Cape Town to host Africa’s biggest AIDS conference

December will see some 10,000 delegates and community visitors in Cape Town for the 17th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA).

Themed Now More Than Ever: Targeting Zero, the four-day conference highlights the need to maintain the commitment to ensure access to treatment for everyone in Africa, irrespective of their ability to pay for it. This year’s ICASA is an opportunity for the international community, including all Africans, to join efforts in committing to achieving an AIDS-free Africa.

The conference, which was secured by the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau, will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from December 7-11, 2013. According to Cheryl Mulder-Verbruggen from the Convention Bureau: “The ICASA Conference continues to highlight Cape Town’s ability to host large and important congresses as well as further strengthen our position as the Number 1 conference destination in Africa.”

“This regional gathering will explore progress in the science relating to TB, HIV and AIDS. During this conference high quality science around these issues will be presented and the outcomes of the presentations will enhance patient care while also informing the strategic decisions required to continue to secure health financing to meet the millennium development goals,” said Professor Robert Soudre, co-chair of the conference and President of the Society for AIDS in Africa.

It will be co-chaired by Professor Ian Sanne, the CEO of Right Care and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand.

“What makes this conference unique is that unlike other conferences where only delegates can participate in the event, ICASA 213 has a large community village where African and international NGOs exhibit and offer a range of exciting events that can be accessed by the public, civil society organizations and people living with AIDS, at no cost,” said Dr. Gustaaf Wolvaardt of the conference’s organizing committee.

“Hosting a major international conference of this scale with up to 10 000 of the world’s leading scientists, policy makers, activists and government leaders – as well as a number of heads of state and civil society representatives attending – not only has positive economic implications for Cape Town and the country, but emphasizes the Mother City as a destination that can comfortably and safely host large scale conferences,” said Mulder-Verbruggen.

For more on the ICASA 2013 conference visit www.icasa2013southafrica.org