Title: ELCA Presiding Bishop to Help Set Tone for International AIDS Conference ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 9, 2006
ELCA Presiding Bishop to Help Set Tone for International AIDS Conference 06-120-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation, will address a pre-conference of the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto. The conference, "Time to Deliver," will be Aug. 13-18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre; and ecumenical and interfaith pre- conferences, "Faith in Action: Keeping the Promise," will be Aug. 10-12 at the University of Toronto.
More than 500 representatives of faith-based organizations have registered for the pre-conferences. An estimated 20,000 policy makers, researchers, health-care providers, activists and people living with HIV are expected to attend the biennial conference.
On Aug. 11 Hanson will be among several panelists in a plenary session, "Religious Leaders Keeping the Promise." Hanson will take part Aug. 12 in a panel discussion on "Challenges and Opportunities for Collaboration" during the interfaith pre- conference closing plenary session.
"The international AIDS conferences have been increasingly important venues to learn, to share experiences and to push key players to deliver on their promises," said Linda Hartke, coordinator of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. Based in Geneva, the Alliance is an international network of churches and Christian organizations cooperating in advocacy on global trade and HIV and AIDS.
"Statements and promises have been made that give people hope," Hartke said. "These words must be put into action," she added.
Churches and church-related organizations in the Toronto area formed a Christian Host Committee through the Canadian Council of Churches to support and facilitate the faith-based presence at the AIDS conference. The Alliance is providing overall coordination and support for the pre-conferences and faith-based participation in the conference.
Other pre-conference speakers are to include:
+ Canon Gideon Byamugisha, founder of the African Network of Religious Leaders living with or personally affected by HIV or
AIDS
+ Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS + Kay Warren, executive director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. + Rick Warren, pastor, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life"
Topics for the pre-conference will include central challenges to the responses to HIV and AIDS, such as working with the most marginalized people living with HIV, cooperating with multi-lateral and civil society organizations and networks, and fulfilling the promises faith groups have made in response to AIDS.
Skills building workshops will help participants share best practices and strengthen responses in grassroots action and advocacy.
"We know there is still a lot of work to be done in our own communities to overcome the silence and stigma associated with AIDS," said Richard Fee, general secretary of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. "But if we all fulfill our promises -- most particularly governments in providing the resources and infrastructure necessary -- we can not only provide universal access but reverse the spread of the disease," he said.
Bill and Melinda Gates, co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will open the AIDS conference with a keynote address, and the conference will conclude with a keynote address by U.N. Special Envoy Stephen Lewis. The conference will offer more than 400 sessions, meetings and workshops featuring important scientific advances and discussion of current policy issues.
Hanson will join another panel discussion Aug. 14 on "Religion and New Leadership: The Challenge to Deliver" to "highlight how religious groups are providing leadership in expanding the response to HIV and AIDS and address the challenges that remain for faith communities to meet their common commitments more fully."
Plenary sessions will provide lectures and panel discussions giving an overview of the status of HIV and AIDS today, including updates on HIV pathogenesis, epidemiology, human rights and the social context in which the epidemic has thrived, the latest research and programmatic developments in the area of HIV prevention, state-of-the-art HIV treatment, HIV treatment for children, progress toward the goal of universal access to HIV treatment and prevention, the relationship of AIDS with poverty and development, the roles of religion and politics, the importance of youth leadership and the consequences of inaction.
The International AIDS Conference is convened every other year by the International AIDS Society, the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with more than 7,000 members from 153 countries. -- -- --
The home page for the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is at http://www.e-alliance.ch/ and information on the ecumenical and interfaith pre-conferences are at http://www.e-alliance.ch/iac.jsp on the Web.
The home page for the International AIDS Society is at http://www.iasociety.org/ and information on the 2006 International AIDS Conference is at http://www.aids2006.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog