Reclaiming the Advocacy Agenda

GNP+ on behalf of the LIVING 2008 partnership is proud to announce the 12th International Conference for People Living with HIV LIVING 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit . The Summit will be held in Mexico-City, from July 31st to August 1, 2008, just prior to the 17th International AIDS Conference AIDS 2008 .

LIVING 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit will harness the diversity of knowledge and experience of people living with HIV (PLHIV). There will be a high degree of interaction between PLHIV delegates and the conference will be a mix of visionary plenary, topic driven sessions, skills-building sessions, themed discussion round tables, and networking sessions based on geographical groupings, populations and identities. The conference website is now available at living2008.org

LIVING 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit will highlight the following themes:

• Universal access to HIV treatment, care and prevention programmes;
• Criminalisation of people living with HIV;
• Sexual and reproductive rights of people living with HIV;
• Women and at-risk groups;
• Positive Prevention.

The PLHIV-focussed themes of LIVING 2008 will be an important component of AIDS 2008. The AIDS 2008 Conference Coordinating Committee has officially recognized and pledged support to LIVING 2008. With a unique and current perspective on treatment, care and prevention issues and HIV-related stigma and discrimination, LIVING 2008 delegates will lead within AIDS 2008. At the start of AIDS 2008 a large plenary satellite will present the outcomes of key sessions of LIVING 2008: The Positive Leadership Summit.

Participation in Living 2008 will be limited to approximately 300 people living with HIV. Application for scholarships to participate in the Summit will be through the AIDS 2008 International Scholarship Programme.

There will be limited additional places for self supporting delegates. To find more information on participating please visit LIVING2008.ORG .

LIVING 2008 is being organised by the LIVING 2008 Partnership, a consortium of organizations committed to strengthening the movement of PLHIV and their communities. These partners are GNP+, ICW, ICASO, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, IAS, IFRC, IPPF, the Mexican network of PLHIV, Sidaction, UNAIDS and WHO.

The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+) is the lead partner in coordinating and facilitating the planning and operation of the Summit. Being the only world wide network of all PLHIV, GNP+ has organised International PLHIV Conferences since 1987.