Thousands of HIV/AIDS activists, public health advocates, and policy makers from around the world are descending on Washington, DC next week for the bi-annual International HIV/AIDS Conference. UN Dispatch will be attending this conference in force, so if you have any suggestions on meetings to attend or stories to look out for please send them our way.
One of the key issues facing the global fight against HIV/AIDS is stigma. HIV is a manageable condition and people living with it and live long, healthy and productive lives. However, people living with HIV often are forced to hide their conditions (or worse, not even get tested) for fear that they will be stigmatized and discriminated against by friends, family, or society at large. Ending the stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS is a key componant of the global strategy to end HIV/AIDS all together.
This video from PSI Impact Magazine (which I contribute to) offers an excellent perspective on this challenge.
Stay tuned next week for lots of coverage of the International AIDS Conference.