Pre-conferences

GNP+ and partners are coming together to host the Living 2024 conference. Living 2024 partners share common interests to meet the conference outcomes for the interests of communities of people living with HIV. GNP+ is leading the conference and partnership coordination.

Goal:

Living 2024 is an opportunity for people living with HIV and affected communities to come together to:

• reflect, re-imagine and redefine the future of the HIV movement
• transfer knowledge to a new generation of young activists
• build power and consensus to claim our place within the broader global health and development platforms in shaping the HIV sustainability plans beyond 2030

Living 2024 is expected to host 200 participants each of the 2 days. The programme will be designed around key identified priorities for people living with and affected by HIV, creating space for learning from community experience, science, innovation, peer support and stakeholders' engagement.

The Interfaith Pre-conference "SUSTAINING HOPE FOR ALL - Through 2030 and beyond" captures the essence of our commitment to a resilient, enduring response to the HIV epidemic, with a core principle of putting people first. 

Objectives 

Engaging with the faith sector in discussions that emphasize inclusivity, compassion, and support to everyone, this pre-conference will contribute to: 

• Inspire lasting hope and resilience to ensure that our sustained efforts go beyond statistics and prioritize the well-being of every individual affected by HIV in the immediate quest for epidemic control and in our sustained efforts beyond 2030 
• Foster a future where dignity and support for all are at the forefront of our efforts, for a response that is not only effective but deeply human-centred 
• Build bridges among different religions and other sectors for a more coordinated and impactful response 
• Network, share about FBOs activities and perspectives, strategize, learn from and exchange with others to: 
  • Reduce stigma and discrimination, including stigma within local faith communities, and stigma toward marginalized/key populations 
  • Increase access to HIV and health services to all, including children, key populations and people in emergency and humanitarian crisis settings 
  • Defend human rights, including dealing with discriminatory laws and policies 

Putting people first 

All discussions will be centred around the individuals and communities impacted by or at risk of HIV, fostering an environment of inclusivity, empathy, and respect. 

The scale up of differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment has increased over the past decade - the result of supportive global normative guidance, considerable research evidence, ministries' implementation efforts, community demand and benefits to those established on HIV treatment. DSD is not limited to HIV; its principles offer advantages for diverse health needs. People living with and without HIV who require long term medication and follow up could benefit from the DSD approach being implemented and/or integrated. DSD fundamentals already exist in family planning (FP) and non-communicable disease (NCD) service delivery - we need to understand them to move forward. This pre-conference will spotlight the important role of expanding DSD to health needs beyond HIV treatment to enhance self-care and empowerment. Join us in shaping DSD beyond HIV – for FP, NCDs and integration. For details, contact dsd@iasociety.org or visit  www.differentiatedservicedelivery.org.

Join the Ribbon Organizing Centre Collaboration of Global Partners as we host a comprehensive pre-conference event addressing the challenges and opportunities faced by older individuals living with HIV. Advocates, long-time survivors, and professionals will discuss advocacy strategies, community engagement projects, clinical updates, and holistic care and support models. Explore the intersection of quality of life, well-being, and mental health, and discuss the importance of sexual health and HIV prevention for this community. Gain insights, foster collaboration, and amplify the voices of older individuals within the HIV community. This event aims to raise awareness, provide actionable insights, and drive meaningful dialogue to support this often-overlooked community better. Join us in advocating for the holistic well-being of older individuals affected by HIV.

Welcome to the era of PrEP choice, a pre-conference event held on 20 July 2024, will include dynamic sessions on the PrEP product introduction landscape, the transformative potential of PrEP choice, key programmatic considerations, and early learnings from efforts to deliver PrEP choice around the world.

The objectives include:

• Provide an update on the PrEP product introduction landscape
• Describe the transformative potential of offering clients a choice of PrEP products
• Share early learnings from the first projects to offer the dapivirine vaginal ring and CAB-LA alongside oral PrEP
• Offer practical guidance for expanding access to a multi-method HIV prevention market
• Identify gaps around critical implementation questions and chart a path forward to answer those questions

Please join us at this pre-conference event to hear more about PrEP choice!

The Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) & Global KP HIV Prevention Advisory Group proudly presents the key populations & HIV prevention pre-conference. Presented by Gilead Sciences. This pre-conference is organized in partnership with AVAC, Fierte Afrique, CoalitionPlus. The theme of the pre-conference: we will spotlight the urgency of "demand and deliver: securing rights, funding, and prevention". This is a call to action to ensure that key populations are not left behind in the global HIV response. It's a time to forge partnerships, exchange knowledge, and amplify the voices of those most affected. For more information, please reach out to us at info@gbgmc.org.

The workshop will draw lessons from key successes in the HIV response that illustrate the value of implementation science. We will present case studies, and lessons learned from various global contexts, highlighting how implementation science has shaped the scientific questions. We will explore cutting-edge methods in implementation science that centre end-users and emerging perspectives in the HIV response and how these methods can further evolve to meet public health needs. Finally, we will disseminate key implementation research findings in the HIV response that illustrate the value proposition of investments in implementation science. Some exemplars include community engagement to advance adult voluntary male medical circumcision, social norms to accelerate ART initiation among healthcare workers, secondary distribution of HIV self-testing, community-based HIV treatment services, and creative harnessing of social reciprocity mechanisms to advance HIV testing.

Understanding key immune strategies is central in the global pursuit of an HIV vaccine. One of the most important strategies is mucosal immunity, and this pre-conference, hosted by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise of IAS – the International AIDS Society – will explore its intricacies. Given that most HIV transmissions occur through mucosal routes, it is critical to induce protective antibodies at this level. Beyond exploring the role of mucosal immunity in preventing HIV acquisition, the pre-conference will address current challenges and opportunities associated with developing a vaccine that elicits a protective mucosal response. It will be a platform to introduce and translate mucosal immunity to a diverse audience, highlighting its importance and relevance today. Through this inclusive approach, the pre-conference seeks to build broader engagement and understanding of the critical issues in attaining mucosal vaccines.

This event is open to all registered AIDS 2024 delegates interested in learning about the HIV vaccine field. It is aimed particularly at early- to mid-career researchers and advocates.

The youth pre-conference will bring together young activists from around the world in all their diversity to advance the HIV and AIDS response as well as encourage a sense of unity and solidarity. It will offer a place for young people to convene, network and strengthen the resources necessary to continue youth-related programmatic work, advocacy, and research in their respective communities.

The youth pre-conference goals are to strengthen youth engagement at AIDS 2024 and help prepare young people for the main conference. The conference will feature three sessions with the themes of “Breaking barriers, building power, and forging alliances”. These skills will help participants to promote youth priorities within their communities during and after the conference. Youth can look forward to learning from and interacting with experts and each other.

For more information, please visit:

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Email: aidsyouthforces@gmail.com

Website: here

Community-led monitoring (CLM) is a powerful social accountability mechanism with proven impact on improving accessibility, affordability, availability and quality of HIV services. The context in which CLM occurs is changing: pandemic preparedness, universal health coverage and a focus on post-2030 sustainability for HIV are just some of the features of this new landscape. This pre-conference seeks to identify and explore the strengths and needs of CLM to ensure its continuity and efficacy moving forward. It will create a space for exchange about the application of CLM principles, models, and experience toward quality and accountability within the HIV response and in other health and development priorities. Through dialogue and case studies, this pre-conference aims to deepen understanding and foster cross-sectoral collaboration that values, strengthens and sustains CLM in a changing world. Join us! For more details, contact clm@iasociety.org.

This pre-conference will focus on the translational potential of biological findings, including discoveries related to the hallmarks of aging, into interventions for people living with HIV (PWH). Several biological changes are thought to bring about the progressive loss of function and the onset of frailty and chronic diseases at older ages. Geroscience is based on the observation that aging is the major risk factor for these progressive declines and that interventions targeting these molecular changes may prevent or delay the onset of aging-related diseases. Much of the currently funded research in geroscience is being conducted in people without HIV, and given the increased risk of aging-related comorbidities and associated mortality in PWH, the objectives of this workshop are to: 

• Provide currently known information on the epidemiology of and mechanisms that lead to chronic disease, premature morbidity, functional decline, and geriatric syndromes in PWH 
• Increase the understanding of how basic mechanisms of aging impact the overall health of PWH, and 
• Explore interventions that may prevent and slow premature aging in PWH

The Global Commission on HIV and Law made groundbreaking recommendations in 2012 on enabling legal and policy environments to reduce HIV. This call for countries to outlaw discrimination, repeal punitive laws and enact protective laws for effective HIV responses is reflected in the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, where countries committed to reach the 10-10-10 targets. UNDP's pre-conference session brings together a dynamic coalition: civil society organizations, people living with HIV and key populations, multilateral agencies, donors and other critical stakeholders will take stock of where we are and the road ahead. What skills, tactics and strategies are necessary - and have been successful - for effective advocacy on the pathway to law reform? How can international partners best accompany local action? Learn directly from key population leaders and organizations working to remove and/or mitigate human rights barriers to uncover a path to turn this dream to reality.

This pre-conference meeting, scheduled ahead of the 25th International AIDS Conference 2024, brings together a diverse array of stakeholders including civil society, community leaders, public health and clinical experts, programme managers, and policy makers to catalyze action aimed at accelerating the response to eliminate STIs as a public health threat. The meeting serves as a pivotal platform to underscore the significance of STIs within the broader context of global health, cultivate new collaborations, and mobilize advocacy efforts.

The meeting will focus on expanding the global response through coordinated multisectoral networks, strengthening interaction between STIs and HIV programmes, recognizing the interconnectedness of these health challenges. Through discussions and deliberations, participants and panelists will identify opportunities and key approaches to advance the WHO global STI targets by 2030.

This event will explore a range of innovative models for delivering HIV prevention services, focusing on PrEP and PEP in Africa. Global health funders, innovators, and health officials will come together to discuss latest developments, foster cross-sector partnerships, and set shared goals in a co-creation exercise whose findings will be circulated in a report following the conference.

This event will feature:

• Perspectives from global health funders and ministries of health on upcoming challenges and opportunities in HIV prevention services, with an emphasis on scaling effective approaches

• A forum for select innovators to showcase service delivery models that are reaching key populations in different ways

• Interactive group exercises that will underscore strategies for effective collaboration, maximizing funding potential, and setting actionable targets

For more information and contact details: https://mmeds.link/AIDS2024

Over the past decade, we have convened an international meeting alongside the International AIDS Society meetings, to identify opportunities to inform health policy and programming to ensure that children perinatally exposed to HIV thrive to their fullest potential. Globally, over 16 million children <15 years of age have experienced vertical exposure to HIV yet remained uninfected. Being born HIV-free has not ensured that these children thrive. Studies show increased risk of infectious morbidity, poor growth, and neurodevelopmental deficits compared to unexposed children. Risk of health disparities and opportunities for resilience include biologic, social, and structural aetiologies. For the 10th symposium on children and adolescents with perinatal HIV exposure, we will hold a pre-conference involving dialogue and presentations from families affected by HIV, affected adolescents, policymakers, clinicians, and researchers, with presentations spanning infancy through adolescence.

The pre-conference will reflect on current research directions, scientific and structural challenges associated with conducting HIV cure research and the importance of expanding and coordinating efforts across countries and regions. The sessions will include keynote talks, presentations, flash talks and panel discussions and is aimed in particular at advocates and young researchers. This hybrid event will be co-chaired by Steve Deeks, Izukanji Sikazwe and Jessica Salzwedel.

This AIDS 2024 pre-conference event builds on the momentum of several past dialogues that put a spotlight on the need for an integrated response to cervical cancer in the context of its disproportionate burden on women living with HIV. The recent years marked a remarkable increase in efforts made by countries and partners to build on the successes of the HIV response and integrate HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening and treatment services with those for HIV treatment and care to save and improve lives. 

This one-day event aims to enrich further the dialogue between countries, communities, researchers, implementers, and advocates working within the HIV and cervical cancer response to strengthen alignment and collaborations and maximize the combined potential of these efforts. The event will highlight successful models and unpack challenges and opportunities, including innovation, to build sustainable, integrated, and women-centred solutions for achieving integration on various levels, including policy, community engagement, implementation, and resource mobilization. 

The event will also provide some insights into current trends and options for managing other HPV-related cancers affecting people living with HIV.