AIDS: How is this meeting different from all other meetings?
This afternoon, as I was walking through an area of community organizations dubbed "The Global Village", a young Thai man handed me a booklet of Asian Programme Activities – including such titles as “Sex, Drugs and ARVs Behind Prison Bars” -- along with a small bag that proved to contain 2 condoms – one lubricated, the other not.
Welcome to Toronto, and the XVI AIDS Conference. This meeting is unlike any other. There are 24,000 scientists, activists, and government officials here. There are celebrities, like Bill Gates and Richard Gere. And there are about 3,000 journalists, including me, William Check, and my daughter, Erika Check.
I’m the crusty old-timer. I’ve been covering HIV and AIDS for 24 years, including four previous AIDS conferences -- Amsterdam, Berlin, Vancouver and Geneva. Erika, a relative whippersnapper, attended the last AIDS conference in 2004 in Bangkok. Welcome to our blog from Toronto. We hope to give you a taste of what this meeting is all about. And if we disagree with each other, just remember: father knows best.
Comments
I should be up there,too, but alas, so much is coming over the Internet I don't need to travel. I've been reading your daughter's stuff with pleasure, but didn't know you were related. Only one of the 8 out of 10 of my kids who worked with me is still at it..but it's great-he's also the geek. Best-Jean
Posted by: Jean McCann | August 14, 2006 08:56 PM
Australian ABC TV's Four Corners program Monday 14 August covered the AIDS situation in Papua New Guinea. It is surprising with all the experience in Africa that the global community and local governance cannot do more in emerging hotspots to prevent repeating the same consequences.
Posted by: Mary Sinclair | August 14, 2006 10:54 PM
Iam glad that Iam also a part of this Conference. The curtain raiser seems very promising indeed.
To my view, it is important that government of each country plays a crucial role to fight against this dreadful disease.
It is not just pooling in money, but to have a close check to find out whether this money reaches the desired group & at the PROPER TIME... It is properly channelised then the politics revolving around can be decreased. This work needs some dedication & under humanitarian grounds, satisfying their needs is vital.
We all hope that the dignitaries present in the conference impose to trigger every individual in the world to change their attitde for the good.
Posted by: Shanthi Sankaralingam | August 15, 2006 01:12 AM
Go team!
Posted by: martin check | August 15, 2006 10:33 PM