AIDS 2026 volunteer programme submissions are now closed
We are looking for volunteers to take part in AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 26 to 31 July 2026.
Quick links:
Registration
Submissions
Conference overview
Submissions open: 19 March 2026
Mandatory kick-off meeting, activity training and venue walkthrough: 25 July 2026
If you have any questions, please contact the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team at volunteers@aids2026.org.
Volunteers’ roles
The success of AIDS 2026 depends heavily on volunteers!
Volunteers help coordinate programme activities, greet conference delegates, assist with registration, act as guides during the conference, staff various offices and activities, and perform other crucial tasks.
Volunteers’ benefits
For the time and effort they dedicate to the AIDS 2026 Volunteer Programme, volunteers will receive:
- Free in-person access to conference sessions when not on duty
- Lunch each working day
- A certificate of appreciation
- A free one-year IAS membership
Eligibility
To apply, volunteers must:
- Be 18 years or older on 26 July 2026
- Be available for at least four half-day shifts on four consecutive days during the conference
- Be available for the mandatory kick-off meeting, activity training and venue walkthrough on 25 July 2026
- Read and accept the AIDS 2026 volunteer policy and share the IAS values
Application process
To be able to fill out your application form within the given time frame, we recommend that:
- You have a digital picture of yourself at hand.
- You have your passport or national ID at hand.
- If you need a visa to travel to Brazil, research how long the procedure would take you (you can find more information here).
- You prepare a summary of the skills and qualifications that make you a great candidate.
- You prepare a short text on your motivation to be a volunteer at AIDS 2026.
- If you have already volunteered for us in the past and would like to be a supervisor this year, prepare a short text with your motivations.
Travel to Brazil
Before submitting your volunteer application, please check your eligibility and visa requirements for travelling to Brazil on our immigration page.
You can request a visa invitation letter through the AIDS 2026 Volunteer Programme application form. However, ONLY volunteers who have been selected and have received a schedule proposal will receive the visa invitation letter from the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team.
If you need to apply for a visa, we strongly encourage you to apply as soon as you receive a schedule proposal from us. If this applies to you, we will ask that you keep us posted on your visa status and confirm your schedule proposal only once your visa has been granted.
Please note that it is the sole responsibility of each volunteer to make their own visa, accommodation and travel arrangements. The IAS is unable to provide financial support to volunteers, nor reimbursements or refunds.
Selection and confirmation process
Applicants will be asked to detail their availability and activity preferences when filling in the AIDS 2026 Volunteer Programme application form.
- From March to early July, the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team will review all applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, we invite anyone interested in volunteering to apply as soon as possible.
- Priority will be given to applicants who reside in Brazil to foster local engagement during the conference and have maximum availability throughout the conference period.
- The information on the form will help the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team schedule volunteers for the roles they are most interested in and where their skills will be used most effectively. However, we cannot guarantee that we can accommodate your preference.
- If selected, the volunteer applicant will receive a proposal and be invited to confirm the schedule and activity proposed within 10 days.
- If the volunteer declines the proposed schedule, the activity and declined schedule will immediately be released to other volunteer applicants. The AIDS 2026 Volunteers team does not guarantee that the volunteer can make a second proposal.
- The AIDS 2026 Volunteers team has sole discretion in accepting or rejecting applications. Please note that if an application does not satisfy all selection criteria, the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team reserves the right to keep the application status on hold and make a decision at a later stage.
- Applications via email are not accepted.
Questions
If you have any questions, please contact the AIDS 2026 Volunteers team at volunteers@aids2026.org.
Together, we can do so much!
A few words from Julia, volunteer from Brazil
I was two years old when I attended my first conference, the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona in 2002. My dad and I accompanied my mom, an HIV researcher who went to every AIDS Conference. My dad stayed with me when she attended sessions. When I was 10 years old, my dad volunteered for the first time at AIDS 2010 in Vienna. To me, that was inspiring: to work for a cause you believe in and to do it with the brightest energy. In 2015, my mother passed away, and in the grief of losing a loved one, we decided that continuing her legacy and doing our duty as volunteers would be what honoured her the most.
So, at AIDS 2016 in Durban, my sixth conference, I volunteered for the first time with my dad. After that, I couldn’t wait for the next one. The opportunity to meet and get to know people from all around the world and be involved with the most enthusiastic and inspiring volunteers was definitely the best experience of my life. We also volunteered together at IAS 2017 in Paris, AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam and IAS 2019 in Mexico City. We can’t express how much the organizers, delegates and especially the volunteers have changed our lives and continue to do so.
A few words from Joyce, volunteer from South Africa
My first experience as a volunteer was at AIDS 2016 in Durban in my home country. As a peer educator and teacher attending the South African AIDS Conference in 2015, I saw the need to volunteer to learn about new developments.
I was impressed by the number of volunteers from around the globe who are so passionate about making a change in other people’s lives. As a volunteer, you gain a lot of knowledge by attending sessions before or after your shift. Volunteering also benefits people connected to volunteers as we become more confident about engaging in issues on HIV without fear of discrimination.
I also volunteered at AIDS 2018 in Amsterdam and IAS 2019 in Mexico City. At first in Mexico City, I was scared because of the language barrier and because I was the only South African volunteer, but the love, respect and assistance I have received from fellow volunteers have been beyond my expectations.
In 2018, I even planned my trip so I could attend pre-conference sessions before the main conference.
As a volunteer, I have found new friends who have become part of my family. I strongly recommend that you join the Volunteer Programme.
Caution against fraudulent activities related to applications and submissions:
Please note
- The IAS does not solicit or accept money from applicants, submitters and/or third parties for any matters related to applications and/or submissions, including the review process.
- Consider any communication suggesting otherwise as fraudulent and report it immediately to privacy@iasociety.org.