International AIDS Society
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is an association of HIV professionals, with 16,000 members from 196 countries working at all levels of the global response to AIDS. IAS members include researchers from all disciplines, clinicians, public health and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic, as well as policy and programme planners.
The IAS is the custodian of the biennial International AIDS Conference and the lead organizer of the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.
The current IAS President is Chris Beyrer. Past presidents have included Helene D. Gayle, Joep Lange, Peter Piot and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. The IAS's headquarters are located in Geneva.
History
The IAS is a non-profit organization founded in 1988, with a mandate to organize the International AIDS Conference. Initially the IAS headquarters were based in Stockholm and Lars-Olof Kallings was the Secretary General from 1988 until 2003.
In 2004, the IAS restructured its organization, expanded the number of professional staff and moved the headquarters to Geneva. The move was intended to strengthen organizational links with other health NGOs and (United Nations) multilateral agencies.
Conferences
International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Conference (abbreviated AIDS 2012, AIDS 2014 and so on) is the world's most attended conference on HIV and AIDS.[1] These conferences started in 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. They were held annually until 1994 when they became biennial. The last conference was in Melbourne, Australia in July 2014.
The International AIDS Conference is the largest regular conference, and it provides a forum for the interaction of science, community, leadership, and the strengthening of an evidence-based policy and programmatic responses to the epidemic. The conferences also allow an opportunity to intensify political and financial commitments to AIDS, and include the largest international conference scholarship program in HIV/AIDS.
List of International Aids Conferences
Below is the list of International Aids Conferences and their venue:
| № | Year | Location | Theme and link |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1985 |  Atlanta, United States |
(no theme) |
| II | 1986 |  Paris, France |
(no theme) |
| III | 1987 | Washington, D.C., United States |
(no theme) |
| IV | 1988 |  Stockholm, Sweden |
(no theme) |
| V | 1989 |  Montreal, Canada |
The Scientific and Social Challenge of AIDS |
| VI | 1990 | San Francisco, United States |
AIDS in the Nineties: From Science to Policy |
| VII | 1991 |  Florence, Italy |
Science Challenging AIDS |
| VIII | 1992 |  Amsterdam, Netherlands |
A World United Against AIDS |
| IX | 1993 |  Berlin, Germany |
(no theme) |
| X | 1994 |  Yokohama, Japan |
The Global Challenge of AIDS: Together for the future |
| XI | 1996 | Vancouver, Canada |
One World One Hope |
| XII | 1998 |  Geneva, Switzerland |
Bridging the Gap |
| XIII | 2000 |  Durban, South Africa |
Breaking the Silence |
| XIV | 2002 |  Barcelona, Spain |
Knowledge and Commitment for Action |
| XV | 2004 |  Bangkok, Thailand |
Access for All |
| XVI | 2006 | Toronto, Canada |
Time to Deliver |
| XVII | 2008 |  Mexico City, Mexico |
Universal Action Now |
| XVIII | 2010 |  Vienna, Austria |
Rights Here, Right Now |
| XIX | 2012 | Washington, D.C., United States |
Turning the Tide Together |
| XX | 2014 |  Melbourne, Australia |
Stepping up the Pace |
| XXI | 2016 | Durban, South Africa |
Access Equity Rights Now |
IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention
The IAS also organizes the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention. This conference occurs biennially and focuses on the biomedical aspects of HIV. It aims to bring together participants from around the world by providing an environment for researchers and clinicians to address current issues in HIV research, prevention and treatment. The conference was held in Paris in 2003, Rio de Janeiro in 2005, Sydney in 2007, Cape Town in 2009, Rome in 2011 and Kuala Lumpur in 2013. The 2015 meeting will be held in Vancouver.
Joep Lange, a former president of the International AIDS Society was killed en route to the 20th Conference in Melbourne while on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down over Ukraine.
Publications and other resources
The society financially supports the publication of the Journal of the International AIDS Society, an online, open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of research on HIV and AIDS.
The IAS Online Resource Library is an online collection of abstracts and other resources from international conferences, as well as numerous other materials produced by the IAS launched in January 2010.
Other activities
The IAS works with other regional HIV/AIDS societies and networks to strengthen the capacity of HIV professionals to respond to the epidemic at the regional level. The society runs the Industry Liaison Forum, whose mission is to remove barriers to research investment by the pharmaceutical industry in resource-limited settings. The IAS also provides professional development and training opportunities for HIV professionals at both international and regional AIDS conferences through its education programme.
References
- ↑ 2008 UNAIDS Annual Report, p.13, WHO
External links
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