The conference is convened by the International AIDS Society, the world’s leading membership organization representing professionals working in HIV/AIDS. It is organised in partnership with by a number of international bodies and local partners, including the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and civil society organizations.

“The International AIDS Conference provides us with the opportunity in Mexico, in Latin America and the Caribbean, and around the world to expand public awareness of HIV/AIDS, share knowledge and learn from others in the field, and chart a course for a stronger and a more effective global response to the pandemic,” said Pedro Cahn, Chair of AIDS 2008 and President-elect of the International AIDS Society.

AIDS 2008 will be the seventeenth in this series of international AIDS conferences.
On behalf of the Mexican Federal Government, Dr. Jorge Saavedra, General Director of CENSIDA, remarked how important for the country is to host the International AIDS Conference and expressed the government’s commitment to collaborate in the success of the event. “The choice made by IAS gives us the opportunity but also the responsibility of doing our best to help this conference to become a milestone in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Mexico and in the whole region, and we commit our full support in everyway possible”, said Saavedra.
Conference Programme

Email: info@aids2008.org
Internet: http://www.aids2008.org/

Held every two years, the conference attracts about 5,000 delegates from all over the world. It is a unique opportunity for the world’s leading scientists, clinicians, public health experts and community leaders to examine the latest developments in HIV-related research, and to explore how scientific advances can – in very practical ways – inform the global response to HIV/AIDS.

IAS President-Elect, Dr Julio Montaner (Canada) has been appointed the International Chair of the conference, while South African paediatrician, Prof Hoosen Coovadia has accepted the Local Chair position.

“We are delighted to host this conference in South Africa,” said Dr Montaner. “In 2000, Durban hosted the XIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2000), an event which is often considered to be the one of the most successful in the series of International AIDS Conferences. Cape Town was selected as the host for the IAS conference based on the success of AIDS 2000, and because it has the infrastructure necessary to host an event of this size. Most importantly, we wanted to bring this conference to Sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV epidemic is at its worst.”

As an international expert on paediatric AIDS, and past chair of AIDS 2000 and the 1st South African AIDS Conference, Prof Coovadia brings a wealth of experience and insight to the event. “The IAS conference is the premier forum for participants to learn about the latest developments in HIV science and also explore how such developments can be realistically applied to the regional and global response to HIV/AIDS. We look forward to welcoming delegates to Cape Town”, said Prof Coovadia.

Internet: http://www.ias2009.org/