SALC to attend the XIX International AIDS Conference

20 July, 2012

From 22-27 July, 2012 many working in the field of HIV, together with policy makers, persons living with HIV and others committed to ending the pandemic will gather in Washington, DC, USA for the XIX International AIDS Conference. As the HIV community at large reflects on and celebrates the “recent scientific advances in HIV treatment and biomedical prevention, the momentum for a cure, and the continuing evidence of the ability to scale-up key interventions in the most-needed settings”, SALC, together with many other stakeholders, will also take the opportunity to reflect on the role of human rights in “turning the HIV tide”. A recent report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law highlighted the continued negative impact of the failure to protect human rights on the HIV response. Former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, a member of the Commission has suggested that the report provides “compelling evidence that the epidemic of bad laws is costing lives”. 

At AIDS 2012, SALC will participate in discussions that will reflect on the impact of punitive and discriminatory laws, policies and state practices on HIV responses. We will also share our experiences on litigation and law reform strategies that we have used to address these challenges. 

Click SALC at AIDS 2012 to find out more about how SALC will be involved in AIDS 2012. You can also follow live updates from the conference on SALC’s twitter feed (@Follow_SALC