17th International AIDS Conference
Mexico City, 3 to 8 August 2008

Consortium Member Activities
This page is designed to keep Consortium members and others informed about key developments in the lead-up to the Conference. Below is basic information, links to the official conference website and key upcoming dates.

In the future, we will feature infomation specifically related to Consortium member activities at the conference.

Please send us information on your activities at the conference as they are formulated. We will try to create a space where members will be able to keep in touch with each other, network and publicise their activities. We will also provide a link to key documents and events listed on AIDSPortal.

About the conference
AIDS 2008 will provide many opportunities for the presentation of important new scientific research and for productive, structured dialogue on the major challenges facing the global response to AIDS. Conference organizers are developing a wide variety of session types that meet the needs of various participants and support collective efforts to expand delivery of HIV prevention and treatment to communities worldwide. Central to many of these sessions will be the transfer of knowledge and sharing of best practices.

In addition to the conference sessions there are a number of activities, including satellite meetings, exhibitions, the Global Village and the Cultural Programme, that are integral to delegates’ experience at the conference.

Organising Partners
AIDS 2008 is convened by the International AIDS Society (IAS), the world’s leading independent association of HIV professionals. Local partners include the federal government of Mexico, the municipal government of Mexico City and local scientific and community leadership.

International institutional partners for AIDS 2008 include:
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and its cosponsors, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP)
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+)
International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)
World YWCA
Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN)

Key Dates
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION is from November 1, 2007 to February 19, 2008 and that the period for INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION is from December 13, 2007 to February 26, 2008.

International Scholarship Programme
Applications for the International Scholarship Programme will be available online from mid-December 2007 until 26 February 2008 through the conference profile.

A Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) section will soon be available on the conference website: http://www.aids2008.org/subpage.aspx?pageId=297.

The organisers say they are expecting about 20,000 applications and have the funding for less than 1,000 scholarships (partial and full), therefore competition is high. Scholarships will be given to people from developed and developing countries, applicants who are submitting to the conference programme (abstract, skills building sessions, involved in the Global Village etc) and those who are not submitting to the conference. The Conference Coordinating Committee has allocated almost quarter of the scholarship budget to the Africa region.

See also, the link on the right to the 'Official Conference Website', and 'Registration'.

Other Key dates
01 November 2007
- Online registration opens
- Abstracts submissions open
- Satellites and Affiliated Events applications open
- Exhibitions applications open
- Accommodation booking opens

05 December 2007
- Skills building workshop proposals open
- Global Village applications open
- Cultural Programme applications open
- Youth Programme application open

13 December 2007
- International scholarship applications open
- Media scholarship applications open

19 February 2008
- Standard registration fee ends (late surcharge begins)
- Skills building workshops close
- Global Village applications close
- Cultural Programme applications close
- Abstracts submissions close

26 February 2008
- International scholarship applications close
- Media scholarship applications close

31 March 2008
- Satellites and Affiliated Events applications close
- Exhibitions applications close

7 May 2008
- Late surcharge ends (last minute surcharge begins)

20 May 2008
- Late Breaker Abstract submissions open

16 June 2008
- Late Breaker Abstract submissions close