The 16th International AIDS Conference held in Toronto from August 13 to 18, 2006, brings together people living with HIV, advocates, community representatives, health care providers, scientists,  development organisations, donors and policy makers to focus on key challenges in collective efforts to provide HIV care and treatment and prevention of new infections.

Many of these issues, particularly as they relate to children, have been detailed in a new report Circle of Hope released this month by Plan, an international children’s development agency. The 50-page report highlights how millions of children throughout the world do not have means to protect themselves against the spread of HIV/AIDS due to economic, social and cultural pressures.

At the conference, Plan’s youth delegates will also take part in a youth forum entitled In Our Name? The five youth presenters from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean will present their views on tackling HIV in their respective communities to an international audience of development and health professionals.

Plan in Australia national executive director Ian Wishart says the forum at the conference – the world's largest HIV/AIDS meeting, held bi-annually, with more than 20,000 participants – gives youth delegates the opportunity to critically examine and review their participation in HIV-prevention programs. 

“With over two million children worldwide living with HIV, the international community needs to find smarter ways of tackling this issue.  The youth forum is an unprecedented and radical step in involving children and young people as actors in the global response to HIV,” Mr Wishart says.

“Children and adolescents know how best to communicate the message to their own generation and to take the steps to ensure that they have the means to protect themselves. That’s why we believe children should be in the driver’s seat of HIV/AIDS prevention projects,” Mr Wishart adds. 

At the conference, Plan will also ensure the voices of children and youth are heard by presenting eight innovative projects (abstracts/posters) and one oral presentation about Plan's work in various countries internationally.  With operations in 62 countries throughout the world, Plan has developed scores of highly effective HIV/AIDS prevention projects with young people at their centre.

Plan’s Regional Health Advisor for West Africa and co-author of the Circle of Hope report Joe Descosas will be attending the conference and is available for telephone interviews. Joe Descosas is a recognised expert on HIV/AIDS issues and the health systems expert on the Technical Review Panel of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.