April 1998, Vol 1. No. 2

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WELCOME TO GENEVA

On behalf of the local organisers, I wish to express a warm welcome to incoming delgates. We shall do our best to make your stay in Geneva enjoyable and memorable. We also wish you a bon voyage for your trip to Geneva. À bientôt !

Claire Torracinta-Pache, Chair
Local Community Committee

The Place

Geneva is situated in a temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, which means that winter temperatures rarely fall below 0oC and in summer, the average daytime temperature is 25 oC. While most cities in Southern Europe are suffering from summer heatwaves, Geneva usually manages to stay pleasantly cool, thanks to breezes blowing over the lake. Conference participants from tropical or sub-tropical areas might find that evening temperatures are cool: do think of bringing one or two articles of warm clothing (a sweater or a windcheater should do) and remember that electric/electronic appliances in Europe run on 220 volts. A comfortable pair of walking shoes will also be handy for walks through town, or between sessions at Palexpo.

The People

Geneva has always been a French-speaking city with an openness to the rest of the world which means that many people understand at least one other language, usually English, Italian or German. Some people also speak Spanish, and Portuguese, especially in the service industry. Many people from the service industry (police, customs, hotel personnel, etc.) will also take part in training before the Conference and, as such, will be sensitive to the needs of the HIV/AIDS community. The Swiss have a reputation for cleanliness and order which Geneva tries hard to live up to. Geneva is a very tolerant and open city, but excessively rowdy or disorderly behaviour is, of course, frowned upon.

Off the Beaten Track

Like in most Western European cities, and despite Geneva's small size, it is relatively easy to find evening diversions. The Pâquis area, near the Cornavin train station, is Geneva's red-light district. There are also many lively bars, sex-shops and restaurants in this part of town. Police, in general, tolerate the individual use of cannabis, however possession and dealing of hard drugs are not tolerated and could be severely punished. There is an accessible needle exchange in town. We will be informing Conference participants on arrival of schedules for substance users support groups.

As for the queer/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/gay scene, there are nightclubs, parties, bars and cruising areas throughout the city. More precise information on this will be widely distributed among Conference participants in June, with the help of Geneva's local gay group, Dialogai

NEW FACES AT THE SECRETARIAT

As the Conference approaches, our busy Community staff is getting even busier. Two new colleagues are helping us to deal with important Community Aspects: Skills Building and Culture.

Mary MYAYA was hired in January 1998 as Skills Building Co-ordinator. She comes from the Pacific Northwest of the USA and has worked many years in Southern Africa as a Public Health Educator in HIV/AIDS. Her grassroots knowledge of this field, and her extensive training experience, have enabled her to develop keen insights on what the needs are in developing a Community-based response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and who can best impart this kind of knowledge.

Michael HAUSERMANN also began working with our team, as Cultural Programme Co-ordinator, in November 1997. He was the director of the Swiss AIDS Federation between 1990 and 1995, and has spent the past years working on the relationship between sexuality, health and spirituality. He brings to the Community team his sense of leadership, organisation and vision. These qualities will be of great help in organising cultural and leisure activities that will promote interaction between Conference participants and the people of the Geneva area.

THE LCC

In 1996, a team of local Community representatives returned from Vancouver full of enthusiasm and ideas. This team has grown into the Local Community Committee, an important element that voices local and regional concerns in Conference planning.

Along with the other members of the LCC, the LCC Chair, Claire TORRACINTA-PACHE also sits on the Community Planning Committee. Claire has recently interrupted a political career as representative to Geneva's legislature. While still active in her former occupation, she marshaled Geneva's many public and private resources to help make the 12th World AIDS Conference an event worthy of her city and canton.

Dominique ROULIN coordinates the AIDS ministry of the National Protestant Church of Geneva. She has been a never-failing source of inspiration and comfort to many PWAs and their loved ones. She is also a prominent HIV/AIDS activist in Switzerland, beyond the spiritual and pastoral concerns of her profession. Her sensitivity to differences in faith will be a great asset to organising Geneva 98's interfaith service, as people of different beliefs gather to celebrate lives lived and to be lived.

In 1992, PVA-Genève (the French acronym for People Living With HIV/AIDS ) was founded as the cantonal organisation of positive people. It provides support and resources and space for meetings and activities oriented to people living with HIV/AIDS. Its presence on the LCC is a sign of the concern showed by Genevan PWAs for the greater involvement of PWAs worldwide in decisions which affect the quality of their lives. PVA-Genève's representative to the LCC is ZOY, an artist and activist.

Dialogai, the Genevan gay group and a prevention partner of the Swiss AIDS federation, also sits on the LCC. Dialogai's representative to the LCC is Michel MAX. He has coordinated a great deal of effective and compelling HIV prevention work towards gay men, and ensured that Dialogai provides space and resources for social, cultural, political and leisure activities. It is likely that Dialogai's premises will also provide the Conference with one of its most welcoming social venues.

Marc VESIN is the representative of AIDES Haute-Savoie on the LCC. Crossing the border is an everyday matter to thousands of commuters in the Greater Geneva area, and the local approach to HIV/AIDS questions often involves input from one of the neighbouring area branches of AIDES, the French national network of AIDS Service organisations. Marc is an activist and speaker on HIV/AIDS issues in French-speaking Switzerland and nearby France.

The Groupe sida Genève, Geneva's main ASO, has invested resources and skills in Geneva 98 since the very beginning. It is one of the Conference's important local partners and is represented by its legal counsellor, Florian HÜBNER. Florian is one of the most dedicated workers on the HIV/AIDS Community scene in Switzerland, particularly in the field of human rights advocacy.

The Swiss AIDS Federation, the umbrella organisation of the national ASO network, sits on the LCC and is represented by Claudio FERRANTE. Other LCC members include Nicole CASTIONI-JACQUET, who represents ASPASIE, the Genevan sex workers organisation, and Alexander RYS, a founding member of the now-defunct Swiss PWA organisation P.W.A-Switzerland and a committed activist on both national and international levels.

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