The 22nd International AIDS Conference opened on 23 July in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Under the theme “Breaking barriers, building bridges”, the conference will draw attention to the need of rights-based approaches to more effectively reach key populations.
This year’s theme echoes one of the messages in UNAIDS’ latest report, Miles to go—that key populations are not being considered enough in HIV programming. Key populations and their sexual partners account for 47% of new HIV infections worldwide and 97% of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia, where one third of new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs.
The International AIDS Conference, which will run from 23 to 27 July, is the largest conference on any global health issue in the world and provides a unique forum for the intersection of science, advocacy and human rights. Bringing more than 15 000 participants together, the conference is an opportunity to strengthen policies and programmes that ensure an evidence-informed response to the epidemic.
The conference was officially opened by Princess Mabel van Oranje, the International AIDS Conference Chair, Linda-Gail Bekker, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Gebreheyesus, and artist and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, Conchita Wurst.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Sidibé stressed that the pace of progress is not fast enough to meet the 2020 targets. He sounded the alarm on the growing inequalities and intolerance for diversity that are resulting in an HIV prevention crisis. He noted the need to break barriers that exclude people from their rights.
He also highlighted the need to close the gaps, specially the funding gap. “Like you, I worry about the funding gap. There is a persistent 20% gap between what is needed and what is available. We know small cuts can have big consequences. A fully funded AIDS response is non-negotiable,” said Mr Sidibé.
The conference is set to emphasize the need to promote human rights-based and evidence-informed HIV responses that are tailored to the needs of vulnerable communities, activate and galvanize political commitment and accountability among governments, donors, the private sector and civil society and address gaps in and highlight the critical role of HIV prevention.
During the coming days there will be opportunities for sharing knowledge, ideas and good practices through plenary discussions, abstract presentations, symposia, skills-building workshops, attendance at the Global Village community space and numerous independent events.
