The Sunday News
IT’S all systems go now for the 18th International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa (Icasa) which kicks off in Harare today, with Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa expected to officially open the event at the Harare International Conference Centre on behalf of President Mugabe who is out of the country.
Over 10 000 delegates from across the continent and beyond are expected to attend. The five-day conference, the biggest on Aids and STIs in Africa, will run from today until Friday under the theme: “Aids in Post 2015 Era: Linking Leadership, Science and Human Rights.”
Heads of all UN agencies are also expected to speak during the official opening. These include UNAids executive director Mr Michel Sidibe, Unicef regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa Dr Leila Pakkala, WHO regional director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti and Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and executive director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
Press and Communications officer for the Icasa local secretariat Mr Walter Mawere said all was set for the successful hosting of the conference.
First Ladies of the 54 African countries are expected to attend the event, where they will participate in a special session titled:
“The role of First Ladies in embracing and sustaining change in the HIV response.”
Some of the iconic figures expected to grace the occasion include football legend and former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o Fils and the only person to have been “cured” of HIV in the world, Mr Timothy Ray Brown famously known as the Berlin conference.
Eto’o, who will be accompanied by his wife Georgette, is set to officially open the community village on Wednessday.
“I can safely inform you that we are ready and preparations are well on course. The hotel has finished refurbishing and all necessary tents for the side events, exhibitions are now up. The opening ceremony is on the 29th November, His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, President Mugabe is expected to officially open the conference. Other guests include Heads of all UN agencies who will also speak during the official opening.
The closing ceremony will be on the 4th December. We have also finished the recruitment of volunteers to help with the conference and these will be stationed in different areas from the airport up to the venue to assist our delegates,” he said.
Mr Mawere said one of the major highlights of the conference will be the new HIV treatment guidelines set to be announced by WHO. He said expectations were that WHO would raise the CD4 count by which people should be initiated on ART from 500.
“As you know people are being initiated on ART when CD4 count is at 500. However, we are expecting WHO to either raise the CD4 count by which people should be initiated on ART or to launch Test and Treat where if a person tests positive they are initiated on ART right away. So we are really looking forward to these guidelines,” said Mr Mawere.
The conference provides a medium for African countries to exchange experiences and lessons on responses to HIV/Aids and STIs, tuberculosis and malaria. Delegates are expected to review the HIV and Aids response mechanisms adopted by countries, as well as come up with ways of strengthening partnerships among governments and co-operating partners.
Some of the delegates to the conference include about 300 under privileged people, who were awarded scholarships to attend the conference by the Icasa local secretariat. The 300, who were drawn from different backgrounds, include key populations such as people living with HIV, children orphaned by HIV and other disadvantaged groups in society.
This year’s edition will host 15 plenaries, 42 abstract sessions, 13 non-abstract driven sessions, 18 special sessions, 21 workshops, 42 satellite sessions, 17 community dialogue space and stage sessions, cultural performances, dramas, musical sessions, and art exhibitions among other sessions.
For the first time in the history of the conference, the plenary session will have speakers from the community and the sciences joining invited dignitaries.
Zimbabwe won the bid to host the Icasa conference ahead of four other countries after Tunisia, which had initially won the bid, failed to meet set security requirements.
