The Drug Policy Networking Zone at the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna

  
IAS AIDS conference 2010 in Vienna:
Drug Policy Networking Zone in the Global Village

Transform Drug Policy Foundation and the International Drug Policy Consortium are co-orgainising and hosting the Drug Policy Networking Zone at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, from 17 to 23 July 2010. You can download the networking zone flyer and event schedule here(pdf).

About XVIII International HIV/AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010)

The International AIDS Conference is the worlds premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. There will be over 25,000 delegates at the main conference, and the Global Village is additionally open to the public.

It is now clear that stigma, discrimination and human rights violations, as well as punitive or misguided policies towards key populations most affected by HIV, are major obstacles to an effective response to HIV.

Given the 2010 deadline for universal access set by world leaders, AIDS 2010 will coincide with a major push for expanded access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. With a global economic crisis threatening to undermine public investments, the conference will help keep HIV on the front burner, and will be a chance to demonstrate the importance of continued HIV investments to broader health and development goals. In this context, the protection of human rights is a fundamental prerequisite to an effective response to HIV.

This year's conference has a special focus on drug policy reform with the launch and pormotion of the Vienna Declaration being one its primary aims.

The Drug Policy Networking Zone

The Drug Policy Networking Zone, located in the Global Village, is a space for sharing ideas, experiences and expertise on drug policy reform. It is also a place to forge new links and develop strategic thinking. We’ve joined forces with the Harm Reduction and Human Rights Networking Zones to produce a ‘mega’ zone with a full schedule of talks, discussions, debates and multimedia running throughout the week. Click here to find out more about the full programme of events that will be taking place in the ‘mega’ zone.


Opening Reception

There is an opening reception of the Drug Policy, Harm Reduction and Human Rights networking zones on Sunday 18th July, 16:00-18:00. All welcome.

Press briefing

We will be holding a press briefing in the Drug Policy Networking Zone from 15:30-16:00 on Sunday 18th July.

Highlights from the Drug Policy Networking zone event shedule include:

What can the drug policy reform movement learn from HIV/AIDS activism?Tuesday 20 July, 16:00-16:45
Civil society actors within the HIV movement have a much stronger presence and a louder voice within drug policy debates than civil society within drug policy reform. This session aims to discuss and debate the essential features of AIDS activism that could inform drug policy activism. ”Beyond a declaration”, how can we continue to move towards drug policy reform?Wednesday 21 July, 14:15-15:15
The Vienna Declaration is a global call for science-based drug policy and is the official declaration of AIDS 2010. The session will feature one of the declaration’s key authors, Evan Wood, from the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, Steve Rolles from Transform and Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch from OSI. Drug policy and law reform: progress and challenges for the futureWednesday 21 July, 12:00-13:00 and Thursday 22 July, 16:30-17:30
Policies that act as a barrier to drugs services can increase the health risk for injecting drug users putting them at greater exposure to blood-borne infections, including HIV. The panel will look at how lobbying, campaigning and legal challenges against such policies and interventions can lead to law reforms that ultimately provide greater protection to IDUs and enable them to access drug treatment and harm reduction services without fear of being punished.
Volunteering

We welcome volunteers to help us with the organisation and staffing of our zone in the Global Village.  Please contact Marie at mnougier