South Africa to host conference on ICASA, Daily Graphic

THE 17th International Conference on AIDS and Sexual Transmitted disease in African (ICASA) will be held in South African on December 11, 2013.
  The Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Angela El- Adas, who made this known at press conference on the ICASA 2013, which was hosted by South Africa’s High Commissioner in Ghana, said the event, which would be organised by the Society for AIDS in Africa, would provide a forum for exchanging knowledge, publishing strategic information on HIV and AIDS, updating skills as well as consolidating experiences and best practices both in African and across the world.
Dr EI-Adas said the ICASA would also provide a platform to strengthen participation of the scientific community, civil society organisations, the private sector, persons living with HIV (PLHIV) and key populations towards an effective response on the continent.
She said the ICASA 2013 would take stock of progress made towards the attainment of 2015 targets that relate to health and also create the opportunities to define priorities beyond 2015, towards a sustained response to HIV in Africa on the theme: “Now More than Ever Targeting Zero.”
She said over the years, the ICASA had served as advocacy platforms for mobilising African leaders, partners and communities.
Dr El-Adas said the ICASA would take stock of progress made towards the 2015 targets while new opportunities would be created to define priorities beyond 2015.
She said the Ghana AIDS Commission had assumed a coordination role to enable Ghanaian delegates to participate in the sessions of the conference.
In his address, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Country Director, Mr Girmay Haile, said HIV infections needed to be controlled to prevent the disease from reaching an epidemic situation.
Therefore, he said the Africa continent needed to focus on scientific evidence to achieve further progress in the responses else the continent would face social dangers of a roll back of the epidemic.
“Unless societies and countries on the continent come to terms with real facts of life and available science evidence, we will not achieve further progress in the response and even face social dangers of a roll back of the epidemic,” he said.
He added that while targeting zero new infections, zero deaths due to AIDS and zero discriminations and stigma against PLHIVs, there was also the need to address issues confronting the segment of the population who were at risk.
He called on all stakeholders, including political leaders, parliamentarians and government officials, to support the movement towards zero new infections and zero deaths from HIV and AIDS, adding that they should demonstrate personal commitment to bring about change.
In her address, the South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Madam Jeanette Ndhlovu, pledged her support to participants and delegates who would to attend the conference.