News

On behalf of the International AIDS Society (IAS), we, the IAS Governing Council Africa Regional Representatives, express our grave concern regarding the reported anti-gay initiative underway in Tanzania. On 31 October 2018, the Regional Commissioner for the capital city, Dar es Salaam, Paul Makonda, announced the creation of a task force to identify and arrest people suspected of being gay and he appealed to the public to identify and report them. This follows a broader pattern of arrests and ...

29 October 2018 (Glasgow, Scotland) – New research presented at the HIV Drug Therapy Conference in Glasgow today shows that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) could be given to millions of people worldwide with no increased risk of safety issues during treatment. PrEP is a combination of two drugs that people can take before sex to prevent HIV infection. Existing evidence shows that people who take tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC) as PrEP have a 90% lower chance of bein...

22 October 2018 (Madrid, Spain) – The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, hosted by the International AIDS Society (IAS), has launched a five-year strategy to accelerate the development of an effective vaccine to prevent HIV infection. The new Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Strategic Plan (2018-2023) was unveiled today at the opening of HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P 2018), the world’s only scientific conference dedicated exclusively to biomedical HIV prevention, in Madrid, Spain. This strateg...

The International AIDS Society (IAS) congratulates Past IAS President Françoise Barré-Sinoussi for her election to the United States National Academy of Medicine. Françoise is one of 10 new international members of the National Academy of Medicine announced this week. The National Academy of Medicine is a non-profit entity chartered by the United States Congress to provide objective advice on health-related issues. Its reports are influential both in the US and globally. New members of the acad...

The International AIDS Society mourns the passing of Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, who died on Saturday in Switzerland at the age of 80. Annan played a pivotal role in the global awakening in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Annan played a key role in the unprecedented meeting of the United Nations Security Council in 2000, which recognized the HIV epidemic as a threat to global security. In 2001, Annan issued an urgent call for the creation of a global fund to fina...

27 July 2018 (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) – The International AIDS Society (IAS) has announced six newly elected and two re-elected members of the IAS Governing Council. “The people who have been elected to the IAS Governing Council truly embody a diverse skillset and representation of backgrounds,” IAS President Anton Pozniak said. “We look forward to working with this broadly experienced and highly skilled decision-making body. Their skills, perspective and expertise can help create an in...

Sunday, 22 July 2018 (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) – The International AIDS Society’s (IAS’s) Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) will present the 2018 CIPHER Grants to four outstanding early-career investigators working to reverse the high impact of HIV among youth in resource-limited settings. The CIPHER Grant Programme will provide a total of US$600,000 to support innovative research studies to reduce the impact of HIV among young people. “Youth re...

Monday, 9 July 2018, London, United Kingdom - The Duke of Sussex will join Sentebale Let Youth Lead Advocates from Lesotho and Botswana, at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. During his two-day visit The Duke will meet with young people, partner organizations and key influential leaders in the HIV response in his capacity as Patron of Sentebale on 23 Monday and 24 Tuesday July 2018. “We are truly honoured to have His Royal Highness The Duke of Sus...

The International AIDS Society (IAS) condemns the US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a ban on travel to the United States by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. As the IAS is the world’s largest association of HIV professionals, with more than 11,000 members from more than 180 countries working on all fronts of the global AIDS response, we know that this discriminatory policy prevents our members, including people living with HIV, from ensuring the free, unencumbered sharing ...

19 June 2018 (Geneva, Switzerland) The International AIDS Society (IAS) today announced the appointment of Kevin Osborne as its new Executive Director. “We are delighted to welcome Kevin as the new Executive Director of the IAS,” IAS President Linda-Gail Bekker said. “Kevin is a true connector who can bring together scientists, advocates, donors and policy makers. He has played a pivotal role in South Africa and on the global stage to advance access to treatment and prevention and better int...