Community activities
Through community activities, IAS – the International AIDS Society – aims to engage the community in the lead up to and throughout the conference.
Educational tours
Conference delegates can choose from two educational tours, organized by the IAS with civil society partners and local community-based organizations in Kigali. The goal is to exchange knowledge, best practices, successes, challenges and innovative solutions through dialogue and experiential activities.
View the tour programme and register:
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.
View the Positive Lounge services and opening hours:
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 a Community Activist Liaison who will provide advice and assistance before and during the conference in accordance with the IAS principles and values of conference participation.
Community Forum
This IAS 2025 Community Forum will bring together activists, programme implementers and policy makers to examine how long-standing gaps in HIV funding and rights have been exacerbated and, crucially, how communities are finding ways to push forward.
Through three interactive sessions, the forum will:
- Analyse the deepening funding crisis, highlighting the impact on programmes and services while exploring strategies for sustainability.
- Examine the policy and programmatic landscape, exposing threats to rights-based responses and showcasing successful advocacy and creative solutions.
- Offer a space for direct and informal discussions in a World Café set-up.
By fostering discussion and collective problem solving, this forum aims to highlight community-driven approaches that can inspire action and build a more resilient HIV response.
The IAS 2025 Community Forum will take place on Sunday, 13 July, from 14:00 to 17:45 CAT.
You can find more information in the online programme.
The Community Forum is supported by the IAS and Expertise France.
