Mogae attends global AIDs meeting

Staff Writer | Thursday July 15, 2010 00:00

 

According to Mogae's private secretary, Bapasi Mphusu, the International AIDS Conference is the largest global meeting on HIV, where every two years 25,000 participants representing all stakeholders in the world's response to HIV meet to assess progress and identify future priorities.

AIDS 2010, the 18th in this series of international AIDS conferences, is organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS) in partnership with government, scientific and civil society partners in Austria and international partners from civil society and the United Nations.

IAS, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals.Mphusu revealed that the former president will participate at a Roche Satellite symposium on 'Scaling Up Access for Treatment and Monitoring: What will it take to Deliver?' on Tuesday where he will speak on 'The Challenges, Successes and Failures of the Botswana HIV Epidemic Response'.

The following day, the former president is expected to attend and make informal remarks at the launching of the Global Commission on HIV Prevention while on Thursday he will participate at a session titled 'Leaders against Criminalisation of Sex Work, Sodomy, Use and Possession of Drugs and HIV Transmission'.

Mphusu said Mogae will make a statement on the reasons why criminalisation of HIV transmission is bad public policy, and how countries can be persuaded to limit the use of criminal law to address cases of intentional transmission of HIV and instead focus on effective public health and human rights strategies.

'While in Vienna, Mogae will chair a meeting of the Champions for an HIV-Free Generation and collaborating partners such as the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, UNICEF, UNAIDS, SADC, WHO and PEPFAR,' he said. Mogae is expected to return on July 25, 2010.