AIDS 2010: The opening ceremony in Vienna

A massive banner was drop at the site of the conference which read ‘Broken Promises Kill, No Retreat, Fund AIDS’. Four huge helium-filled balloons flew in the conference foyer with the faces of world leaders and demanding full funding to fight global AIDS. The activists have decided to continue their actions throughout the five-day conference, which ends on 23 July. The activists brought posters in the form of tombstones, held to remind conference attendees of the million individuals who are in need of treatment. They read ‘Broken Promises Kill, No Retreat, Fund AIDS’.

European governments and The United States of America have recently pulled back in their support for AIDS treatment, prevention and care to the fact that governments in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, have failed to live up to their commitment to fund AIDS treatment and other health needs as laid out in the Abuja Declaration.

Paula Akugizibwe from the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) stated that “The African Union countries have failed to live up to their Abuja commitments on health, and that the finance ministers recently suggested that these spending targets should be dismissed altogether. She further reported that despite their repeated rhetorical recognition investment in health is critical for socio-economic development, governments around the world are retreating from their prior commitments—particularly with regard to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The conference opened with a video message from UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon reiterating UNAIDS’ new vision for the AIDS response: zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. Michel Sidibé, the executive director of UNAIDS, highlighted the transformation that is required to break the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic as well as the urgency for a new approach to antiretroviral treatment, and introduced Treatment 2.0.

A member of the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS from Indonesia, Rachel Arinii, expressed powerful messages representing youths at AIDS 2010. She concluded that young individuals are too young to die and called upon the leaders to provide evidence-based sexuality education in and out of schools.

Singer and activist Annie Lennox, who was recently appointed UNAIDS International Goodwill ambassador, stated that “HIV should not be stigmatized, it should be normalized” and there should be no more discrimination of HIV.

The ceremony was closed by Austrian President Heinz Fisher, who welcomed the delegates to the conference and to the beautiful country of Austria.

The biannual gathering is convened by the International AIDS Society in partnership with a number of international, regional and local partners. It is mostly attended by individuals working in the area of HIV, policy makers, researchers, and individuals living with HIV.

See more photos from AIDS 2010 on our Picasa page.