Community activities
Through community activities, IAS – the International AIDS Society – aims to engage the community in the lead up to and throughout the conference.
Activism
The IAS endorses freedom of expression as an essential principle in the response to HIV and in promoting full participation in its conferences. Activism and advocacy advance commitment, policy and practice aimed at ending the pandemic.
The conference will support dialogue and participation through community activist liaisons who will provide advice and assistance before and during the conference in accordance with the IAS principles and values of conference participation.
Community activist liaisons
The theme of AIDS 2026 – Rethink. Rebuild. Rise. – serves to galvanize the scientific, policy and activist communities. Activism has always been a cornerstone of the HIV response and has helped spur some of its most significant advances. This year’s conference takes place as the response faces one of its most difficult moments – and activists continue to be central in preventing the current crisis from rolling back progress. Activism and advocacy advance commitment, policy and practice aimed at ending the pandemic.
The IAS endorses freedom of expression as an essential principle in the response to HIV and in promoting full participation in the International AIDS Conference. The conference will support dialogue and participation through a team of community activist liaisons who will provide advice and assistance before and during the conference in accordance with the IAS principles and values of conference participation. You can contact your community activist liaisons, Liesl and Paul, at calsrio2026@gmail.com.
Community Project Grants
Five grant recipients have been selected for the AIDS 2026 Community Project Grants. These grants support projects that transform scientific evidence into practical, community-led HIV interventions. Each grant recipient will showcase their project findings at the Global Village at AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro.
To learn more about the selected organizations, click on the following link:
Educational tours
Conference delegates can take part in educational tours, organized by the IAS with civil society partners and local community-based organizations in Rio de Janeiro. The goal is to exchange knowledge, best practices, successes, challenges and innovative solutions through dialogue and experiential activities.
More information is available here:
Positive Lounge
The Positive Lounge is a dedicated space for delegates from key populations and people living with and affected by HIV to recharge, refresh, relax and reconnect in a nurturing environment.
More information is available here:
Community outreach
Through community outreach, the IAS aims to curate meaningful engagement before and throughout the conference. As part of the AIDS 2026 Organizing Committee, our civil society partners (ASHM, GATE, Gestos, PAC and the youth representative of the AIDS 2026 Organizing Committee affiliated with Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Juan A. Fernández) guide and support the community components of the AIDS 2026 programme.
The AIDS 2026 civil society partners are:
Brent Allan, ASHM – Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine, Australia: Representative of an HIV service delivery or programme implementation organization
Erika Castellanos, GATE – Global Action for Trans Equality: Representative of a global advocacy network
Robert Joseph Linda, PAC – Prevention Access Campaign, Uganda: Representative of a global network representing people living with HIV
Thiago Jerohan Albuquerque da Cruz, Gestos – Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero, Brazil: Local civil society representative
Paulo Dos Santos, Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Juan A. Fernández, Argentina: Young person under 30
The AIDS 2026 civil society partners represent a diverse and equitable network of key and affected populations. Their outreach projects ensure that a full range of communities and sectors affected by HIV are increasingly engaged in conference planning and delivery, which reflects conference values of inclusion, respect and global partnership building.