XVIII International AIDS Conference
Vienna, Austria will host the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), the largest international meeting on HIV. The biennial conference attracts close to 25,000 people, representing all stakeholders in the global response to HIV, to address the gaps, assess progress and identify future priorities in the response to HIV and AIDS.
The International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership with civil society, government, and other international and scientific partners from Austria and other parts of the world, will convene AIDS 2010. The World YWCA is a member of the Conference Coordinating Committee (CCC) representing women, young people and faith-based organisations. As part of the planning committee, the World YWCA is working to ensure that these constituencies are meaningfully mainstreamed to all aspects of the conference agenda.
The conference has great potential to engage Central Asia and Europe, especially Russia, in addressing HIV and AIDS. Russia accounts for two-thirds of all HIV cases in Eastern Europe and many believe Central Asia has one of the fasts growing epidemic in the world.