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 [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
