Sex workers had a great representation in the previous AIDS Conference in 2008 which took place in Mexico-City, Mexico. It was also the time when the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) received the 2008 international Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, the award, which recognizes outstanding individuals and organisations that protect the rights and dignity of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Sex workers had a great representation in the previous AIDS Conference in 2008 which took place in Mexico-City, Mexico. It was also the time when the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) received the 2008 international Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, the award, which recognizes outstanding individuals and organisations that protect the rights and dignity of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. You can read the report about the 2008 AIDS Conference in SWAN News, Issue 20.

Languages
The official language of the conference will be English, but simultaneous translation into Russian will be provided for all sessions.

Registration
To encourage broad participation in the conference, organizers are offering a two-tiered fee structure, with lower registration fees for delegates from middle-/low-income countries (World Bank classification), students and post-docs.

1 December 2009
Registration opens

24 February 2010
Late surcharge added

5 May 2010
Last minute surcharge added

Abstracts
The XVIII International AIDS Conference welcomes the submission of abstracts for original contribution to the field in the following six programme tracks:

Track A:
Basic Science

Track B:
Clinical Sciences

Track C:
Epidemiology and Prevention Sciences

Track D:
Psycho-social and Behavioural Sciences

Track E:
Economics, Operations Research, Care and Health Systems

Track F:
Policy, Law, Human Rights and Political Science

Online abstract submission will open on 1 November 2009 and close on 10 February 2010.
On-line abstract mentoring is a service offered to young and/or less experienced abstract submitters to ask questions related to abstract preparation and submission from more experienced abstract submitters.

International Scholarship
A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available. Priority will be given to those whose participation will help enhance their work in their own communities, to those who are able to assist in the transfer of skills and knowledge acquired at the conference, and to those whose abstract, workshop or activity submission has been selected. The Scholarship Programme is non-biased within the established criteria, and selection is made based on the scoring achieved.
A full scholarship includes: registration to the conference; economy-class travel; shared accommodation in a budget hotel; modest daily allowance.
A partial scholarship includes any combination of the above.

8 December 2009
Scholarships open

10 February 2010
Scholarships close

Beginning of April 2010
All scholarship applicants will be notified

Satellite Meetings & Exhibition Space

Satellite meetings take place in the conference centre but are fully organized and coordinated by the organization hosting the satellite (private company, government agency, institution or NGO). Conference organizers make satellite slots available for a fee, which is based on the room capacity and the time slot, and will allocate slots according to availability on the conference programme. The contents and speakers of the satellite meetings will be reviewed by the programme committee to ensure that they meet the scientific and ethical principles of the conference.
Exhibition space has been made available for this conference. Organisers charge for exhibition space, but also provide a number of free/discounted exhibit booths for AIDS service organizations, non-commercial organizations and NGOs are planned within the Global Village. As space is limited, a selection process will take place following the 10 February 2010 Global Village application deadline. Application forms for free exhibit space in the Global Village, as well as for other proposed Programme Activities in the Global Village (including workshops, forums, networking areas, marketplace, and so on) will be available on the website after 1 December 2009. Detailed application guidelines will be available online at the beginning of November 2009.

1 December 2009
Satellites applications open
Exhibitions space applications open

31 March 2010
Satellite applications close

31 May 2010
Exhibitions space applications close

Volunteers
The conference secretariat is looking for 1,500 to 2,000 local, dedicated volunteers from Vienna and the surrounding region to help at the XVIII International AIDS Conference. Volunteers will help to coordinate the conference and other related programme activities by assisting with registration and material handling; act as guides during the conference; staff various offices; help in the Speaker and Media Centres and perform other crucial tasks. Amongst others, the main volunteer benefits are free access to the conference sessions (a timetable will allow each volunteer to have time to attend a few sessions every day), one free meal per day and a Certificate of Appreciation.

For more information visit AIDS Conference official website in English and Russian.