June 16, 2010
 
Dear Advocates,
 
This update contains information on the upcoming XVIII International AIDS Conference and a link to AVAC's HIV Prevention Research Roadmap, which details the range of related events and sessions at the conference.
 
The International AIDS Conference is held every two years. This year it will take place in Vienna, Austria, 18-23 July and bring together nearly 25,000 activists, researchers, policy makers and government officials.
 
The 2010 conference has a program that includes many satellites, special sessions, abstracts and skills building workshops on a range of topics, including HIV prevention research and advocacy. AVAC has begun to compile a list of HIV prevention research-related events, forming the basis of its HIV Prevention Research Roadmap.

To download the roadmap, please visit www.avac.org/aids2010.

The roadmap is a work in progress and will continually be updated in the days and weeks leading up to the conference. Are you planning a related event that we haven't included? If so, please let us know at avac@avac.org, and we'll add it to the roadmap.

In addition to the specific sessions included in roadmap, there will be a number of ongoing activities and networking opportunities in both the Global Village and Exhibition Hall of the conference center. If you are attending the conference, please visit us at booth number 263 in the Global Village and stand E-409 in the Exhibition Hall for information and materials on HIV prevention research and advocacy.

If you aren't able to make it in person to the conference, the organizers have committed to making a number of resources from the conference available through the online Programme-at-a-Glance (e.g., copies of speeches, slide presentations, abstracts, audio recordings, etc.). Webcasts of select sessions, produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation, will also be available for viewing via the conference website. We also encourage you to sign up for NAM's conference updates.

There are also a number of "Conference Hubs" being organized around the world, which are meant to provide access to videos of sessions; provide an opportunity for people to participate in discussions and debates locally; and to identify with local colleagues how information from the conference can be used to strengthen the AIDS response in a particular region. Click here for more on conference hubs.

Stay tuned for more updates on the conference as the opening draws closer, and we hope to see many of you in Vienna!

And, as always, please send any questions or comments to avac@avac.org.

Best,
AVAC