IAS Digest: Uniting the HIV response
Welcome to the second edition of the IAS Digest! Dedicated to uniting the HIV response, this edition includes updates from IAS programmes on the most pressing issues facing people living with, affected by and working on HIV today. The IAS unites the global HIV response because progress happens when science, policy and activism come together.
There are just a few days to go until AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, the largest gathering of people impacted by and working on HIV. Over 10,000 participants from around the world are expected to convene in Munich, Germany, and virtually to exchange knowledge and best practices.
We spoke with IAS President Sharon Lewin about what she is most looking forward to at AIDS 2024 and key moments in her presidency.
As I prepare to step down, I'm optimistic about the future of our global HIV response. There is still much to do, and collaboration between science, policy and activism is crucial.
IAS President Sharon Lewin
IAS Educational Fund
In the next few months, the IAS Educational Fund will hold several regional meetings around the world, notably in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and in the eastern Europe and central Asia region.
Since its beginning, the IAS Educational Fund has been reaching HIV professionals in resource-limited settings and granting scholarships. By doing so, the IAS Educational Fund provides inclusive educational opportunities to facilitate bridging the gap between evidence-based science, policy and action.
This was illustrated by meetings in Chile and Brazil, where strategies, policies and HIV clinical practice at local and national levels were improved.
Community-Led Monitoring programme
The IAS united the HIV response around community-led monitoring (CLM), bringing together 55 CLM implementers and researchers from nine African countries at a workshop in South Africa in May 2024.
CLM is a social accountability mechanism for communities to identify and articulate the health issues, service issues and/or inequalities they face. Communities engage directly with services and service recipients, analyse findings, and advocate and engage with stakeholders in government and other sectors to identify and implement solutions based on the findings. Since 2022, the IAS Community-Led Monitoring programme has been building a better understanding of CLM and its adoption to improve the quality and effectiveness of HIV service delivery.
The problem here is political will, which is exacerbated by the conservative backlash we are seeing in many places, not just in Ghana and Uganda, but also in the United States and elsewhere. This is putting the gains we have made in danger and is a further barrier towards reaching the 2030 goals.
IAS Executive Director Birgit Poniatowski
Interview with the IAS Executive Director
IAS Executive Director Birgit Poniatowski gave an exclusive interview to Pharma Boardroom last month, sharing her perspectives on the future of the HIV response, the role of the IAS in uniting global efforts, and AIDS 2024.
Discover how the IAS is driving progress through uniting science, policy and activism.
IAS+ wins "Best Education or Professional Development Offering"
The IAS works hard to make the latest scientific knowledge accessible – and we are delighted that our interactive digital platform, IAS+, has won a 2024 International & European Success Award for “Best Education or Professional Development Offering”.
Ways you can get involved in uniting the HIV response
AIDS 2024 pre-conferences
Three of the people known to have been cured of HIV – the London Patient, City of Hope Patient and Dusseldorf Patient – are expected to attend the IAS-organized pre-conference, “Towards a truly global HIV cure”, at AIDS 2024.
Independently organized pre-conferences offer a wide range of population- and issue-specific programming in global health and development ahead of the conference, on 20 July and 21 July. Make sure to register! Other IAS-organized pre-conferences and co-organized pre-conferences are:
- Differentiated service delivery beyond HIV treatment: Learnings from and for NCDs and family planning towards integrated DSD
- Securing progress and extending impact: Implementation science and the HIV response
- Shutting out HIV: Exploring key immune strategies of HIV vaccines
- Community-led monitoring in a changing world
- The 10th symposium on children and adolescents with perinatal HIV exposure
- Mobilize for action to address sexually transmitted infections
Have you registered for AIDS 2024?
AIDS 2024 will take place in Munich, Germany, and virtually from 22 to 26 July and calls on the global HIV response to unite behind a simple principle: Put people first! Registration is still open.
Join us at the AIDS 2024 Global Village!
If you’re attending AIDS 2024, don’t miss the Global Village, which is free to the public and delegates. The Global Village is a diverse and vibrant space where communities from all over the world connect, share and learn from each other. With a blend of speaker sessions and cultural activities, it is a hub for watching live performances, broadening networks and touring marketplace booths and art exhibits.
IAS satellites
More than 100 satellites will take place at AIDS 2024, with sessions delving into sustainability, resilience and the future of the HIV response. Some of our satellites and co-organized satellites are:
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Models to simplify, normalize and diversify PrEP service delivery for scale and equitable access
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Person-centred and integrated healthcare services for people living with and affected by HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in eastern Europe and central Asia
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A global consensus statement on person-centred care within the HIV response: how we got here and where we are going next
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From commitments to action: A thoughtful dialogue on integrating mental health into HIV prevention, treatment and care
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Navigating the horizon: Community-centric HIV vaccine trials
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Reaching the 4th "90" target: Accelerating the integration of HIV and noncommunicable disease responses to improve quality of life for people living with and affected by HIV
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Yes, we can! How strong leadership and smart investment are reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination
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Differentiated strategies to support sustained engagement and re-engagement in HIV services in eastern and southern Africa
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Community-led monitoring in a changing world
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From UHC2030 to sustained HIV, sexually-transmitted infections and viral hepatitis services: Pathways to inclusive, integrated people-centred primary health care
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An Action Plan to accelerate bNAbs for peri- and post-natal prophylaxis (PNP)
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Ending AIDS as a public health threat: the role of a vaccine in the era of long-acting PrEP
IAS statement: IAS urges protection of health services amid the Israel-Hamas conflict
Amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the IAS called for the protection of healthcare workers and facilities.
IAS calls on UN Member States to put people first
The IAS called on UN Member States to put people first and prioritize an integrated, person-centred approach for the prevention and treatment of HIV, co-infections and co-morbidities. It did this in a statement at the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly (WHA) on 31 May. The statement also expressed concern about the rise of sexually transmitted infection rates in many regions and slow decline in HIV and viral hepatitis acquisition rates. WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, is tasked with addressing global healthcare challenges and deciding how best to overcome them.
#PutPeopleFirst
AIDS 2024 will call on the global HIV response to unite to #PutPeopleFirst!
Join us in mobilizing a groundswell of support by showing your support for a person-centred approach!
You can also connect online by following AIDS Conference social media channels and help spread the word by sharing suggested posts and graphics from our AIDS 2024 social toolkit.
Join the conversation
Connect with us and stay up to date by following the official IAS social media channels.
