Zambia, is there a big gay population? Are there sex change operations and pumping going on in these countries? And did anybody talk about how transgendered people talk about how they afford these things and if being able to afford these things makes them do things that put them at risk for HIV and AIDS? Hopefully you'll be able to get some info on this for me! Thanks!

    Miss Keisha Prodigy@ BICC!

     

  • At 6:36 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    If people live in small communities in other countries are they forced to move away from their family and friends if they get the virus and live in a support home or alone? How bad is this kind of treatment for people with HIV and AIDS in other countries?

    Miss Qiana at BICC

     

  • At 6:46 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    How can we get young lesbians to really open their eyes up to the danger of the HIV virus? Are there programs other places that deal with this better than we do here? How come there's no prevention money and more programs that work with young women, especially African American young women? Has anybody talked at all about how this whole abstinence thing at schools might be putting young girls at bigger risk for HIV later? Can't wait to hear what you find out!

    Natoya Cody, Program Associate at BICC!

     

  • At 6:58 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    I want to know what they are doing in other countries with the HIV infections and how they are dealing with it in anyways better than here? For young people in other countries how do they deal with stuff like being afraid to come out, not telling peopl there close to they are gay, and the stress that they deal with because there afraid to tell people there close to there infected? and how does the stuff young people do when they're afraid to come out like going away from people and being alone and feeling caged in, feeling like they want to commit suicide, and being depressed, and feeling no one wants to be around them, and not having a job and having no financial support put them at higher risk for HIV? and are there programs to help young people with stuff like this and feel like they are wanted in other places?

    And can you all tell the young people at the conference that we care about them and there feelings with HIV and that we all have to be strong!

    thanks for reading this. Can't wait to hear about it when you all get back!
    Robert "La La" Greer, Keisha Prodigy, and Jonathan "Icy" Earnheart

     

  • At 7:00 PM, Blogger Sarquez said…

    Do you think

     

  • At 7:02 PM, Blogger Sarquez said…

    Do you think behovior change theory is an effective way to reduce risky behoviors?

     

  • At 7:04 PM, Blogger Sarquez said…

    Do you think total risk reduction is possible?

     

  • At 7:13 PM, Blogger Mike87 said…

    How can the information from this event benefit myself and people like myself?

    Do you have any idea's on a good social marketing campaign.

     

  • At 7:22 PM, Blogger BICC Youth said…

    Is there an estimate
    on how many people are living with hiv/aids and haven't been tested?how many?

    which US city has the highest hiv/aids population?

     

  • At 11:35 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Wow...you BICC youth have some great questions...I wish you were here to ask them...there is a huge number of youth here from around the world...I will get as much information as I can and try to answer some of your questions.
    Chris Esmurdoc

     

  • At 8:44 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    To all the BICC youth--
    One of the things that's becoming clear is that the BICC model -- which is all about long-term support for youth in all the areas of youn peoples' lives -- is the emerging model in many places in the world. There's a growing recognition that you can't just hand somebody a condom or a brochure; you have to do community-building for marginalized populations in a way that supports leadership and peer support. So it might help to know that the work you all are doing is being done at the same time elsewhere: you're really doing pioneering stuff, and we're all so proud of you!

    earl Pike

     

  • At 11:54 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Greetings on the 3rd day of the 16th Int'l AIDS Conference. I must say yesterday was a charm. Being able to see and listen to former Prez Bill Clinton was awesome! He is truly a well-spoken and full philanthropist to this day. I asked Earl if he was going to run again for president; I guess we'll have to see.

    I went to a session on Sex Work, HIV, and Politics, which was, to say the least, not very educating. A lot of reiteration of USAID and US policies were talked about in relation to negative effects those policies have on international sex work orgs, or orgs that provide services for sex workers. I also went to a session on Prevention Controversy, and again, US bashing was overly present. I made it a point to get up to the mic and explain that a lot of people forget that US orgs are affected by OUR policies as well, and we must not forget those who are homeless, living w/ HIV, sex workers, poverty, ghettos, etc. in our own country! We are as much affected by those policies as everyone else.

    The way that I see it, and what Mr. Clinton eluded to was that life is valuable wherever you go, and that in order to fight this epidemic we must put aside differences, because the divide will only make the disease stronger. We cannot conquer HIV/AIDS without collaboration, creativity, and an understanding that HIV is blind to nationality, ethnicity, gender, race, social and economic status.

    More soon!
    Vanessa

     

  • At 4:13 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy on Aids, said President George Bush's $15bn Emergency Plan for HIV/Aids was too focused on promoting abstinence. (quoted on the bbc) Surprise surprise.
    What is the word in Toronto on this report? And not from Stephen Harper:)
    I watched a session last night on cspan2 with a woman from South Africa who said, "I am not proud to be positive, but I am not ashamed." This is rather amazing, considering her life experience... She was on stage with Melinda Gates, a physician from India, and Sheila Jackson, an executive from BET. Wow! A snapshot of what you all are experiencing - extraordinary. Please keep sharing!

    mary laura

     

  • At 9:56 AM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    I wanted to respend to two things. First, a number of BICC youth raised questions about transgender issues and HIV/AIDS . . . What's clear from reports around the world is that TG people are very often at extremely high risk of HIV, and that that risk is directly related to the legal/political context in which TG people live their lives. There are very few places in the world in which TG people have been able to secure basic civil rights in terms of employment, housing, access to health care and education, and so on -- and the failure to institutionalize those rights in the form of law and general public opinion will continue to have a direct impact on HIV rates. Doing HIV prevention for TG people, then, means also, and simultaneously, fighting for the civil rights of transgender people at all levels of society . . .

    Mary, your comment about the South African woman . . . right now there are 800 people dying of AIDS every day in South Africa, about a half million people a year. If we were to compare that to the U.S. in terms of population, that would equal, comparatively, several million deaths a year in the U.S. A huge problem in SA is the failure of political leadership to recxognize the degree to which AIDS is a threat . . .

    Earl

     

  • At 5:40 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Gary--
    You had some medical questions, and I'm bringing back a long list of abstracts presented that relate directly to a wide range of medical concerns. Overall, though, there are two observations: the trend toward simpler, less expensive antiretroviral management of HIV continues; and second, there are a host of promising new drugs in the pipeline, some of which will come on line very soon. That said, it's also improtant to note that there have been new dramatic breakthroughs, and that multi-drug management of HIV seems to be with us for a while -- along with the reality of long-term complications from ARV use. The mood is optimistic -- not about a cure or a vaccine, but about having a better and better toolbox of treatment options with each passing year.

    I should also say, as a separate note, that there is a great deal of criticism here of the ABC model in Africa, for many reasons -- one of which seems to be that it is seeming to increase the stigma that Africans with HIV already have felt. After all, if you become positive now, it must mean that you weren't abstinent or faithful, and that you are therefore somehow . . . bad. This morning, evidence was presented demonstrating that HIV in Uganda continues to increase, despite that country's emphasis of (A)bstinence and (B)eing faithful.

    Earl

     

  • At 6:27 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Well, I've returned early from the conference. I am exhausted, but very enthusiastic about getting the information and things learned at the conference to the Cleveland community. I know most of you don't know me, but I've worked with the ATFGC, and vice versa, on issues around sex worker's rights, comprehensive sex education, GLBT rights, and outreach work. I've also curated film/art shows around sex worker's rights in Cleveland, L.A., San Francisco, and NYC.

    I've finally had a chance to read through the blog entries, and I will attempt to answer some of the youth's questions, and add to whatever seems pertinent to their inquiries later this evening.

    In Solidarity,
    Vanessa A. Forro

     

  • At 8:06 PM, Blogger Miquel said…

    I just wanted to say that I think its great that so many people, adults and youth alike, took the time to read and comment on the various play-by-plays of the conference as well as pose several thought-provoking questions.

    To Earl and the crew...I hope you take lots of pictures...when you guys get back I can show you how to enhance the blog with a Flickr account so people can get a rich multimedia view of what must definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

    Thanks for the great information and taking time to share your experiences.

     

  • At 5:35 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    I just wanted to take this time to provide some links and info. relating to some questions posed by youth and other bloggers. In regard to what youth have been doing/have done in other countries in response to the epidemic, you can download mini report at:
    http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/publications/ADH/ISBN_92_4_120938_0.htm
    I also have an additional copy of the report that I can make available for copying for BICC/ATFGC use.
    Here is a link to North America's largest HIV/AIDS library: http://www.actoronto.org/
    A lot of information was available, and sessions dedicated to prisoners living with HIV/AIDS and the "hidden epidemic" within prisons internationally. One site that has a lot of information is:
    www.pasan.org
    You can read an article entitled "Transmission of HIV Within a State Prison" at: www.IDCRonline.org
    The Gabon AIDS HIV Assistance Programme (GAHAP) aims to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child in rural Gabon, Africa. Visit www.gahap.com for more information.
    For those youth who had questions about social marketing, one way that I see as a great avenue to reach youth and young adults about HIV/AIDS is MTV's Staying Alive Campaign (www.staying-alive.org) On a side note, Chris, Julie, and I were at lunch on Wednesday, and Chris mentioned a flyer he had seen in the Global Village (where most of the entertainment and educational booths were set up) that had a great plug: Un-Roll & Rock! We think it would be fantastic to host an event down at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame with this name in the future! Any and all ideas for this are welcome! We would most definitely need the assistance of you BICC friends!
    Some additional websites for women and girls are:
    www.vopw.org (Voices of Postitive Women, Toronto)
    www.thewellproject.org (The Well Project, Atlanta)
    www.loftcs.org (Loft Community Services, Toronto)

    GARY: You might be interested in what Brazil is doing in response to the epidemic (i.e., universal access) www.aids-gov.br

    And, in regards to HepC/HIV co-infection, there wasn't very much discussed about what to DO about those living with co-infection. However, you might want to visit http://www.hepc-connection.org/

    I will also get you links/info from the abstracts presented at the only (I'm pretty sure) session specifically held on co-infection!

    Another program, based out of NYC, called Housing Works is great and very inspiring! http://www.housingworks.org/home_f.html

    MISS RAINBOW @ BICC:
    You might want to check out www.actoronto.org, especially this link to a pdf of a really cool brochure called "Women Lovin' Women"
    http://www.actoronto.org/website/home.nsf/pages/womenlovinwomenpdf

    BICC YOUTH: A lot of you are asking about a cure. In my personal opinion, I do not foresee a cure for HIV/AIDS anywhere in the near future. At a forum I presented at back in Denver, a doctor from the University of Colorado at Denver explained the complexities to creating a cure for the disease. It seems that HIV is advancing much more rapidly than research and technology can keep up with. She (the doctor) proposed that instead of an all out cure for HIV, there might be better hope for a vaccine. A vaccine would be something like what we get when we are babies, like a chicken pox/measles/mumps vaccine. Although, I do not think that a vaccine would be sure proof from contracting HIV/AIDS simply because it is such a unique virus, attaching itself to our very genetic fiber. So, perhaps a vaccine would prevent one strain of the virus, but not another stronger, more advanced strain.

    One way that youth in India spread the word about HIV/AIDS and educate their peers is by doing street performances. I watched a few of the performances and skits, and they were very entertaining. I think that would be a great way, and extremely fun way of educating peers.

    Whew! That was a lot, and the most I've written. More soon, and please do not hesitate to send me any personal questions you might have at om4padme1@netzero.com

    In Soidarity,
    Vanessa Forro

     

  • At 5:37 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Oh yeah, and I got my pictures developed from the conference. Despite the disposable nature of the camera, I think they turned out quite nice. I will send some to Earl and he can do what he wishes with them.

    Vanessa

     

  • At 5:40 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Here's an article in the Advocate I just caught wind of. Might answer or follow some inquiries from the BICC cats:

    http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid35736.asp

    Vanessa

     

  • At 1:31 PM, Blogger AIDS Taskforce said…

    Dear Colleagues!
    Below is Issue 3 of SHARP, a project funded through the Open Society Institute. In it, there is a myriad of information that I think many of the BICC cats will find useful, as well as others.

    In Solidarity,
    Vanessa A. Forro



    In SHARP Focus at the International AIDS Conference 2006
    Editor: Susana T. Fried (susana.fried@gmail.com). Assistant Editor: Marissa Hildebrant (marissahilde@yahoo.com).
    Editor’s note: In SHARP Focus at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006) is an initiative of the OSI/SHARP (sexual
    health and rights project). Its purpose it to provide information about key sexual health and rights issues, activities, and debates (paying
    particular attention to those addressing sex workers, men who have sex with men and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons –
    or, in new terminology ‘same sex practicing and transgender individuals’) as these emerge during AIDS 2006. In SHARP Focus is
    directed toward those attending the conference as well as those who are not. It includes interviews, event reports, analyses and a schedule of
    key upcoming events. For more information or to share events, strategies and activities, please contact Susana T. Fried at
    susana.fried@gmail.com, Marissa Hildebrant at marissahilde@yahoo.com or Rachel Thomas, OSI/SHARP at
    rthomas@sorosny.org.
    PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS, STRATEGIES AND PROPOSED
    ACTIONS. WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO DISSEMINATE THE INFORMATION.
    Issue 3, 16 August 2006
    Table of Contents
    1. Editorial: Mid-week Overview, pp. 1-2
    2. Reports from conference sessions, pp. 2-3
    3. Noteworthy conversations
    3. Interview, pp. 3-4
    4. Events of interest, p. 5
    1. Editorial from Susana and Marissa: Mid-week Overview
    At this point into the conference, the buzz of rhetoric versus action, particular representations, rights-based
    language, and evidence-informed research weaves through the Global Village displays and down the stairs into
    rooms of what critics find to be discussion and panel presentations that remain too limited in scope to encompass
    the nuances of the pandemic. Repeatedly throughout the conference, participants and observers note their
    frustration with the difficulty of engendering engaged theories that are forward-looking and bringing appropriate
    action into focus and expansion. Sometimes, the contradictions are evident: for example, many delegates sat
    patiently through a series of brief pornographic videos depicting sexy condom use in a Pleasure Project session, but
    made a mass exodus immediately after the film ended. Despite the chosen “official condom of the IAC,” which sit
    in small baskets at the information booths in the Global Village, no condoms were placed in the tote bag offered to
    all attendees of the conference. At Monday’s plenary session, Louise Binder was asked several times to conclude her
    speech, but the audience cheered her on as she admonished the moral bankruptcy of those in power and
    condemned the “mass murder” resulting from the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
    Where will this conference take us? How will Canada use the messages of this conference to better address
    HIV/AIDS and a Prime Minister whose absence is well documented in protest boards and t-shirts? Urgently
    expressed fliers and postcards advertising new updates in Canada and elsewhere abound and exchange hands like
    recipes. “Should routine testing be made universal?” “Let’s ask PM Harper to do the right thing.” “Over the next
    two weeks, the Canadian government will decide whether insite, Vancouver’s supervised injection site, will continue
    to operate.” Indeed, Canada is especially under the critical eye of the conference. On Tuesday, a short-noticed press
    conference gathered some sixty plus people in the MSM networking zone in the Global Village-- a well-organized
    reaction to Margaret Wente’s article in The Globe and Mail, “A Few Down-home Truths about HIV/AIDS in
    Canada.” Of the most stirring comments, Wente writes, “We are importing HIV from sub-Saharan Africa.”
    Speakers at the press conference contested Wente’s “truths” with truths of their own experience and research. Bob
    Watkins, a long-term HIV/AIDS survivor, noticeably pushed back his tears and spoke a myriad of emotions into
    the cameras, “I woke up this morning as an immoral person trying to infect the population of Africa.” On a wall
    behind the speakers are pictures, displayed over a reflecting pool with drifting daisies are the faces of men, young
    men, and transgender MSM who have been murdered for fighting and/or living with HIV/AIDS.
    Another press conference on Tuesday addressed aboriginal involvement in the conference and a recent satellite
    session. Speakers noted their view that too few abstracts from aboriginal and indigenous communities were
    submitted and accepted, as the lack of access to technology segregates the voices of those with much to say. The
    speakers at the press conference announced the new position for a Canadian International Aids Secretariat to
    network on behalf of aboriginal and indigenous communities and looked forward to the barely touched possibilities
    for involvement of these communities in Mexico 2008.
    *********************************************************************************************************
    2. Reports from Conference Sessions
    Monday, August 14
    Women’s Rally and March
    Early Monday morning, cameras, journalists, and passersby documented and witnessed the first IAC endorsed rally
    and March of women and men, who were not enough to clear the table of 1500 bright yellow event t-shirts in
    English, French, and Spanish. Sex workers, activists, YWCA representatives, student leaders, “hotel workers rising,”
    and many other activists marched and demanded that sex workers, transgender issues, and women in prison be put
    back on the HIV/AIDS agenda. The rally focused on the need for more women to be seated at decision-making
    and legislating tables, the representation of First Nations Women, and the discrepancy between talk and action.
    Speakers Dr. Helene Gayle, President of the International AIDS Society, Louise Binder, Blueprint for Action on
    Women & Girls & HIV/AIDS, Stephen Lewis, US Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Mary Robinson,
    President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, and U.S. congresswoman Barbara Lee stepped up
    to the microphone in support.
    Sex workers, HIV, and Human Rights: What can be done?
    Melissa Ditmore of The Network of Sex Work Project (NWSP) facilitated a panel discussion that presented
    examples of community collective action in responding to HIV/AIDS. The Sonagachi Project, started in 1992 in
    Calcutta, India, served as an example for a sex worker run and owned initiative that resulted in increased condom
    use and socioeconomic activities for sex workers and their families. The session addressed anti-prostitution laws at
    the provincial and national level and the tendency to make sex workers subjects of research rather than subjects of
    rights. The ongoing struggles of sex workers with police officers and other state actors within discriminatory legal
    frameworks echoed the call for including sex workers in planning and implementation strategies.
    Tuesday, August 15
    Being Queer in the African/Black Diaspora
    How could we frame homosexuality in African Black Diaspora? Why the invisibility? Where are the African gay
    people at the IAC? These were questions asked by Cheikh Traoré, African HIV Policy Network (UK), and others at
    a session entitled, “Being Queer in the African/Black Diaspora” hosted at the Global Village. Notisha Massaquoi,
    Acting Executive Director of Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre, Canada discussed
    how identities merge, such that at the women’s networking zone she is a “black women” and in another space she is
    an “African American Queer woman.” Moving through the language of compulsory heterosexuality, sexual
    performance, disease of the other, and the ultimate silencing of sexual diversity when talking about immigration
    issues, speakers focused on the fear of representing one’s queerness to their home country. Speakers living with
    HIV/AIDS such as Tokes Osubu, Executive Director, Gay Men of African Descent (United States) emphasized the
    power of love and compassion in survival.
    Criminalization and HIV: Stories of communities fighting back in a human rights framework
    While the title of this session seemed to promise a few hours of positive experience, Sunil B. Pant, President of Blue
    Diamond Society (Nepal) began with a horrifyingly graphic presentation of violence against sexual and gender
    minorities. Pant described how, regardless of political change in Nepal, many outreach workers and peer educators
    are still arrested by accusation of promoting homosexuality, and sex workers are arrested for carrying a condom.
    While the audience sat uncomfortably with the verbally described image of rats eating away at the bodies of
    transgender folk in garbage cans, Catherine Heeley, National Prostitutes Collective (New Zealand) presented a
    region where sex workers are “on top of the law.” The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, established in 1987,
    responded to prostitution laws that gave police authority to keep detailed lists with the names of sex workers. The
    collective developed working relationships with media and paved the way for Giorgina, a transgender sex worker to
    become an elected politician in parliament. The discussion briefly mentioned war as a criminal act that contributes
    to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
    MSM in the Developing World
    Glenn de Swardt, Triangle Project, spoke of South Africa as the gay capital of Africa, offering the best service in
    terms of MSM needs and often a landing place for MSM issues from the North. Questions from the audience
    reflected the prevalence of sexual tourism in the MSM community, and particularly how this issue remains out of the
    political arena. The speakers gave a brief history and societal depiction of the problems MSM face in their regions-
    dildos banned in South Africa in mid nineties, the murder of homosexual leaders in Latin America, and the use of
    heterosexual friends to get medications from health services in Senegal. All of the speakers talked about legislative
    obstacles, such that Luis Fernando, Association for Comprehensive Health and Citizenship in Latin America and
    the Caribbean (Columbia), remarked how any of the presentations could be interchanged with another presentation.
    Even with this homogenizing perspective, each speaker offered a very different flavor to the discussion of MSM.
    Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, Programme SAHARA, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal) warned that when talking
    about violence, MSM, and gender inequity, we must use a holistic approach employing tools with historical and
    cultural heritage. His proverb, loosely translated to signify taking a problem off your head and putting it in the
    hands of the community to find a solution, imprinted a fruitful image for the rest of the session.
    *********************************************************************************************************
    3. Noteworthy
    Women’s empowerment and the female condom: On Monday, The Prevention Now! Campaign hailed the
    World Health Organization's (WHO) announcement that the FC2 Female Condom has met international standards
    as a woman-initiated dual protection method against HIV/STI infection and unintended pregnancy. The WHO
    declared that the FC2 Female Condom—a second-generation product manufactured from a latex derivative called
    nitrile—is a safe, effective, and acceptable HIV-prevention method that is comparable to the polyurethane FC1
    Female Condom. Leaders of Prevention Now! noted that the announcement clears the way for the inclusion of the
    second-generation female condom in the Essential Products list of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
    and signals to national health ministries and international aid agencies that the FC2 Female Condom can be
    immediately purchased and integrated into national HIV prevention programs.
    The issue of female condoms was a significant focus in the discussion following panel presentations during a session
    entitled In Her Own Words: Violations of Women’s Human Rights. While some criticized the female condom for being
    expensive, bulky and squeaky, others noted that it is still a form of protection that is in women’s control. It is
    particularly important for enabling HIV+ women to express their sexuality without fear of transmitting the disease.
    The session drew attention to some of the most invisible actors in the HIV/AIDS pandemic – women in prison and
    young women and girls. Paulette Nicolas from the Lighthouse counseling Center in Montgomery, Alabama in the
    US described the segregation of HIV+ women and men in Alabama’s prisons – the only state in the US that still
    engages in such segregation. Judith Auerbach from amFAR (the American Foundation for AIDS Research) added
    that women in prison are far more likely than women outside prison to be HIV+, and, at the same time, also more
    likely to be HIV+ than men in prison. Added Anandi Yuvaraj (India HIV/AIDS Alliance), in India “marriage is a
    prison.” (Elsewhere, commentators noted that the title “female condom” is a misnomer, as the condom can be
    used be used for anal sex between men OR women.)
    All of the panelists stressed that structural factors that prevent women from controlling their sexual health and
    rights is at the roots of the problem. Noting the intersection of racial and gender dynamics, Sophie Dilmitis from
    Choose Life in Zimbabwe, commented that sex education for white Zimbabwean young people consists of
    transmitting the message “thing like that don’t happen to people like us.” Other sessions, notably one on LGBT
    Prevention Efforts in the Developing World presented the existence of lesbian or women who have sex with
    women as vulnerable to HIV in certain contexts – an issue that is the invisible of the invisible. Jonathon Berger of
    the AIDS Law Project in South Africa called for the HIV/AIDS community to grapple with the existence of
    concentrated epidemics within generalized epidemics, as, he argued, is the case of HIV/AIDS within lesbian, gay,
    bisexual and transgender communities in South Africa. He further noted that the targeting of lesbians for rape as
    punishment for the sexuality – a disturbing trend that has been documented in South Africa, means that attention must
    be paid to prevention and treatment efforts geared to lesbians and women who have sex with women.
    *********************************************************************************************************
    3. Interview
    Wendy Kneer, Communications Director and Pleasure Propagandist, The Pleasure Project
    Editor: Please describe yourself, your work and your organization.
    WK: I am the Communications Director, or Pleasure Propagandist, and a Trustee of the Board of The Pleasure
    Project, an educational organization that works to eroticize safer sex or “put the sexy into safer sex.” We work
    with sexual health educators to help them feel more comfortable talking about sex and pleasure as a springboard to
    talking about safer sex. We also work with the pleasure media, porn educators, including Anna Span, to help them
    represent safer sex. We are a small organization of ten volunteers working virtually and internationally, but we’ve
    managed to train and work with CARE Cambodia (supported by CARE International). We produced an article
    coming out in The Lancet regarding condoms and pleasure, which discusses the potential for marketing condoms as
    pleasure and is co-authored by writers from DFID and WHO. We have been featured in the Times of London, The
    Guardian, British Cosmo, and Eve Magazine; we have gotten a lot of press solidifying the work we’re doing. We want to
    build a network of partners, finish our sexy sexual health toolkit, and conduct more trainings. We want to test our
    training materials in different regions of the world to improve our material and to have a manual.
    Editor: What is your experience with the IAC? Have you attended previous IAC conferences? Have you found
    participation to be useful? Not useful? Please explain.
    WK: This has been an amazing learning experience. The Pleasure Project was launched at Bangkok. At that
    conference, I was working for another sexual health organization, and I was so amazed with Anne Philpott, founder
    and Executive Director. I walked right up to her and told her I wanted to do this work. The reception at Bangkok
    was overwhelmingly positive. In a single presentation offering the audience standing room only, people thought it
    was really refreshing. We’re bigger here than at Bangkok, but we’re still testing the waters. This is our second
    conference, and we have done a lot since then. We are hosting a satellite session, a workshop in the Global Village,
    an oral presentation, and two other presentations.
    Editor: Why are you attending this conference? Who are you representing? What are your expectations? What kind
    of work do you expect to be doing (e.g., networking, lobbying, running or participating in workshops, etc.)?
    WK: We hope to get more people talking more openly and honestly about the realities of sex and sexuality. We
    want to spread the word, but we also want to make some good connections. The expectation is that our presence
    here creates more interest in talking positively about sex and pleasure as it relates to HIV/AIDS. We would like to
    bring attention to pleasure in the lives of PLWHA, especially women, because many are told that their sex lives are
    over once they’ve tested positive. We need to turn that attitude on its head, because there is lots of pleasure to be
    had whether you have tested positive or no. Just talking about pleasure is pretty controversial in itself. At this
    conference we showed clips from three different films, Modern Loving, an instructional video for heterosexual couples
    to help spice up sex life, and other two hard core film clips, in which Anna Span asked us to help her on how to
    spice up condom use.
    Editor: How do you think pleasure has been represented at the IAC this year as opposed to past years?
    WK: The Women’s Networking Zone has at least two sessions about pleasure. The sex worker groups and MSM
    booth also talk about pleasure. I do think there are only a handful of groups talking about pleasure, which tends to
    occur more in the Global Village than the main conference, as there are no big budgets for this. This shows an
    incredible lack of people talking about sexual pleasure. I find it interesting, but a bit sad that with a disease mostly
    spread through sexual contact, very few people are talking about one of the reasons that people have sex, which is
    that feels it feels good.
    Editor: The issue of the right to sexual pleasure has come up a few times in this conference. What is your opinion
    on the issue of the right to sexual pleasure?
    WK: I think it is a slippery slope. Rather than focusing on the right, we like to talk about realities – that is,
    people do enjoy it, or others don’t. If you’re talking about rights, you then get into the dangers of legislating
    pleasure. We’re not saying you shouldn’t talk about rights, but you should do that with caution in this case.
    *********************************************************************************************************
    4. Upcoming Events of Interest
    (Please note: we have attempted to highlight a few select event that the editors consider to be addressing emerging
    issues or innovative practices. The fact that this is a very difficult task is an encouraging sign that sexual health and
    rights have a distinct place on the agenda of AIDS 2006, even if marginalized groups still remain at the margins. In
    this issue, we cover events through Thursday.
    Thursday, August 17
    10:15-12 Be Careful What You Wish For: Donor-Led Efforts to Address Gender-based Violence
    Global Village-Women’s Networking Zone
    11:00-12:30 Time to Deliver: Influencing Policy and Law (Michael Clayton, ARASA)
    Session Room 11
    2:00 New Findings on the Impact of US Prostitution Loyalty Oath on HIV Prevention
    Press conference Room, Media Centre
    4:00-6:00 Attention All Women Living with HIV/AIDS: a social and networking gathering
    in honor of the International AIDS Conference 2006
    Women's Networking Zone in the Global Village
    4:15-5:45 Stigma, Discrimination, Violence, Exploitation, and Abuse of Children affected by HIV/AIDS: A
    children's rights and protection perspective
    Session Room 3, Level 800
    6:30-8:00 Youth closing session: Where have we been and what's next?
    Global Village -Session Hall 1
    7:30 Outcast Films: Pills Profits Protest: Chronicle of the Global AIDS movement
    Royal Ontario Museum Theater
    Contact:
    Sexual Health and Rights Project
    Open Society Institute
    400 W. 59th St.
    New York, NY 10036
    212-548-0600
    www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/sharp
    Sue Simon, Project Director ssimon@sorosny.org
    Rachel Thomas, Project Associate rthomas@sorosny.org

     

  • At 5:57 PM, Blogger Joyces-Iom said…

    You got good rankings for conference call words. I found your site searching for conference calls. Check out my site that is kind of new.

     

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