Reflections on AIDS 2024 Munich
As AIDS 2024 in Munich concludes, LPV CEO Richard Keane shares some observations and reflections from this year’s International AIDS Society Conference.
This year’s International AIDS Conference in Munich has proven to be hectic and hopeful, but also demonstrated that there is much work to do to address the inequities of the global response to HIV and AIDS.
The pre-conference last Saturday began with a powerful and poignant minute of silence to acknowledge the 660,000 people who have died from AIDS in the last year alone.
The LPV contingent has been at the forefront of this year’s conference, engaging with presentations in the global village on Australia’s own PozQoL Quality of Life Measures, which are now being implemented across ten countries and translated into many languages as quality of life for people with HIV is being framed as a key component in our global efforts to reach virtual elimination of HIV.
A presentation in the Global Village by our own Prof Graham Brown, along with Queensland Positive People CEO, Melissa Warner, and I explored the implementation of the W3 Framework, which allows peer-led organisations like our own to demonstrate the data and evidence-base that measures the value of our programs, advocacy and partnerships.
LPV Health Promotion Officer, Vic Perri, participated in intergenerational panel discussions, presented films centred on the lived experience of people over 50 and attended the HIV and ageing pre-conference, sharing and learning the latest developments in ageing well with HIV. Vic also delivered a presentation on our Well Beyond 50 website at the conference Silver Zone.
A personal highlight of the conference for me was to be in the room to witness representatives of our partners NAPWHA, ASHM and the Australian Government as we became the 4th Nation to sign onto the International U=U Declaration, alongside Canada, The USA and Vietnam. This Declaration acknowledges the science and evidence that virally suppressed people living with HIV provide zero risk of transmission and play a key role in HIV prevention. The Declaration promotes the shared goals of moving towards virtual elimination of HIV. I hope to see the U=U message being utilised more broadly into the future and driving decriminalisation efforts, anti-discrimination and removing barriers to ensure that all people living with HIV can live their lives to their full potential and enjoy the healthy sexual and reproductive lives that we all deserve.
NAPWHA’s Beau Newham’s session in the Global Village (along with LPV Peer Navigator, Carlos Araya) on the lived experience of migration drew PLHIV from across our region together to speak about their journey, and called for migrants to be included as key populations in future strategies and global conferences.
It has been confronting and sometimes challenging to reflect on the privilege we have in Australia with community at the centre of the response providing a voice at every level of the decision making process that impact our lives.
This is a rare and precious thing earned by 40 years of advocacy and activism. With funding obligations being walked-back, even in other wealthy global countries & states like our own, we must fight even harder to preserve what we have achieved in order to continue to support our community and accept the responsibility to share and protect our achievements.
These privileges cannot be taken for granted and we cannot allow the growing perception that in Australia, the job is all but done.
I look forward to returning to my desk at LPV energised, focused and determined to ensure the gains we have made are not lost to premature self-congratulations and visions of grandeur on achievements yet to be realised, which often overtake us in the rush of emotions encountered in the environment of an important international conference such as this.