The XVIII International AIDS Conference taking place in Vienna, Austria, will feature a number of events and activities related to sexual health and rights.
To help conference delegates navigate the maze of conference sessions and events, the Global Network of Sex Work Projects, an Open Society Foundations grantee, has released the Sex Work and HIV/AIDS Roadmap. The roadmap includes not only official conference sessions, but also activities taking place at the Global Village’s Sex Worker Networking Zone. In response to the human rights theme of the 2010 conference, the Global Network of Sex Work Projects has adopted the slogan “Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs” to highlight the need for legal frameworks and policy approaches that protect sex workers' rights and reduce their vulnerability to HIV.
In addition, the Public Health Program's Sexual Health and Rights Project is supporting the following events:
- Human Rights and HIV/AIDS: Now More Than Ever Rally
Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and AIDS activist Annie Lennox will headline a march and rally for human rights in Vienna on July 20, 2010. The event is expected to draw more than 15,000 participants. Further details on the march and rally, as well as information on the Human Rights and HIV/AIDS: Now More Than Ever global campaign, are available at: www.HivHumanRightsNow.org.
- Be Heard!: A Pre-Conference for Gay Men and Other MSM in the Global HIV Pandemic
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV, an Open Society Foundations grantee, is hosting its fourth biennial pre-conference for MSM (men who have sex with men) in Vienna, on July 17, 2010. The conference will explore the major successes and challenges in achieving universal access to HIV-related prevention, care, treatment, and support services for MSM and transgender communities worldwide. The pre-conference will convene 450 human rights advocates, artists, researchers, public health officials, multilateral organizations, and global donors for a day of workshops, skills building, information exchange, and networking sessions. The MSM pre-conference will be followed by an evening networking reception. For further information, please see: www.msmgf.org.