ICVolunteers Projects CalendarXIII World AIDS Conference Project at a glanceDates and Place09 - 14 July 2000, Durban, South AfricaInternational Convention Center (ICC) OrganizersInternational AIDS Society (IAS), UNAIDS, Women with HIV/AIDS, Global Mouvement against AIDS; complete list of sponsors available on the Conference web site: http://www.aids2000.org. Participants12000 Project detailsTheme: Breaking the Silence The XIII World AIDS Conference was the first International AIDS Conference organized in a developing country and the largest conference ever hosted in Africa. According to UNAIDS, 24,5 million Sub-Saharan Africans live with HIV/AIDS, most of whom do not have access to treatment and have little chance of surviving the pandemic. In South Africa, two children out of five are born HIV-positive. The Conference addressed many issues relating to the disease and broke many silences, in a country where much remains to be done. The Conference will be remembered for some of its historical speeches, particularly those of President Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela and Judge Edwin Cameron, a white HIV-positive South African who denounced injustices related to treatment, accessible only to a few privileged Africans. Volunteering OpportunitiesA dozen of our international volunteers from five continents joined the local AIDS Conference Volunteer Team to help with the logistics of the Conference. They helped at the press center, the PWA-lounge, the volunteer office, the cultural program and the scholarship office. Through their participation, they got the chance to meet many international and South African delegates and local volunteers. As Abhi Indrarajan from Sri Lanka put it: "This conference has been a great cultural experience for me. I really loved the people I worked with (Amasiko Group - Cultural Events Organizers), and I am also looking forward to coming back to South Africa for a vacation." Posted: 2002-9-29 Updated: 2006-10-31 | ||
