XVI International AIDS Conference, 2006
Encyclopedia
The XVI International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto
, Ontario
, during the week of August 13-18 2006. This was the third time that Canada
has hosted the International AIDS Conference
, after Montreal
in 1989 and Vancouver
in 1996. The main venue for the conference was the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
(MTCC) in downtown Toronto.
The conference theme was Time to Deliver. The conference was focused on the promises and progress made to scale-up treatment, care and prevention.
In particular:
Activities included cultural, youth and outreach programmes as well as a Global Village, which served as an international gathering place with displays of culture, food, community, and a marketplace.
Events open to delegates and the public included The International AIDS Vigil, a public memorial to all those who have died of HIV/AIDS. The Vigil took place on at 9 PM on August 17 at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto.
Well-known attendees and speakers included Governor General
Michaëlle Jean
, Stephen Lewis
(the United Nations
special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa), Bill
and Melinda Gates
(for the Gates Foundation
), Richard Gere
, Alicia Keys
, and Bill Clinton
.
, who decided not to attend the conference, was criticized by Conference co-chairman Dr. Mark Wainberg
in his speech, saying, "We are dismayed that the prime minister of Canada, Mr. Stephen Harper, is not here this evening...The role of prime minister includes the responsibility to show leadership on the world stage. Your absence sends the message that you do not consider HIV/AIDS as a critical priority, and clearly all of us here disagree with you". Canadian Minister of Health
Tony Clement
attended in Harper's place.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060813/aids_template_060813/20060813?hub=CTVNewsAt11 Harper's absence from the conference is the second time the Canadian head of government
has decided not to attend the conference. In 1996, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
did not attend the conference.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060623/aids_harper_060623?s_name=&no_ads=
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, during the week of August 13-18 2006. This was the third time that Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
has hosted the International AIDS Conference
International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Society is the custodian of the International AIDS Conference, the largest regular conference on any health or development issue. These conferences provide a forum for the interaction of science, community and leadership, and are claimed to strengthen an evidence-based...
, after Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1989 and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1996. The main venue for the conference was the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Metro Toronto Convention Centre , located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario at 255 Front Street West, has of space. The convention centre was completed in October 1984 and is home to the 1330-seat John Bassett Theatre...
(MTCC) in downtown Toronto.
In particular:
- Accelerating research to end the epidemic
- Expanding and sustaining human resources to scale-up treatment and prevention
- Intensifying the involvement of affected communities
- Building new leadership to advance the response
Activities included cultural, youth and outreach programmes as well as a Global Village, which served as an international gathering place with displays of culture, food, community, and a marketplace.
Events open to delegates and the public included The International AIDS Vigil, a public memorial to all those who have died of HIV/AIDS. The Vigil took place on at 9 PM on August 17 at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto.
Well-known attendees and speakers included Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....
, Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
(the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa), Bill
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
and Melinda Gates
Melinda Gates
Melinda Ann French , later known as Melinda French Gates, is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the wife of Bill Gates...
(for the Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
), Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Harper controversy
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen HarperStephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, who decided not to attend the conference, was criticized by Conference co-chairman Dr. Mark Wainberg
Mark Wainberg
Mark A. Wainberg, is a Canadian AIDS researcher and activist. He is the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. His laboratory primarily studies HIV reverse transcriptase, and the...
in his speech, saying, "We are dismayed that the prime minister of Canada, Mr. Stephen Harper, is not here this evening...The role of prime minister includes the responsibility to show leadership on the world stage. Your absence sends the message that you do not consider HIV/AIDS as a critical priority, and clearly all of us here disagree with you". Canadian Minister of Health
Minister of Health (Canada)
The Minister of Health is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's health department and the enforcing the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Health Act, the law governing Medicare...
Tony Clement
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement, PC, MP is a Canadian federal politician, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario and member of the Conservative Party of Canada....
attended in Harper's place.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060813/aids_template_060813/20060813?hub=CTVNewsAt11 Harper's absence from the conference is the second time the Canadian head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
has decided not to attend the conference. In 1996, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
did not attend the conference.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060623/aids_harper_060623?s_name=&no_ads=
Asylum seekers controversy
A second controversy, that followed Mr. Stephen Harper's choice to not attend, was the fact that 151 delegates who were in attendance refused to return to their home countries - instead opting to seek asylum in Canada. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5310314.stm This development seriously hurt the credibility of the conference and many suggested that the Prime Minister's office may have been justified in its decision to not have Mr. Harper in attendance.External links
- AIDS 2006
- International AIDS Vigil
- Helen Gayle bio
- Full of sound and fury, but signifying something: XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada, August 13-18, 2006 by William A. Wells. A Special Report in the Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 175, Number 1, 6-15. Published 9 October 2006. doi:10.1083/jcb.200609136