2007 HIV/AIDS IMPLEMENTERS' MEETING ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

[Guest guest]

22 February 2007

2007 HIV/AIDS IMPLEMENTERS' MEETING ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

" Scaling Up Through Partnerships " Meeting Information and Abstract

Submission Guidelines Available Online at: http://www.hivimplementers.com

<http://www.hivimplementers.com/>

Washington, DC - The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, along

with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UNAIDS,

UNICEF, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization has announced a

call for abstracts for the 2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting.

The HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting will take place June 16-19, 2007 in

Kigali, Rwanda and this year's theme is " Scaling Up Through Partnerships. "

The meeting theme recognizes the rapid expansion of HIV/AIDS programs

worldwide. Together, implementers will exchange lessons learned on building

the capacity of local prevention, treatment, and care programs, maintaining

quality control, and coordination of efforts. This forum will facilitate an

open dialogue about future directions of HIV/AIDS programs, with a strong

emphasis on implementation and identification of critical barriers and best

practices.

The Conference Steering Committee invites program implementers to submit

abstracts that illustrate key programmatic steps, tools, successes and

challenges, including any results from recent public health evaluations and

studies. Abstracts should offer information that will support scaling-up HIV

programs to reach unprecedented levels of scope, quality and access. The

final deadline for abstract submissions is March 15, 2007.

Abstract reviewers will prioritize abstracts clearly demonstrating one or

more of the following implementation experiences including:

* Critical steps, tools, approaches used to achieve specific

programmatic successes

* Flexibility and response to unforeseen challenges

* Local leadership and expertise from the country and/or region of

program

* Meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) as

providers and implementation experts

* Using partnerships to achieve results that would not be possible

alone

Who can submit an abstract? Persons and organizations actively engaged in

HIV/AIDS program implementation and evaluation are eligible to submit

abstracts for consideration.

How will abstracts be reviewed? Presenters of accepted abstracts will be

guaranteed the opportunity to register during a defined registration period.

Abstracts will be subject to a peer review process carried out by a panel of

international experts. Selected abstracts will be scheduled as either oral

or poster presentations, and will be compiled and published in the program

book. It is the author's responsibility to submit an abstract that has been

approved by all co-authors and their organizations.

When will abstracts be approved? Abstract reviewers will determine whether

an abstract is approved for oral or poster presentation and notification of

presenters will be on or before April 1, 2007.

More information regarding required abstract format and guidelines for

submission can be found online at: http://www.hivimplementers.com

<http://www.hivimplementers.com/>

Information about the sponsors of the meeting:

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a $15 billion,

five-year initiative to turn the tide against global HIV/AIDS - the largest

global health initiative directed at a single disease that any nation has

ever undertaken. For more information about PEPFAR please visit

http://www.pepfar.gov <http://www.pepfar.gov/> .

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a unique global

public/private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional

resources to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The

Global Fund has approved grants for 450 programs in 136 countries with a

total commitment of US $7 billion. For more information about the Global

Fund, please visit http://www.theglobalfund.org/.

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the

efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to the global AIDS

response. Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO,

UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS Secretariat

works on the ground in more than 80 countries world wide. Visit the UNAIDS

Web site at www.unaids.org <http://www.unaids.org/> .

UNICEF is leading the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS global campaign

which provides a platform for urgent and sustained action in four key areas:

preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, scaling up pediatric

treatment and care for children infected with HIV, preventing new infections

amongst adolescents, and supporting children affected by AIDS. UNICEF is on

the ground in 155 countries and territories. For more information please

visit http://www.unicef.org <http://www.unicef.org/> .

The World Bank is engaged in the fight against AIDS, which is threatening to

reverse the gains of development, to further its mission of fighting

poverty. The World Bank provides comprehensive and sustainable financing for

AIDS programs worldwide and to date has committed more than US $2.7 billion.

For more information on the World Bank's response to HIV/AIDS please visit

http://www.worldbank.org/aids.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating

authority on international health work and takes the lead in the United

Nations system in the global health sector response to the AIDS epidemic.

For more information please visit http://www.who.int <http://www.who.int/> .

Media Contacts:

Pugh (PEPFAR) +1-202-663-2708; Jon Lidén (The Global Fund)

+41-22-791-1723;

Sophie Barton-Knott (UNAIDS) +41-22-791-1697; Gerrit Beger (UNICEF),

+1-212-326-7116; Anne Winter (WHO), +41-22-791-5876