The 6th SAHARA Conference 2011

On behalf of SAHARA (Social Aspects of HIV and Aids Research Alliance) and the 6th SAHARA Conference 2011 Coordinating Committee, it is my great pleasure to extend a warm invitation to you to participate in the 6th SAHARA Conference scheduled to take place in the Nelson Mandela Bay - Port Elizabeth, South Africa from 28th November to 2nd December 2011, at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).

SAHARA was established in 2001 with the vision of reducing the number of new HIV infections through the promotion of collaborative research and dissemination of evidence-based information for prevention, care and impact mitigation. Since its inception, it has made significant progress and established itself as a key coordinating network in the field of HIV/AIDS research. With the HSRC as its parent organisation, SAHARA has continent-wide reach, with networks and projects in more than 26 African countries, coordinated by three regional offices for East and Central Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa.

Since 2003, SAHARA has convened annual conferences as platforms for interface between researchers and policy makers, with the goal of sharing information and best practices relating to the social aspects of HIV/AIDS. This is all the more urgent in view of the fact that, despite biomedical advances, AIDS remains an incurable disease that does not seem to be getting better. This highlights the need for better understanding of the nature and magnitude of the social risks of HIV and AIDS, and how to reduce them.

The SAHARA Conference is an outstanding forum which brings together researchers, policy makers, donors and international organizations, civil society, and communities (including people living with HIV/Aids) to:

• exchange information, views and experiences on recent advances in the field of social aspects of HIV/Aids;
• discuss problems that need to be explored regarding the social aspects of HIV and AIDS, including obstacles to the application of what is known;
• look for effective approaches to those problems and obstacles, including enabling policies for the scale-up of proven interventions;
• make professional contacts; and
• keep track of what – and who – is current in the field.

This conference is not the standard scientific conference, and will be like no other. It is the largest conference of its kind: going beyond the boundaries of biomedical paradigms and bringing together those involved in producing research and those at the center of the epidemic (epidemiologists, medical doctors, social scientists, etc.) in an interdisciplinary, multi-stage, and multi-sector environment; with a strong Africa focus; and involving real, local people on the ground.

The conference will:

• have a strong community involvement aspect by creating multi-voice sessions to directly capture the experiences of different communities including: people living with HIV and AIDS; members of marginalized groups, especially those most vulnerable to HIV; community groups involved at the implementation level, and community leaders involved at the policy level; etc.
• provide an interdisciplinary space (beyond the biomedical paradigms) for cross-fertilization among those engaged in evidence-based research (epidemiologists, medical doctors, social scientists, behavioral researchers, policy makers, members of communities, etc.);
• capture innovations arising from practical experiences, research and programs conducted in different contexts (i.e. economic, political, biomedical, social, cultural, etc.);
• allow for a bi-directional flow of information from “experts” to people on the ground, and vice versa, and provide an opportunity for the dissemination of findings in a different way;
• capture the results of research undertaken by young and women researchers to be presented and discussed at the conference;
• involve skills-building workshops during the conference, and skills building activities after the conference; and
• address deficiencies in the translation of research findings, and build bridges between research and practice.

For the 6th SAHARA Conference 2011 we have chosen as a theme: ARE WE TURNING THE TIDE ON HIV/AIDS? – Social, Political and Economic Landscape of HIV Prevention and Response, and the sub-themes will include:

• HIV/Aids and Human Rights
• MARPs (Most at Risk Populations)
• HIV Prevention
• Accessibility, Uptake and Adherence to Treatment
• Political Accountability in the Aids Response
• HIV Epidemiology

Aside from the opportunities afforded by the conference’s working sessions, you will also have the opportunity to experience a myriad of Nelson Mandela Bay’s tourist and cultural attractions that are exceptional. Nelson Mandela Bay, an excellent value for money, family-fun-in-the-sun holiday destination, (named after Nelson Mandela – humanitarian, freedom fighter and world icon of peace) – located 763 km east of Cape Town, is regarded as the “official gateway to the scenic Eastern Cape Province and the world renowned Garden Route and is sometimes referred to (by the people who know her best) as the ‘friendly city” or the “water sport capital of Africa.

On behalf of the Coordinating Committee, I would like to welcome you to the 6th SAHARA Conference 2011. Please join us in November 2011 and we assure you will have a wonderful time in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth.

 

For more information or to register visit: http://www.sahara.org.za/registration/registration