Experts meeting to prepare the 6th Eastern Europe and Eentral Esia HIV/AIDS Conference took place in Moscow
On 30 September 2016, the Moscow Trade Centre hosted the Experts Meeting to prepare the 6th Eastern Europe and Central Asia HIV/AIDS Conference (the EECAAC 2018). The meeting has gathered experts from Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries and has been devoted to developing Conference Concept as well as to nominating candidates to co-chair the Conference Programme Committees.
Professionals from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan participated in the meeting. Honorable guests and speakers participated:
Anna Yu. Popova, Head of the Consumers Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Supervising Federal Service, Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS, Vinay Saldanha, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Yuri Bykadorov, Head of the Department of Youth Projects and Programmes of the Federal Youth Agenc and others.
Anna Yu. Popova, Head of the Consumers Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Supervising Federal Service says:
Taking into account previous experience on preparing the conference, we suggested the wide of experts from the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS as our long-term partner in the Conference organisation, to participate in developing options for the Conference concept, its goals and objectives. Also, to nominate members of the Conference Organising and Programme Committees. In our opinion, this inclusive approach allows to reflect in full existing view points on the issues of HIV in the region and possible solutions to the problems. That is why, today we are hosting the Expert Meeting and welcome representatives of governmental, international scientific and medical organisations, civil society organisations and pharmaceutical companies from the region.
Participants of the meeting studied the Evaluation Report on the 5th Eastern Europe and Central Asia HIV.AIDS Conference and suggestions on composition of the Organizing and Programme Committees of the 6th Conference.
You can see the Evaluation Report here
The Conference Concept of the EECAAC-2018 was presented to experts. Emphasis of the Conference Programme and its Satellite Events on the following thematic areas will make the key features of the 6th Conference:
- Innovative approaches to prevention and treatment of HIV-infection, opportunistic diseases and co-infections
- Strengthening linkages between science and practice
- Regional healthcare systems development
- New generation without HIV/AIDS
- Sports to support HIV/AIDS combat
- Migration and HIV
- Role of cooperation, interactions and coordination in fighting HIV/AIDS
- Economic aspects of fighting HIV
Giving accent to HIV prevention as separate part of the Conference Programme is right and timely decision. The epidemic changes its face – significant success is recorded in HIV/AIDS treatment, but we also see that the number of new cases of HIV is rising in the region in all groups, particularly among vulnerable groups. We also support the suggestion from Dr. Popova to strengthen the scientific vector of the Conference, because accelerating actions to end AIDS epidemic should employ the latest scientific advances. I hope that the Conference will take into account these scientific accomplishments and new realities of the epidemic. – emphasized Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director, Programme, UNAIDS,
The 6th Conference will be devoted to developing regional recommendation, reflecting system cross-sectoral approach to achieving the goal set by global community in September 2015 – to end the epidemic by 2030. Implementation of regional recommendation will assist adaptation of national strategies and will increase effectiveness of national programmes to combat HIV-infection, taking into account regional context and local specifics of the epidemic.
The meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 6th Conference is planned for February 2017.
