From the early days of the HIV epidemic, the unique nature of the International AIDS Conference and its power to mobilize governments, scientists and the international media, while bringing hope and support to people living with HIV, has played a crucial role in shaping the course of HIV and AIDS.

Looking back, the International AIDS Conferences are signposts in the history of the epidemic, showing us not only where we went, but where we should have gone. Since the very first International AIDS Conference in Atlanta in 1985, when the scientists and public health officials grappling with how to respond to the emerging HIV epidemic gathered together to present an overview of knowledge about the disease, the conference has provided the platform needed to effectively respond to the pressing scientific, economic, social and political contexts of the day. More...

Sam Banda Junior, Media Scholarship Recipient and Reporter for Blantyre Newspapers, Malawi, was able to experience a state of the art media centre for the first time at IAS 2011

This was my first time at an international HIV/AIDS conference and I am grateful for the opportunity I was given.
v This being my first experience of a large conference on HIV, I wanted to learn as much as possible about the latest findings in the HIV field. Also, I wanted to link up with fellow media representatives from other countries and get to know the state of the HIV epidemic in their regions.

As Malawi is one of the countries in the African continent with little access to ARV therapies, I wanted to hear from drug manufacturing companies what kind of initiatives they are undertaking to make ARVs more accessible. More...