Addis Ababa, December 3 (WIC) – The organizing committee of the 16th ICASA conference said Ethiopia is ready for the official opening of the international conference on December 4, 2011.
Delegates are pouring in to the host city of Addis Ababa from around the world to take part in the four-day international conference where 10,000 participants are expected to attend, the largest in the country’s history.
“All preparations are finalized and we are welcoming our guests,” Mikias Sisay, communications and promotion manager of ICASA 2011, told WIC. “Transport and hotel arrangements are in place.”
According to the organizers, over 6,000 participants have confirmed their participation for the 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa. But the number is rising by the minute as registration continues on line and in person at the Millennium hall.
The Millennium hall, the venue for the conference, has been fully renovated to accommodate various conferences simultaneously including the preconference activities.
Organizers say the conference will see over 50 Satellite Sessions, 4 Plenary Sessions, Non-Abstract Driven Session, 52 oral abstract sessions, 12 poster discussions, 872 Poster Exhibitions, 34 Skills Building Workshops, a lively Community Village and 7 Special Sessions.
Special sessions which will see the participation of leaders, First Ladies and ministers is also among the program of the conference which will be held under the theme “Own, Scale Up and Sustain!”
Current Heads of State of some five countries and former US president George W. Bush, initiator of U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which is one of the major financiers of global campaigns to address HIV/AIDS pandemic, are expected to attend the opening session.
Held every two years, ICASA conference brings together and provides an opportunity for the world’s leading scientists, clinicians, public health experts and community leaders to examine the latest developments in HIV, AIDS and STIs related researches, and recent scientific breakthrough towards effective interventions to prevent and treat HIV.
“I call upon all Ethiopians to show their usual hospitability and welcome the guests to make their stay a memorable one,” Mikias enthused.