22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018), Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 23-27 July 2018

Ias, Washington D.C. DC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary While rates of new HIV infections are declining in many parts of the world and the number of people dying of AIDS-related causes each year has decreased significantly, a large number of infected people remains untreated and HIV infections are on the rise in some parts of the world and among various particularly vulnerable populations. A concerted action to further scale-up the response is required in order to meet the 90- 90-90 targets by 2020 and achieve the global goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Scientific research needs to continue to help define the most effective ways to implement prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, including in the context of the challenges associated with prevention and retention in care of key populations and young people, and the changing nature of the epidemic, particularly with regard to aging populations on long-term treatment, the interactions with cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other non-communicable diseases, both in the context of generalized and of concentrated epidemics. Significant innovation is required to realize this agenda against a background of diminishing resources, multiple competing priorities and little time. The 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) will build on multiple recent developments across the spectrum of the HIV response, explore ways to take effective interventions to scale, and focus attention on remaining information, programming, and financing gaps by region and by population. The scientific program will emphasize the latest evidence with close attention to the perspectives of affected communities and to the potential to harness advances in service delivery methods, technology and data systems to reach the key linked goals of epidemic control and universal access to treatment. AIDS 2018 will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 23-27 July 2018. Anticipated attendance is 15,000+ HIV scientists, clinicians, policy makers, civil society, community and private sector representatives. As the conference will give particular attention to the expanding HIV epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, strong participation of scientists and implementers from this region is expected. The specific aims of AIDS 2018 are to: 1. Bring together the world?s experts in HIV and related fields to advance scientific knowledge, present new research findings, and enhance global scientific and community collaborations in synergy with other health and development sectors to ensure timely progress towards reaching universal access and retention goals; 2. Promote human rights-based and evidence-informed HIV responses that are tailored to the needs of particularly vulnerable groups including adolescents and young adults, women and girls in high-burden settings, people living with HIV, displaced populations, men who have sex with men, people in closed settings, people who use drugs, sex workers, and transgender people; 3. Highlight the critical role and address gaps in innovative, high impact and scaled combination HIV prevention tools, strategies, and approaches, in particular among young people in all their diversity, and their integration into a range of health care settings; 4. Advance research into the interactions between HIV and non-communicable diseases, drawing specifically on results related to genetically diverse and aging populations in Europe and high-burden countries, and the integration of HIV into diverse public health settings in a way that retains efficacy; 5. Examine the state of the epidemic and the HIV response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and other regions where HIV is still expanding, and in the context of displacement and migration, with a focus on investments, structural determinants and services. The scientific program will consist of five tracks: A ? Basic and Translational Research; B ? Clinical Research; C ? Epidemiology and Prevention Research; D ? Social and Political Research, Law, Policy and Human Rights; and E ? Implementation Research, Economics, Systems and Synergies with other Health and Development Sectors. Cross-cutting aspects will be covered in plenary talks that also connect the scientific tracks with community and leadership perspectives, and bridging sessions will cut across at least two of the tracks to provide opportunities for multi-disciplinary dialogues. HIV cure research, pediatric and adolescent HIV as well as care for the elderly and other life course-related questions will be tightly integrated into the scientific conference program, including through cross-track sessions. The cost-effectiveness of HIV interventions and options for their integration with other health and social services will be explored both from an implementation science angle and with regard to future research. Finally, AIDS 2018 will provide excellent opportunities for young investigators to engage with their peers at an international level while being exposed to the perspectives of affected communities, policy makers and funders.