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Thursday, 17 March 2022 – I am honoured to join you at the plenary of the 65th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. My statement reflects a consultation among scientists and community leaders on the impact of inequalities on HIV and viral hepatitis prevention, treatment, care and support among people who use drugs. We have seen major progress in addressing the AIDS epidemic. But despite new diagnostics, prevention tools and treatment, this progress remains fragile and inadequate among...

“The science around HIV and AIDS through the years has been enormously transformative and has given us an array of tools for both treatment and prevention. A lot of the science in the conference is also dedicated to social, behavioural and implementation sciences and policy making to further inform evidence into action.” – Adeeba Kamarulzaman, AIDS 2022 International Co-Chair   AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference, will take place in Montreal, Canada, as well as virtually, from...

3 March 2022 (Geneva, Switzerland) – IAS – the International AIDS Society – is deeply concerned about the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on all its people and, more specifically, on people living with and affected by HIV in the country. With the recent escalation, the IAS is very concerned that thousands will have to fend without the required health services, dramatically worsening the state of the HIV epidemic in Ukraine. The IAS also calls on health authorities in t...

IAS – the International AIDS Society – mourns the death of IAS Member Paul Farmer, Harvard Medical School professor, physician, medical anthropologist and humanitarian. A visionary trailblazer in the quest for global health equity, Dr Farmer passed away on 21 February 2022. “The loss of Dr Paul Farmer is devastating to the global health world,” IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman said. “He made a great difference to so many lives in many countries, and his work inspired many people, includin...

The informal working group on HIV at the European Parliament, led by IAS – the International AIDS Society – and UNITE Global Parliamentarians Network to End Infectious Diseases was officially launched today. "It is my pleasure to launch the first cross-party working group on HIV in the European Parliament. Together with UNITE, it is our hope that this informed coalition will strengthen European leadership in the HIV response," Sharon Lewin, IAS President-Elect said. Members of the European P...

"Canadians have learned many lessons from COVID-19 over the past year that can be shared with the world. After stealing the spotlight, it would be nice to see how much light COVID-19 sheds back on HIV.” - Jean-Pierre Routy, AIDS 2022 Local Co-Chair.   AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference, will take place in Montreal, Canada, from 29 July to 2 August. Canada hosted the 5th International AIDS Conference in Montreal in 1989, the 11th International AIDS Conference in Vancouver in 199...

IAS – the International AIDS Society – mourns the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Archbishop Tutu, a loyal friend and supporter of the IAS, passed away on 26 December 2021. “The world has lost a powerful voice in the HIV response,” IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman said. “Archbishop Tutu will forever be remembered for denouncing AIDS denialism, standing up against discrimination and advocating for HIV treatment for everyone, everywhere. In doing so, he enriched and saved countless lives....

  Researchers continue to follow the science towards a scalable cure amid breakthrough cases such as the Esperanza patient. 1 December 2021 (Geneva, Switzerland) – IAS – the International AIDS Society – has launched its latest strategy to find an HIV cure. Research Priorities for an HIV Cure: IAS Global Scientific Strategy 2021, was published today, World AIDS Day, in the journal, Nature Medicine. The third edition of the IAS strategy comes soon after it was announced that an Argentinean w...

  30 November 2021 (Geneva, Switzerland) – In view of the imposition of travel bans on southern African countries in a bid to prevent the spread of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, IAS – the International AIDS Society – calls for an international Code of Conduct for countries compelled to react to emerging COVID-19 information. The Code of Conduct would focus on scientific evidence rather than resorting to blunt measures that may cause more harm than good. Very targeted and time-bound travel...

IAS – the International AIDS Society – mourns the death of our former Governing Council member Scott Hammer, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University. A respected HIV researcher and physician, Dr Hammer passed away on 17 November 2021. “Dr Scott Hammer played a pivotal role in the development of the current HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) paradigm that has saved millions of lives,” IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman said. “He will be missed by us all.” A ...