OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: DAY 2
Scientific advances bring HIV/AIDS epidemic to an historic turning point as global
leaders meet at AIDS 2012 to discuss investment priorities in HIV/AIDS during the
global financial crisis
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and NIAID Director Dr. Anthony
Fauci to address the Monday Plenary session
French President François Hollande to address the plenary via video
Monday, 23 July 2012 (Washington, D.C., - United States)- The huge scientific advances in
the treatment and prevention of HIV infection over the past years have created unprecedented
optimism that the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be won, but is being tempered by
funding uncertainty amidst the ongoing global financial crisis, delegates heard today at the XIX
International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) taking place in Washington, D.C. this week. The
reduction in global financing being devoted to HIV/AIDS is driving keen debate amongst policy
makers, service providers, activists and scientists as to how best prioritize scarce resources.
"We now have the scientific tools to turn the tide of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and we need to
seize that opportunity before us," said Dr. Elly Katabira, AIDS 2012 International Chair and
President of the International AIDS Society (IAS).
"To do so, we need to adapt ourselves to a changing environment and that means coming up
with new and effective ways of delivering services to the most-affected groups of people in a
tough global economic environment. But it is also incumbent on donors and national decision
makers to bite the bullet and maintain funding of all facets of HIV/AIDS programmes now that
we can see that tools such as scaling up treatment as prevention have the potential to
turnaround the epidemic."
Some 22,000 scientists, policy makers, people living with HIV and other stakeholders are
attending AIDS 2012 this week in D.C.
"Continue to invest in science - that is my message to all the decision makers watching us this
week in D.C.", said Diane Havlir, AIDS 2012 U.S. Co-Chair and Professor of Medicine at the
University of California, San Francisco." All the scientists responsible for the huge
breakthroughs over the past few years are here at AIDS 2012 and accompanying them are
many others who bring with them compelling new data on the latest HIV drugs, HIV cure research, new TB drugs and creative financing models. The story being told here this week is
that scientifically, when it comes to AIDS, there is more light at the end of the tunnel than there
has ever been in the three decades of the epidemic.”
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Monday Plenary Session
Ending the Epidemic: Turning the Tide Together
Speakers:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Keynote Address
Anthony Fauci, Director, NIAID, Ending the HIV Epidemic: From Scientific Advances to Public Health Implementation
Basic and clinical science have provided us with highly effective interventions to treat and
prevent HIV infection. If we markedly scale-up globally the implementation of these
interventions, we can dramatically alter the trajectory of the pandemic towards the ultimate goal
of an AIDS-free generation. we have a moral responsibility to do so.
Phill Wilson – President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, Deciding Moment: Ending the
AIDS Epidemic in America Together
The AIDS epidemic in the United States is both a concentrated epidemic and a generalized
epidemic. The tools exist to end the AIDS epidemic in America. The challenge is whether we
know how to use those tools; whether we can make those tools available to those who most
need them; and whether or not, when provided access to those tools, we will utilize them. To
end the AIDS epidemic, we are going to have to combine the best of what we have been doing
with the best strategies and tactics that are presented to us today.
Sheila Tlou, Director UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa, Turning
the Tide in Affected Countries: Leadership, Accountability and Target
Political and other leaders have the responsibility to identify their own evidence-informed priorities, uphold human rights, and mobilize domestic resources for the AIDS response. Communities have a critical role to play in holding leaders accountable for honoring their
commitments. We can reach zero only if we invest in the AIDS response, involve communities,
respect human rights, and uphold the sexual and reproductive rights of all, including those of
young women in their diversity.”
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Monday, 23 July Highlights
Symposia Session: Improving Effectiveness and Efficiency in the HIV Response
(11.00-12.30, Session Room 1)
The session will be webcast by the Kaiser Family Foundation and will be viewable through the
conference website.
Speakers:
Chair: Dr. Elly Katabira, AIDS 2012 International Chair and President of the International AIDS
Society
Mphu Ramatlapeng, Minister of Health of Lesotho and Vice Chair of the Board, Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
U.S. Senator John Kerry
U.S.
Senator Lindsey Graham
Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank
Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
Special Session: Can Public-Private Partnerships Help Those who Think Globally,
Act Locally? (13.00-14.00, Session Room 1)
Speakers:
Keynote speaker: Sir Elton John
Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, South Africa
Ms Elena Salgado, Former Finance Minister, Spain
Mr John Megrue, CEO of Apax Partners US and Head of the Retail & Consumer Group,USA
Mr James Chau, Broadcaster and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador
Breaking Programme Update
Marisol Touraine, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, France, to address Celebrating the
Frontline: The Red Ribbon Award for Innovative Community Responses to AIDS, (Wednesday
25 July, 13:00 -14:00, Session Room 2)
Genevieve Fioraso, Minister of Higher Education and Research, France, to address Symposia
Session HIV Persistence and Eradication, (Thursday, 11.00-12.00, Session Room 9)
ENDS
Conference Organization
AIDS 2012 is convened by the International AIDS Society and the conference's international partners: the Global Network of People Living
with HIV (GNP+); the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO); the International Community of Women with HIV/AIDS (ICW)
and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC); and Sidaction.
The U.S.- based Black AIDS Institute; the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH); the HIV Medicine
Association (HIVMA) of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA); the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the
White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP); and the U.S. Positive Women's Network (USPWN) serve as local partners.
AIDS 2012: Join the conversation
Get the latest conference updates and share your thoughts and ideas through the Conference Facebook and Twitter. We are
tweeting - @aids2012 - and hope many of you will tweet along with us, using #AIDS2012 to keep the conversation going.
Become a fan of AIDS 2012 on Facebook and stay in touch with the latest conference updates and developments.
Please visit www.facebook.com/aids2012 to become a fan. If your group or organization is participating in AIDS 2012, we welcome posts of photos and videos of your work on this page. Tell us why you are coming to Washington and what you hope to gain from AIDS 2012.
About the IAS
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with over 16,000 members
from more than 196 countries working at all levels of the global response to AIDS. Our 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 IAS is the custodian of the biennial International AIDS Conference, which will be held in
Washington, D.C., in July 2012, and lead organizer of the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.
For more information about this release:
Onsite Media centre:
Media Centre Information Desk: (202-249-4032)
Media Centre Communications Office: (202-249-4031)
Media Centre Fax: (202-249-4047)
Francesca Da Ros (Geneva, Switzerland)
AIDS 2012 Communications and Media Officer
Email: Francesca.Daros@iasociety.org
Tel: +41 22 710 0822
US Mob (July 16-28): +1 202 997 6917
Michael Kessler
AIDS 2012 International Media Coordinator
Email: michael.kessler@aids2012.org
Mob: +34 655 792 699
US mobile (July 14-28): +1 202 997 5851
Skype: mickgpi
Shawn Jain (Washington, D.C.)
U.S Media Relations
Tel: +1 (202) 470-3127
Mobile: +1 (202) 714-0535 shawn.jain@aids2012.org
Adina Ellis (Washington, D.C.)
U.S. Communications and Public Affairs
Email: adina.ellis@aids2012.org
Tel: +1 (202) 714- 6793
"Reproduced with permission - International AIDS Society"
International AIDS Society
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