UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with participants from the Community Dialogue space during the official opening of the Global Village at AIDS 2008
Credit: UNAIDS/agencialibrefoto

At the very heart of the XVII International AIDS Conference is the Global Village, an area of over 8,000 square metres open to everyone attending AIDS 2008, including community organizations from around the world, local and national groups and the general public.

On 4 August, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot officially opened the Village which for the coming week will be a space where thousands of visitors—the general public, communities living with and affected by HIV, policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholder groups—will interact and debate, share knowledge and skills, build coalitions and exchange ideas.

On 4 August, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot officially opened the Village
Credit: UNAIDS/agencialibrefoto

The aim of the space is to enable greater civil society involvement and strengthen diverse communities’ involvement and participation in shaping the response to HIV.