A man sits in a hospital ward, and asks for a drink of water. The nurse does not bring him a glass, but throws a bucket of cold water over his head. She believes he, and he alone is responsible for his disease, HIV. He is only one of three patients in the ward; it’s not surprising with that level of compassion and patient care, that there aren’t more people suffering from HIV warded at the hospital.

It’s all about stigma, the lack of education and a top down response to the epidemic. Track A one of four tracks at the upcoming 8th ICAAP in Colombo Sri Lanka is all about the “Political and Community Leadership and Partnership for Change”. This track will explore ways of bridging gaps between political and community leadership through bottom up approaches as adopted in many parts of Asia and the Pacific. Business and religious leaderships will also have a role in further strengthening the future of the HIV response.

“Media to Facilitate Information Exchange” “Scaling up Universal Access to Preventive Services”, “Successful advocacy by PLWHA” and “Programming for Children Affected by HIV” are some of the session titles at the upcoming 8th ICAAP.

Abstracts ranging from how to enhance media coverage of HIV and TB, to cross country collaborations to share the best strategies for helping children, make up some of the sessions, and a provide a framework for reducing stigma and discrimination.

This congress aims to take on some tough themes, with human rights and human security, gender and sexuality as well Greater Involvement of People Living with AIDS (GIPA) as their main cross cutting themes.
We envisage the exchange of crucial information and ideas in the fight for greater awareness of HIV and AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. We look forward to your participation.

For more information on the 8th ICAAP check our website at www.icaap8.lk, or email communications@icaap8.lk