17th ICASA CONFERENCE 2013

THE BIGGEST AIDS CONFERENCE IN AFRICA

The conference theme “Now More Than Ever: Targeting Zero” is derived from the UNAIDS’ vision of
striving for “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths”, but it also highlights the need to “now more than ever” maintain the commitment to ensure access to treatment for everyone in Africa irrespective of their ability to pay for such treatment. The hosting of this Conference in South Africa is highly symbolic as it was in South Africa during the XIIIth International AIDS in 2000 that a turning point was reached in breaking the silence around AIDS in Africa, which resulted in an unprecedented commitment by donors, government and civil society to increase access to treatment in an attempt to turn the tide of this epidemic.

The 17th ICASA is an opportunity to renew this global commitment by drawing the world’s attention to
the fact that the legacy is now under threat as a result of the global economic downturn. This year’s ICASA is an opportunity for the international community, and all Africans, to join efforts in committing to achieving an AIDS-free Africa. Given the urgency of the issue we are anticipating 7 000 -10 000 of the world’s leading scientists,policy makers, activists, PLHIV, government leaders – as well as a number of heads of state and civil society representatives – will be joining the debate on how to achieve this vision.

The conference will be chaired by Professor Robert Soudre, the President of the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA) and  co-chaired by Professor Ian Sanne, the CEO of Right Care and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. The conference will be an excellent opportunity to promote inter-sectoral achievements in the AIDS response and to strengthen the partnership among governments, civil society, and development partners.

The objectives of ICASA 2013 are to:

• Serve as an advocacy platform to mobilise African leaders, partners and the community to
  increase ownership, commitment and support to the AIDS response.
• Provide a forum for exchange of knowledge, skills and best practices in Africa and from around
  the globe.
• Mobilise support to scale up evidence-based responses to HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted
  infections, tuberculosis and Malaria in order to achieve the millennium development goals.
• Act as platform to hold accountable all stakeholders to scale up and sustain the AIDS response.
• Create opportunities to define priorities and set policy and programme agendas to enhance
  mobilisation and effective utilisation of resources.