(ANS – Washington) – The XIX International AIDS Conference was held in Washington, D.C., July 22-27, 2012. Twenty nine thousands delegates from around the globe participated in the sessions, discussions, workshops and informal networking as they examined the theme of the Conference: “Turning the Tide Together”. Fr. Tom Brennan, SDB, helped organize and moderated a panel discussion during the conference.
Leading scientists, public health experts, policy makers, members of the HIV-affected community and community leaders and activists met to seek effective ways of acting decisively on recent scientific advances in HIV treatment and biomedical prevention. Momentum has been growing that may lead to a cure and the development of a vaccine. Every stakeholder in the AIDS response is needed if we are to change the course of HIV and AIDS in the world.
Fr. Tom Brennan, SDB, helped organize and moderated a panel discussion during the conference. Collaborators included UNAIDS, UNDP, the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS, the Sero Project, the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies and the Hunter College Center for Community and Urban Health. The panel addressed the issue of the Criminalization of HIV: Is HIV a Crime? Race, Sexuality, Poverty and the Impact of Criminalization, and presented the following topics before a lively discussion with attendees: Adolescents: HIV, poverty, and criminalization; UNAIDS: UN response to HIV criminalization; Personal perspective: HIV non-disclosure and incarceration; Legal sanctions: adult incarcerations and US law; UNDP/UNAIDS Global Commission on HIV and the Law.
Fr. Brennan is the co-chair of the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS in consultative relationship with the United Nations. The Committee has agreed to collaborate on three advocacy issues for the year.
Published 02/08/2012
