Ahead of the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich (22-26 July 2024), our team shares a word on what EATG will present, their expectations and reflections in regards to the conference. Here are the stories of Nicoletta, Annise, Apostolos, Rocco and Chiara.
The 25th International AIDS Conference is fast approaching, indeed it is only a matter of days now before we can all join this incredible gathering. It was 1985, when I went to Atlanta to attend the very first AIDS Conference. I felt then that I was the only woman living with HIV on earth! Much has changed since my first AIDS Conference, but the determination and commitment of the community of people living with HIV, has not changed, despite many hurdles we have experienced, individually and collectively. It is always a joy and a gift to reconnect with my peers!
With much pride, this year, I will be attending the Conference as EATG Executive Director, a great honour which carries a wealth of responsibilities. It is a privilege to be able to have the mandate to represent EATG when interacting with many relevant stakeholders. A great number of activities will take place at the Conference with EATG input and contribution. Although I am mindful of our internal narratives and often I feel, as Gramsci explained that “history teaches, but has no pupils”, I am determined to ensure that our visibility at the Conference is marked by our very high professional standards. Our competence, and our place in Europe and beyond, will become evident during the Conference as our staff and many members have worked very hard for EATG to maintain the role of meaningful interlocutor in supporting communities living with and affected by HIV and in ending the HIV epidemic. The Silver Zone and the 5-5-5 Zone are only two examples of our presence at the Conference and many of us are involved also in the Living Conference, in many other activities at the Global Village and elsewhere. As well as meeting with industry donors and continue my fundraising efforts, I am too involved in many activities at the Conference, at the Silver Zone and at the Living Conference.
On 21st July, I will also be the keynote speaker at the IAS Industry Liaison Forum and WHO workshop on Thriving with HIV at 50 and beyond and on 22nd July, as a former IPAC Commissioner, I will attend the City of Munich Signing Ceremony to Join the Fast-Track Cities Network and I will be taking part in a discussion following the Release of IAPAC-Lancet HIV Commission on the Future of Urban HIV Responses Report.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo once said that the power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better. This is the EATG I want to see at the Conference in Munich.
Executive Director
For the social justice and health equity policy advocacy geek I am, the AIDS 2024 Conference and surrounding activities is a great opportunity to learn and plot policy advocacy and initiatives with colleagues, partners and other key players. This gathering brings community, researchers, healthcare providers, health authorities from across the World to examine the latest evidence and build consensus on agendas for action in the next years.
At AIDS 2024, I look forward to supporting activities at the 555 Zone. “5-5-5” represents people left behind in the 2030 UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. “5-5-5” represents all the efforts needed to reach and go beyond the targets to leave no one behind. “5-5-5” represents what communities want and what is needed to bridge the gap in HIV prevention, treatment and care. Through a series of various activities, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the needs and priorities of key populations and will be immersed in the narratives around the epidemic, remaining challenges and innovative civil society interventions driving the response to the HIV epidemic in the WHO European region.
I cannot help but look at politics in 2024. This electoral year has generated some hope but also a lot of anguish due to the further strengthening of the politics of exclusion that challenge liberal democracies, justice, science and fundamental rights. The AIDS 2024 take place in that context. The European Union’s institutions are being renewed in that context. HIV has nearly disappeared from national and EU policy agendas and health will not have an as prominent place as the one it has had in the last 4 years. We’ll need to be creative to ensure that health equity and inclusive healthcare systems is firmly anchored as an objective of the incoming European Parliament and European Commission. We will need to work together to ensure that health equity is integrated in all EU policies to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage . This is critical to improve public and individual health outcomes, leaving none behind.
I join AIDS 2024 to strengthen EATG and my policy advocacy work. We need to update our sometimes outdated approaches to build a empowered and inclusive movement, to impact on policies and practices, to focus on what unite us with others, to join the pool the knowledge and skills of different generations and sectors.
Policy and Programme Manager (Combination Prevention / Quality of Life)
My first IAS conference was in Washington DC, in 2012. It was the year when PrEP was introduced in the USA and this conference seemed like a celebration of the shift towards more open policies under the Obama governance. Just a few years earlier, the new government decided to repeal the HIV entry and immigration ban, a prerequisite for the conference to take place. Still, many community delegates didn’t manage to attend the conference due to their involvement in practices like sex work and drug use which were and still are largely barriers for community engagement in such global events.
Fast forward, 12 years later, the political climate seems to justify that there is no such thing as linear progress. As with other aspects of history, there are regressions regarding what we have achieved with our activism and through science. Despite the scientific progress and the commitment of the people on the ground, stigma and discrimination are predominant and structurally inscribed. Intersectional stigma hinders our communities from achieving their best potential.
Human rights are in jeopardy in this new shift towards more conservative policies worldwide. And once again, our communities will not be fully represented in Munich. People from the Global South, from challenging political environments and from marginalised communities are the ones left behind. They are those under the radar of the 95-95-95 cascades.
One of the spaces EATG convenes together with AIDS Action Europe and Correlation is the 5-5-5 – We won’t be left behind! Networking Zone. Our inspiration was to focus on those who do not make it to the success stories of the HIV/AIDS response. On Monday 22 July (15:00), I will present EATG’s campaign Stigma-Free. Join me there.
You should also drop by the Silver Zone, where we have curated a comprehensive programme around ageing and HIV together with Realize.
Finally, make sure you visit EATG’s booth at the Global Village -most probably you will find me there, so grab a coffee, come over and let’s catch up!
Communication Manager
“We were a few people, very knowledgeable, very open to learn, that were on the right side of history” says Luís Mendão, EATG member and international activist, in “What We Wanted was What We Needed – Rebuilding a Community of Memories and Inclusive Advocacy”, EATG’s feature documentary on the Sitges Meetings launched in January 2024.
The Sitges Meetings epitomised a community-led space for learning and collaboration, with an ambience of egalitarianism, where all the parties needed gathered around the same table to promote the inclusion of people with HIV/hepatitis C (HCV) coinfection in clinical trials for new hepatitis treatments, and then to ensure rapid access to safe and effective treatments. What were the outcomes? Join us at the Silver Zone (Global Village – Networking Zone CS01) on Sunday, 21 July 2024 (13:30-15:00) to watch the entire documentary!
Spoiler alert: this model of community advocacy was extremely successful. By documenting the stories, voices and experiences of the people involved in the Sitges meetings, we have had a look at EATG’s past to shape the future and apply this model to Belong, a project that since 2021 has been advocating for the inclusion of people living with HIV in non-HIV clinical trials.
Being able to participate in clinical trials is crucial for developing better treatments. This is a no-brainer. But, as exacerbated by the initial COVID-19 vaccination trials, people living with HIV are still excluded from most trials for non-HIV-related health conditions. This historic exclusion means that, when these products are marketed, our communities will use these drugs without specific safety and efficacy data. In response, we launched a position paper in September 2022, now available in 14 European languages. But we need more spaces to raise awareness and promote more inclusive research trials, with specific attention to the inclusion of underrepresented groups, such as cisgender women and trans persons.
To continue this important dialogue, EATG will host a community-led workshop during the Living 2024 pre-conference. Join us on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 13:30-14:30 CET in Munich (Room 12 A; 1st Floor) to discuss why people living with HIV must be included in non-HIV clinical trials. We will explore existing barriers, understand the implications of these practices, and discuss possible approaches to promote real clinical trials for real people!
And if you want to talk more about the Belong project, you will find me at any EATG-branded spaces during the AIDS 2024 Conference.
Programme Officer and Project Coordinator
It’s been some busy months getting everything (…or almost everything) ready for the Silver Zone: A Networking Zone for Older People Living with HIV (Global Village – Networking Zone CS01) at AIDS 2024! Come join us to network and listen to more than 30 sessions over 5 days at the Global Village. We will have great speakers sharing their experiences from all over the world!
Who is behind the Silver Zone and how has it come to be? Learn more about it during the session on “The Silver Zone at AIDS 2022 and the Development of the Glasgow Manifesto” on Wednesday, 24 July 2024 (14:45-15:30). We will present our newest project on “Ageing with HIV – The Glasgow Manifesto: A Platform for Change,” in which we are reviewing national policies and programmes in 5 WHO European countries addressing key issues of people living and aging with HIV with a focus on stigma, mental health, ageism, and prevention, management, and treatment of comorbidities and other age-related health conditions.
But this is not all! Join us for two intergenerational events happening at the Youth Pavilion and at the Silver Zone:
- Pleased to Meet You! Facilitated Intergenerational Networking on Tuesday, 23 July 2024 (12:15-12:50) at the Youth Pavilion. Using a “speed dating” approach, people living with HIV will have the opportunity to meet, greet, and learn from others of different ages and stages. No need to register to join in the fun – just show up!
- Sharing Living Expertise: Intergenerational Panel Discussion on Wednesday, 24 July 2024 (12:00-13:00) at the Silver Zone. A moderated panel discussion in which people living with HIV across all age groups will share their living expertise and their perspectives on ageing with HIV.
Do you want to connect? You will find me most of the time at the Silver Zone or any other EATG-branded spaces! Let’s connect in Munich!
Programme Officer and Project Coordinator
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