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GNP+ applauds choice of Amsterdam as site of the International AIDS Conference in July 2018
12 December 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) is delighted with the decision of the International AIDS Society (IAS), who announced today that the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands would host the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) from 22-28 July 2018. GNP+ is a permanent member of the Conference Coordinating
Committee of the International AIDS Conference, and lobbied along with other civil society partners for the conference to be
hosted in Amsterdam, because it would provide an unprecedented opportunity for greater participation of members of
communities most impacted by HIV, due to the lack of travel and entry restrictions for key populations.
"The Netherlands has a long history of supporting people living with HIV, including key populations living with HIV, both
domestically and globally through investments, and also through addressing the rights of all people living with HIV,
including sex workers, people who use drugs and men who have sex with men, to access prevention, treatment, care
and support," said Suzette Moses-Burton, Executive Director of GNP+. "Crucially, the approach has been
evidence-based from the earliest days of the response, with a strong pragmatic focus on the
inclusiveness of all communities of people living with HIV, including key populations,
as well as support for leadership from the community."
The International AIDS Conference was previously held in Amsterdam in 1992, and marked a watershed moment in the AIDS response,
challenging AIDS complacency as world leaders started to recognize a public health imperative to respond to the epidemic. It
was here, in Amsterdam, that the need for civil society activism for people living with HIV and key populations was
formally recognized by the International AIDS Society. Today, Amsterdam is an international hub for global civil
society strengthening. Alongside GNP+ and partner networks, Aids Fonds-STOP AIDS NOW!-Soa AIDS Nederland, the
Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund and International Civil Society Support (ICSS) are hosted here.
Hosting the conference in Europe will bring special focus to the need for an urgent response in Eastern Europe, particularly for
communities of people who use drugs and sex workers. Leadership from the community and civil society is vitally important to
ensure that rights of people living with HIV and key populations are supported, particularly by national governments where
international funding for health systems is being withdrawn as countries transition to middle-income status. Amsterdam
will provide a platform for these key populations to mobilise around access to prevention, treatment, care and support.
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For more information, please contact:
GNP+: Victoria Clarke, External Relations & Communications Officer
vclarke@gnpplus.net
Phone: +31-20-423 4114¦ Skype: vclarkegnpplus
Source: The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+)
The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+)
The Gl bal Network of People Living With HIV (GNP+) is the global network for and by people living with HIV. Its mission is to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV. The vision is a powerful and united worldwide social movement of people living with HIV, with their leadership and voices at the centre of the HIV response. GNP+'s objective is equitable access to health and social services for people living with HIV by focusing on social justice, rights and involvement. This will be achieved through GNP's purpose, which is to promote the greater and more meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in programme and policy development (the GIPA principle). For more information, please visit www.gnpplus.net. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
"Reproduced with permission - Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+)"
Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+)
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