Welcome from
the Conference Chair

Geneva is a highly appropriate location for the 12th World AIDS Conference in 1998. A truly international city, Geneva has for many years figured prominently in the fight against AIDS. The city is home to UNAIDS and the World Health Organization, two of the leading organisations in the global fight against the epidemic. The city's local medical school has also contributed important research on the treatment of HIV infection and the prevention of opportunistic infections.

Geneva is known for its high quality transportation, modern conference facilities, experience in organising large meetings and superior hotel facilities. But at its heart, Geneva may be best qualified to host the 12th World AIDS Conference because it is a city that has consistently shown that it cares about global problems.

We are planning an exciting and innovative meeting, with the use of up-to-date technology to provide a state-of-the-art conference.

At this point, there are high expectations that the 1998 Geneva Conference will bring news of important advances in HIV treatment and prevention. With new treatments promising to change the meaning of "HIV-infected". The central question may no longer be: "Can we prevent the complications of HIV?", but rather "Do we have the determination, the means, and the political will to fulfil the promise of therapy for the more than 90 % of people with HIV who live in the developing world?" Along with news of the latest scientific advances, issues of access to treatment, equity, and the distribution of resources between North and South will also be prominent.

We look forward to seeing you in Geneva.


Professor Bernard Hirschel
Conference Chair

Welcome from
the CPC Chair

On behalf of both the local and global community organisers of the 12th World AIDS Conference, I wish to extend to you a warm welcome to Geneva, Switzerland in June 1998. We want to express our hope and our commitment to make Geneva 98 a memorable event and an important opportunity for exchanging research findings and intervention techniques related to HIV and AIDS. The Conference is being organised within the framework of multiple efforts to bridge the different gaps of inequity in the global responses to AIDS.

The 1998 Conference programme integrates the perspectives of diverse communities responding to the challenges of AIDS with the excellence of scientific research. The "Geneva Principle" was established to ensure a balance in planning between science and community. This was done so that women and men living with HIV and AIDS and representatives of community-based organisations can be true partners in a meeting designed to present a fertile mix of research from many scientific disciplines and practical responses from communities of all regions of the world.

The community-led programme includes dedicated meetings - as well as the Community Rendez-Vous - skills building sessions, cultural events and an ambitious scholarship programme.

Robin Gorna
Community Planning Committee Chair