Good morning! We kicked off with a brilliant AIDS 2024 opening session, with Co-Chairs welcoming delegates from more than 170 countries and Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirming Germany’s strong commitment to the global HIV response. 07:00 CEST Satellite sessions take place. 08:30 CEST The first plenary session of AIDS 2024, “Putting people first: The way forward”, looks at the role of communities in reaching zero transmissions, progress in paediatric HIV care, and integrated programming. The session concludes with the awarding of the Prize for Excellence in HIV Research Related to Children and Adolescents, offered by the IAS and the Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS. Look back on “40 years of community leadership” in the AIDS response in a symposium. It delves into growing evidence for the effectiveness of community leadership. 13:30 CEST The special session, “Inequities forever?”, emphasizes the need for strategies that go beyond public health interventions to address structural inequalities. It features a panel discussion with former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Francisco Ruiz from the Office of National AIDS Policy in the US White House, and APCOM Executive Director Midnight Poonkasetwattana. 14:30 CEST Choose from two workshops. Learn more about the power of behavioural science in closing equity gaps. Or focus on the development of effective strategies to increase access to opioid agonist therapy (OAT); the session introduces the UNODC WHO guide for low- and middle-income countries on establishing and delivering evidence-based, high-quality OAT services. 15:00 CEST The symposium, “Equity in focus: Tackling inequalities”, examines inequality, discrimination and poverty, which still drive the HIV pandemic. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima makes the keynote address, and it wraps up with the awarding of the IAS Prudence Mabele Prize. A top news item at IAS 2023 was the REPRIEVE trial’s findings that a daily statin reduces major adverse cardiovascular events in people living with HIV. In this symposium, find out where we are a year later with primary prevention of cardiovascular disease globally.
Advanced HIV disease (AHD) can hide in plain sight. An oral abstract session looks at improving identification of AHD, the link between poverty and non-suppression of viral load, and more.
Taking in experiences of war and conflict, a symposium on health of displaced people in wartime asks: Who is responsible? Also: - “HIV and STI prevention: Understanding preferences and perceptions” includes an abstract on results of a study on barriers and facilitators for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP) adherence among young women in Kenya.
- The symposium, “Viral hepatitis: Not gone, not forgotten”, focuses on simplified diagnostics, service delivery, treatment implementation, and progress in the hepatitis C response.
- An oral abstract session explores trends and shifts in drug use, including use of integrated harm reduction interventions.
- The symposium, “The future of HIV in global health: Exceptionalism or integration?”, asks whether there should be a more integrated, horizontal approach to building resilient health systems?
18:00 CEST Satellite sessions take place. AIDS is still with us: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) updated global HIV statistics. A total of 39.9 million people were living with HIV in 2023 (from 39 million in 2022). About 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide in 2023 – a death every minute. Against the 95-95-95 targets, progress remains at 86-89-93. Funding is a growing concern: at the end of 2023, USD 19.8 billion was available for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries, with about 59% from domestic sources. Funding for HIV dropped by 5% from 2022 to 2023 and is far short of the USD 29.3 billion required for the AIDS response in these countries in 2025 to get on track to end AIDS as a public health threat. Eastern Europe and central Asia (EECA): The location of our host city brings the spotlight to the EECA region. Many EECA countries have national harm reduction programmes, but there are multiple challenges, including human rights violations, insufficient funding and military conflict. These have an impact on access to HIV, hepatitis C and TB prevention and treatment services. However, we can learn from good practice models – community-led and integrated person-centred services, including those established for and by people who use drugs and people with experience of imprisonment. Person-centred care: A global consensus statement on person-centred care can guide and support organizations, groups and individuals towards realizing the potential of person-centred care within and beyond the HIV response. The statement is a step closer to fruition after discussions of its draft and recommendations yesterday convened by the IAS Person-Centred Care programme. Funding a cure: The IAS, Funders Concerned About AIDS and Dutch Aidsfonds moved towards setting up the HIV Cure Action Fund at a roundtable with 40 opinion leaders and experts in the cure field. The venture fund will be established in 2025 and aims to bring at least one HIV cure strategy to the market by 2035. It will focus on building capacity in low- and middle-income countries and attracting new donors and venture philanthropists to the HIV cure field. Youth and innovation is the flavour of today. Here are some highlights: - Pitch Perfect, at 14:00 CEST today, is a shark tank-style event where young leaders showcase youth-led innovations. This event is supported through the IAS Youth Hub.
- Youth Space from Uganda puts girls living with HIV first by supporting them in adhering to ART. The girls make beads out of discarded ARV prescription papers. Their stories are told and their items are on sale at this marketplace booth.
- Tackle HIV through football! The organization, Tackle, showcases its work to educate and inform about HIV through sport in central, eastern, southern and western Africa.
- Yaariyan means “friendship” in Hindi, and it is the name of the youth-led initiative of The Humsafar Trust, India’s oldest LGBTQIA+ community-based organization. Gain insight into its approach with games, videos and interactions at its booth.
The exhibition opens today and runs until Thursday. Don’t miss the opportunity to talk directly with representatives of key organizations in the HIV response! Find it in Hall B1 next to the plenary hall or virtually. Here, you will also find the poster exhibition.
Each poster is displayed for one day, and presenting authors stand by their posters from 12:00 to 13:00 on their set day to answer questions and share more information about their results. Here are some picks for today: Tune in to the AIDS 2024 Live Show at 08:30 CEST daily to learn about conference developments and what lies ahead. Host Karl Schmid will be live from the Global Village and joined by leading voices in the HIV response. Today's scheduled guests include: - Raif Derrazi, HIV advocate and activist, HOPE Collaborator
- Doreen Moraa Moracha, HIV advocate and activist, founder of 'I am a beautiful story'
- Catriona Gray, former Miss Universe and advocate
... and more
Meet the IAS change makers Each day, the Daily Digest follows the IAS change makers at AIDS 2024: recipients of our grant, fellowship or mentorship opportunities. They are the next generation of HIV researchers, advocates and healthcare providers improving the lives of people living with and affected by HIV. Official media partners coverage |
