The South African AIDS Conference (SA AIDS) took place June 13-15 at the International Convention Centre in Durban. SA AIDS is an energizing, biennial conference that brings together a cross-section of the people and organizations sustaining the HIV/AIDS movement in South Africa.

This year’s theme, The Long Walk to Prevention: Every Voice Counts, comes at a critical time for HIV research and rollout in South Africa. In a time of both great uncertainty, but also of exciting dynamism in the prevention field, AVAC is thrilled to see the conference focusing on this essential component of a comprehensive AIDS response.

We gathered a full roadmap of prevention research oriented events and presentations. Download our roadmap here, and the full conference program here.

Key Sessions

• Community Village — An interactive and participatory space to discuss cutting-edge issues in HIV, share knowledge and skills and network. Open to conference participants and to the general public.
• Research Literacy Networking Zone — Wits RHI in partnership with AVAC, SAHTAC and APHA will disseminate research literacy materials and conduct fun and educational games focused on HIV prevention research R&D and advocacy. The zone will be located in the Women’s Networking Zone within the Community Village.
• HIV Prevention and SRHR Masterclass
  Tuesday, June 13 – Thursday, June 15, 7:00 – 8:30 — Hosted by the African Alliance for HIV prevention at the Hilton Hotel.
• Satellite Session: PrEP (sponsored by Gilead)
  Tuesday, June 13, 11:30 – 13:00 — Located in Hall 8b.
• Up Your Game: Play to Learn About HIV Prevention and Research
  Tuesday, June 13, 12:00 – 13:00 — An HIV prevention research literacy game hosted on the main stage in the Community Village by AVAC, WRHI, SAHTAC and APHA.
• Dapivirine Ring Licensure Program
  Tuesday, 13 June, 18:00 – 20:00 — This interactive satellite session, hosted by IPM, will showcase the developments in the dapivirine vaginal ring program. Located in Hall 5.
• Basic Science: Putting the spanner in the works – the nuts and bolts of HIV prevention
  Wednesday, June 14, 9:00 – 11:00 — A roundtable plenary discussion with leading scientists. Located in Hall 1.
• Improving HIV prevention by investing in research and development and services
  Wednesday, June 14, 11:30 – 13:00 — This workshop will provide health advocates and technical experts from the HIV prevention sector a platform to share ideas on how to improve implementation of R&D policies, and streamline regulatory processes that support the development, introduction and scale of high-impact health technologies in South Africa. Located in Hall 10.
• Contraception and HIV: What they say, what we hear, what needs to change — a young women’s dialogue
  Wednesday, June 14, 18:00 – 20:00 — A roundtable dialogue with young advocates. Located in the Women’s Networking Zone.

AVAC posted live updates from the conference on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Blogs were posted on the WhatsUpHIV blog. The conference was on Twitter at @SAAIDS2017 and used the hashtag #SAAIDS2017.

From the conference website:
Changing Faces, Changing Spaces is a Pan African Conference that brings together human rights activists and organizations, health and legal professionals, allies and donor partners from across Africa and beyond, undertaking and supporting African sex worker and LGBTIGNC activism. We deliberate, strategize and share the experiences that impact our movements. It is unique in the sense that it is a conference conceptualized and planned by a task force comprised by activists from the LGBTI and sex worker movements in Africa.

Click here for conference details.

The IAS 2017 conference took place between July 23–26 in Paris. Read on for details on AVAC satellite sessions, data to watch for and a prevention roadmap

Held every two years, this year’s conference included results from several HIV prevention trials, including data from HPTN’s Phase II long-acting injectable PrEP trial as well as Janssen’s Phase II vaccine trial, important findings from PrEP clinical trials, initial evidence of impact on confronting the epidemic in Swaziland, and more!

The full conference schedule is available on the conference website, and AVAC has pulled together an HIV prevention roadmap, sortable by timing, intervention and session type (also available as a PDF). The conference organizers have also engaged with partners to create additional roadmaps, which viewable here.

Following on the Web

• In addition to AVAC’s online commentary on Twitter and Facebook, you could follow the official conference hashtag—#IAS2017.
• Aidsmap was the official scientific news reporter for IAS 2017 and regularly updated its IAS 2017 page. Check it out here.
• FHI 360 was an official media sponsor and hosted a digital live coverage hub for IAS 2017 on its Crowd 360 platform.
• IAS Live debuted this year with IAS 2017 offering access to live streaming of the opening and closing sessions as well as the plenary sessions and press conferences. All session content is available through the online programme.

Satellite Sessions

Here are details on two satellite sessions that AVAC and partners are organized:

The Next Wave of Prevention Options: An update and interactive discussion on the pipeline of injections, infusions and implants—who will use, who will deliver, who will pay
Sunday, 23 July — Maillot Room
(Download flyer)

Advocates, researchers and implementers, including Ambassador Deborah Birx, discussed HIV prevention R&D—what potential users want from the next wave of prevention options, what’s scientifically feasible, what trials might look like, the development pathways and how to work together to accelerate progress.

Future Perfect: Opportunities and Obstacles for HIV Vaccines
Sunday, 23 July — Maillot Room
(Download flyer)

This satellite featured three state-of-the-art presentations on the vaccine pipeline, including passive immunization, promising vector-platforms, and the development of envelope proteins able to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Women Now! 2016 will provide an opportunity to assess the content and execution of the International AIDS Conference 2016. The Pan African Women’s Summit will provide an opportunity to assess the content and execution of the IAC for its meaningful inclusion of women’s and girls’ sexual & reproductive health and justice, especially women and girls of African descent, who bear the brunt of the HIV pandemic among women worldwide.

The summit will address critical areas of concern for women’s human rights, through an intersectional lens, including key issues of race, economic status, gender equality, women’s empowerment, gender-based trauma and violence, and sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice.