Durban to host 2016 International HIV/Aids conference

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says significant strides are likely to have been made in the fight against HIV/Aids by the time Durban hosts the International HIV/Aids conference in Durban in 2016. Image: GCIS

Briefing reporters in Johannesburg, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa commended efforts from all participants saying the annual HIV/Aids conference resulted in important gains being made towards reducing the spread and impact of the epidemic.

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world and has rolled out the world's largest treatment programme for the disease with more than 2.7m living with HIV and taking anti-retrovirals.

Ramaphosa said while many achievements have been made, South Africans were still contracting the disease and this is confirmed by the thousands of new infections that are recorded every year.

"Getting those on treatment not to default and overcoming stigma of this disease is a tricky hurdle to negotiate," he said.

"In our quest for social justice and equity, we need to ensure that the development community, the G8 countries and other global health platforms continue to focus on maintaining the global fight against this disease.

Strides being made in successful treatments

The Albert Luthuli auditorium at the Durban International Convention Centre where the 2016 event will be hosted. Image: findtripinfo

"As we prepare for the 21st International Aids Conference, we will intensify our efforts to address these challenges," said Ramaphosa.

He said the 2000 conference was pivotal in focusing the world's attention on the impact of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, fundamentally changing the course of the epidemic on the continent.

"A decade and a half later, thanks in large measure to the deliberations at that conference and the unparalleled response of the global health community, we have made significant progress in tackling the epidemic in Africa and across the world," he said.

Ramaphosa said that when the conference starts in Durban in 2016 we are hoping to report that further significant progress on combatting HIV and Aids.

"If we are to achieve the objectives articulated at Aids 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this year, we need to ensure that the response to Aids remains prominent in the post-2015 sustainable development framework," he said.

The conference is organised by the International Aids Society, with its partners from the United Nations, the South African government and international civil society organisations.