News

The world’s largest HIV conference returns 30 years later to where the AIDS epidemic first emerged in the US. The International AIDS Society (IAS) has announced that San Francisco, California, in partnership with nearby Oakland, will host the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020). This is 30 years after the event was held there at the height of the epidemic in the United States.

1 March 2018 (Geneva, Switzerland) – The International AIDS Society (IAS) today announced the appointments of Professor Sharon Lewin and Dr Mark Dybul as the new Co-Chairs of the Towards an HIV Cure Advisory Board. The outgoing Co-Chairs are long-time leaders in HIV research, Jack Whitescarver and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Lewin is an IAS Governing Council member, Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, and Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne, Austr...

The world’s largest open scientific conference on HIV and AIDS will be held in Mexico City in July 2019. The International AIDS Society (IAS) has announced that Mexico City, Mexico, will host the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019).

It is with a great sense of accomplishment and an equal measure of sadness that I have decided to step down as Executive Director of the International AIDS Society (IAS) after the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in July.  My work here has been challenging, exciting, and with your partnership, deeply rewarding. It is remarkable to think what we have accomplished together since 2014: Revitalization of the IAS as a voice of our members, a partner and a trusted leader in the HIV re...

The International AIDS Society (IAS) mourns the passing of Mathilde Krim, founding chair of amfAR, and a giant in the history of the HIV response. She was 91. Dr Krim, a cancer researcher trained at the University of Geneva, was living in New York City when the epidemic was first recognized in the early 1980s. At a time when fear and hysteria dominated the world’s perception of HIV, Dr Krim stepped forward to become the most visible advocate in the United States for a response to HIV that was ...

Across the world, for a variety of cultural, social, political and religious reasons, accessing HIV prevention, care and treatment services is still not as simple as it could and should be. This is particularly true for key populations – men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers and transgender people – who in 2017 still face formidable challenges to access quality healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. Policy barriers and high levels of st...

14 November 2017 (Geneva, Switzerland) — The International AIDS Society (IAS) welcomes the appointment of Peter Sands as the new Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Following more than a decade in the financial sector – including more than eight years as the Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank – Peter has dedicated his life to improving global health and accelerating the fight against pandemics, including AIDS, TB and malaria. He currently s...

The International AIDS Society mourns the passing of Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan and honours his life of service and dedication to an open society and to the fight against AIDS. Amsterdam, the city that Mayor van der Laan led for seven years, occupies a critical role in the history of the global fight against AIDS. It was among the first cities in the world to support needle exchange, which helped address a growing epidemic among people who inject drugs. In keeping with the city’s co...

The International AIDS Society (IAS) mourns the passing of Pierre Bergé, a giant in the fight against AIDS and a renowned human rights advocate. Pierre died at the age of 86 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, on 7 September 2017. A successful businessman, a patron of the arts and an active member of the supervisory board of Le Monde, Pierre used his wealth and influence to make the world a better, more just place. Pierre was a founder of Sidaction and its president since 1996. He played a...

The IAS Towards an HIV Cure initiative recently merged with another leader in the field, the HIV Cure Initiative (HCI). The new entity, which will operate under the IAS Towards an HIV Cure name, will join forces to better promote HIV cure research and speed the development of effective HIV remission or cure strategies. Launched at a meeting hosted by the Annenberg Foundation, then housed at the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), the HCI fostered public-private partnerships towards an...