good afternoon everyone and welcome to
the official opening press conference of
the 20th international aids conference
my name is chris speier and i'm the
president-elect of the International
AIDS Society as we all know it has been
a long and very emotional 48 hours but I
think that I can speak for all of my
colleagues here when I say that we are
ready and determined to make this
conference the huge success it deserves
to be we have an outstanding program one
that we are confident will produce
global headlines in the days to come but
of course before we begin the hard work
that will begin this evening at the
opening session we want to pay tribute
at that opening session at seven p.m.
this evening to the colleagues and
friends that we have all lost on MH
flight 17 I understand you were briefed
this morning on the remembrance details
but for those of you who were not
present here they are briefly there will
be a one-minute global moment of
remembrance which will be held in their
honor with 11 former present and future
presidents of the International AIDS
Society on stage together with
representatives from the World Health
Organization from AIDS Fund from stop
aids now female health company and the
Amsterdam institute for global health
and development and members of the Dutch
HIV research community a letter of
condolence and support will also be read
out by mr. Lambert greens the Dutch
ambassador for sexual and reproductive
health and rights and hiv/aids
condolence books are also circulating on
site the conference for the duration of
the event
on Tuesday july twenty second at 1600
aest there will be a candlelight vigil
held at federation square in the center
of melbourne we will now hear from six
speakers who will briefly outline what
they will say a tonight's session and
then we will have some opportunity for
questions we would like you to identify
yourself if you have a question and your
media outlet and please do keep your
questions as brief as you can it is now
my distinct honor and pleasure to
introduce Francois very soon you see the
director of the regulation of retro
viral infections unit at constitute
pastor in Paris and the current
president of the International AIDS
Society and the international conference
chair for AIDS 2014 françoise's thank
you thank you very much Chris just a few
words about the topic itself is
conference in Melbourne since we met in
2012 in Washington DC really it has been
progresses in in science both in the
field of HIV vaccine and in the field of
Q it has been also some disappointment
including recently the last data with a
Mississippi baby but we are there really
to make as usual the last update on the
progress in science and also to exchange
about the priority for the future I like
to say that Melbourne will be suddenly a
place where we will speak about the
revolution in the field of treatment of
hcv has through them without have a cure
for HIV but we are now a cure for HCV
and this it will be a very important
point that at the conference we will
certainly also mention implementing
chan implementation to continue to have
access to to make progress in access to
treatment or and we also will make
pressure on government called concerning
new repressive legislation that they are
implementing in different country in the
world and that is really not acceptable
gc's our responsibility to make pressure
on our own those government next I'd
like to introduce Michel Sidibe the
executive director of un aids the joint
United Nations aids program and under
secretary-general of the United Nations
as ahead of you and aids michelle has
led the organization's contribution to
regional and country responses as well
as its efforts in global policies
evidence and monitoring and evaluation
Michelle thank you very much I'd random
my collegues in expressing our
condolences I think I'm fully agreeing
with my colleague and Friends of France
was when she is saying that since the
last conference in Washington there have
been extraordinary progress we estimated
data by July 14 million people had
access to treatment more has been done
and that is very important more has been
done in the last three years than in the
last 25 years I repeat we quickened the
pace we changed completely the
trajectory of implementation during the
last three years we have been able to
put 5.6 million more people on treatment
who could have imagined that one but we
are seeing also a new challenges and
that is very important new generation of
challenges half of the people living
with even more
living with HIV don't know their status
and that is very important for the first
time we have a proper data 19 million
people out of 35 million people don't
know there are statutes HIV status half
because of stigma discrimination because
of exclusion because of criminal laws
because the people are adding themselves
and people are scared to use services
sex worker for example or 13 times more
likely to be living with HIV and many
fear carrying even condoms because there
could be arrested we know for example in
Africa young women account for one in
four new HIV infection 25% prisoner can
be up to 50 times more likely to become
infected with HIV if the people living
with HIV don't find out their status
they will die and that's why we are
wrong pushing to make sure that will put
resources where new infection occur and
where people are dying and we know today
that the 15 in 15 countries we have a
75-percent of a new infection occurring
75% of death is happening in only 15
countries so the objective for us
is to make sure that we have a return on
investment for using our resources where
epidemic is happening and to do that one
will call of course the world for new
target a bald ambitious target to make
sure that we can have ninety percent of
a people tested by 2020 ninety percent
of those people on treatment and ninety
percent with undetectable viral load and
we believe by doing that and achieving
that by 2020 we can be able to really
control the epidemic by 2030 and we
think when we talk about controlling the
epidemic ending AIDS it means that it
will not be any more a public health
trait for any of us any countries or
individual or village and thank you very
much our next speaker is IU akhtar eonni
from Indonesia who is a youth
representative and speaking from the
youth leave are you thank you hello
everyone on behalf of the community I'm
very proud to be here to join is big
conference it's Melbourne 2014 not so
many people especially people living
with HIV can join such even so I just
want to make sure that all activists of
people living with HIV all people who
engage in this part of the conference
bring back something to their country to
their city do something don't just speak
so loud or just act like
it's a big conference I will speak on
behalf of the community in the opening
with other 20 people living with HIV
from Asia and Pacific we're gonna using
our beautiful traditional dress from
many countries you can see at the stage
at the opening and I will just send my
resume and so i will share about what's
the challenge for me as a women or
living with HIV for facing life with HIV
and how we can together hand in hand
work for better world for people living
with HIV and we really hope that people
living with HIV she'll trip with respect
and dignity as humanly thank you very
much our next speaker is Brent Allen who
is the executive officer of living
positive Victoria and the current local
co-chair for the community program for
AIDS 2014 brent is lived with HIV for
over 15 years and has more than 25 years
experience working in social justice and
human rights public health policy health
promotion and education and community
development both in Australia and
overseas Brent my pleasure to welcome
you to Melbourne and to acknowledge the
traditional owners of the land we
meeting on the Kulin nation pay my
respects to their elders both past and
present and respect their enduring
custodial ship of the land we're about
to celebrate on I also would like to
acknowledge people living with HIV as
central and vital to the control of the
epidemic both locally and around the
world I would like to encourage everyone
including yourselves to promote what I
believe to be an outstanding document
the Melbourne declaration which calls to
an end to stigma and discrimination
whether it be on the basis of your HIV
status your sexuality your gender or
your age
for all my friends who are my family
from around the world who are injection
drug users sex workers people living
with HIV gay men from transgendered
communities i welcome you to Melbourne I
encourage you to learn to listen and to
reflect upon what we are about to embark
upon welcome it's now my pleasure to
introduce professor Sharon Lewin Sharon
is an Australian infectious disease
physician and scientist she's the
director of the infectious diseases unit
at the Alfred Hospital professor of
medicine at Monash and co-head of the
center for biomedical research at
Melbourne burnet institute professor
Lewin is a former president of the
Australian society for HIV medicine the
peak Australian organisation
representing the medical and health
sector and HIV viral hepatitis and
related areas and if that doesn't sound
like enough for one person to do she has
also served wonderfully as the local
co-chair for its 2014 Sharon thank you i
would like to start by paying my
respects and condolences to the friends
and families of all who died on MH 17
and of course including our close
colleagues who are on their way to
attend this conference this will be the
first time this conference has come to
Australia and as an Australian I'm
incredibly proud of the response we've
had to HIV now over many years it's been
characterized by a bipartisan government
approach and support constant community
partnership with all key affected
populations and investment in science
and research from the beginning as a
result of those three strategies
Australia does have one of the lowest
rates of HIV in the world however we are
in a region which is nowhere near as
lucky as we are and i will make a call
that we certainly need to do more there
are four point eight million people
living with HIV in the asia-pacific
region many of those countries have had
great successes
many of them are facing considerable
challenges with in fact increasing rates
of infections in countries such as
Indonesia India Indonesia Pakistan and
the Philippines in addition in this part
of the world key affected populations
such as manual sex with men people who
inject drugs sex workers and transgender
people disproportionately affected by
HIV I also will call for a need to
accelerate our investment in science to
find a vaccine and a cure it's only with
a vaccine and cure that we will see an
end to HIV and refer briefly on the
progress we have made the span some of
the setbacks we have recently faced with
the Mississippi baby in our quest
towards a cure and finally I too like oh
you will call for action meaning that
this time in Melbourne is a great time
to talk and discuss and listen but hope
when people return to their homes they
will act on what they've learnt in the
five days here our final speaker for the
press conference is the Honorable
Michael Kirby he is a former Justice of
the High Court of Australia and one of
Australia's foremost jurists and human
rights advocates in addition to his
judicial career he has served the United
Nations and the international community
in a range of capacities including as a
member of the UN dp's global Commission
on HIV and the law Michael Kirby please
I have a special reason for feeling a
connection with those on MH 17 I was at
Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands just
three days before the departure of that
plane I took a different route home but
thinking on them thinking on that
efficient place thinking on the
happiness that exists existed in the
Netherlands because of the wonderful
performance of their world cup team
thinking of the terrible suffering
that has been inflicted upon the
Netherlands as a country thinking on my
partner yarn of 45 years who is there in
the Netherlands thinking of the chance
that exists in all our lives looking at
the names those friendly Netherlands
names of those who are winging their way
to our conference yup pim martine to
give their families it is a very painful
moment and it's painful for all of us
and there's no point denying the pain in
the last two days since I've been here I
have attended three busy working
preliminary sessions one of them was of
young people one of them was of people
urging the reform of the law relating to
prosecuting infection of HIV and the
other was a session looking at the
lessons we have learned from this
epidemic and how we must extend them
into other areas of healthcare it's been
interesting for me to see how each of
those three sessions have shared the
pain of what we've all gone through but
have been insistent that we should turn
this great misfortune into a resolution
and a commitment here in Melbourne to
advance the program that Michel Sidibe
the executive director of you na s has
just outlined the program to put an end
to HIV and AIDS in our world and in a
strange way the terrible event that has
happened
has strengthened the resolve of those
who are meeting here in Melbourne
Australia to ensure that we address the
ongoing issues of HIV and AIDS and that
we bring an end to this fearsome
epidemic and learn its lessons and take
them into other areas of healthcare I've
been very impressed by the commitment of
those sessions that I've attended and my
remarks in the session tonight will be
addressed to securing that commitment
getting progress naming names of those
who are not making their contribution
facing up to the realities of our world
the taxpayers in many countries will not
keep forking out for countries that are
willing to take the contributions for
antiretroviral drugs but are not willing
to protect their own citizens by
changing their laws and ensuring that we
get rid of the laws that make the
struggle against HIV difficult or in
some countries impossible and so we go
through this period of sadness but we
will come out at the end of this
conference with the strength and
resolution to ensure that we put an end
to HIV and we take on the lessons to
issues such as other communicable
diseases like hepatitis B and C
neglected diseases and non-communicable
diseases and the health of everybody and
the human right to health which Eleanor
Roosevelt and her colleagues put in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
that belongs to us all so that will be
the less than I hope will go forth with
the Melbourne declaration at the end of
this week
thank you Michael I'd now like to take
questions from the floor please again
identify yourself identify your media
organization many of you have spoken
about the anti-gay laws that are being
introduced what pressure can you put for
instance the Ugandan Public Health
Minister is here today have you been
able to speak to her about what's been
happening in Uganda or is there
something that any of you can do rather
than just waiting for governments to
reach the conclusion themselves that
their laws will cause more HIV I had a
one-to-one meeting with him because you
know that we are the first law but we
have a low also which is just
criminalizing the transmission of HIV
after writing to him discussing with him
he personally told me that you will send
back a visa second load to the
Parliament to be revisited in is not
ready to take action right now so i
think we are trying to have a direct
advocacy but we are trying also to work
with people in Uganda with a civil
society group we were also the people
were affected and infected to make sure
that they can be protected and have
access to services I think it should be
said that there's only been one
prosecution under the Victorian sections
at the minister told the previous press
conference so it hasn't been much used
but symbolically it was a bad thing the
global Commission on HIV and the law of
the United Nations Development Programme
unanimously put forward a report which
call for an end amongst other things to
discriminatory laws which target passing
of the virus and
lead to imprisonment and so on and
getting back to an understanding of what
laws actually work and what laws don't
work now unfortunately there was greater
that President Museveni of Uganda would
not sign the legislation that
criminalizes homosexuality and makes it
impossible to advance even the
suggestions of law reform in that
direction there are some heads of
government who will talk about these
issues they'll talk and now come to
conferences that when the chips are down
they will not take the steps that are
necessary in respect of what's happening
in Australia where we normally muddle
through to the right answers it's
wonderful that the announcement was made
today by minister davis in Victoria
Australia that they are going to reform
their law on this matter aids
conferences have the advantage of
bringing together people who speak about
these things and focus attention on laws
that work and laws that fail and impede
and so it's a good thing that that's
happened and been announced at our
conference but it's very important that
that message should go forth to Africa
to Russia to the Middle East and other
countries where there are laws of this
kind and we shouldn't all be too polite
we should be naming names and being very
clear about the fact that the world is
not going to put 30 million people on
antiretrovirals in if the countries
where there are very high levels of
every epidemic don't take steps to
protect themselves that is the hard
reality of the world we live in that's
the hard reality of global economics and
these things if they're not said during
weeks like this will not be said at all
other questions please thank you so much
my name is Rita from Indonesia i would
like to ask how important is young
people like I you in a global effort to
end 820 and what supports un aids and
international aid society for people for
young people like are you to move on to
end 820 by the end of 2030 thank you
thank you in Indonesia I was part of
many organization and of course many
young people like me also part of many a
great work in their country so what I
see is we have some innovative way and
then we have so many fresh idea that's
why sometimes maybe more young people
needed in more AIDS program and the
other thing is I see how we can walk
together with the government in
Indonesia and the young people voice are
really being hurt in Indonesia because
we believe that without em people and I
don't know before you get all you must
be young first so we will start with
with ourselves we don't want to scream
so loud but we we will do what we can do
today we will do what we should do so we
we're not gonna push the government to
do something but the young people in
Indonesia especially and also in the
Asia and Pacific because I become from
youth lead where we are proving that we
are doing something before we
someone to do it maybe I can maybe
that's the point Thank You Francois is I
think he wanted to also respond yeah
regarding the international aids OCT one
of the priority is to work on infants
and adolescents in particular to
organize like here at yet conference
kind of forum where people can exchange
and identify what are the priority and
then to work together with others with
other partners to respond to the
priorities regarding infants and
adolescent you know it's a Doris and it
was really critical issue for the future
because the infant that has been treated
in the path of becoming an edori son
today and we know that a large
proportion of them unfortunately are not
written and treatment so it's really a
critical issue for the is and this
activity by the way is under the
responsibility of her Linda girl Becca
with our next president elected as he is
so you can see this is priority will
move on thank you please yeah hi my name
is that I and I'm from Times of India
from India basically the my question is
about drug resistance cases in
especially low AR T we have seen many in
India there are many cases of that red
silk is a particular into a our tickets
and they are on second line drugs so
what can you please little bit on just
like why the truck resin cases are
increasing and what are the major pan if
you can ensure Sharon if you can please
answer about this um drug resistance in
fact is really rare if people continue
to take their treatment and to continue
to take your treatment everyday life
long needs significant vestment in
health care systems it's not an easy
deal lifelong treatment requires
lifelong support and we know that there
are people that drop out of that system
along the way so I think a real approach
to manage in my country for example or
in my hospital in my clinic we almost
never see drug resistance it's rare of
people take the tablet so we have the we
have the tools to not see drug
resistance so I think the approach
there's no doubt we do see it in many in
many other countries but the driver is
not taking a tablet so the approach
needs to be around the health system
that supports it of course the other
issue is that you need to manage drug
resistance which means access to new
drugs that are active again I have
access to those drugs in a high income
countries and they need to be available
in low income countries to at the moment
access to those drugs are limited that
question is also relevant to an
extremely important legal question and
that is that as we will have drug
resistance because perhaps they haven't
been taking mirror drugs and then you
have to move up to new and different
lines of therapy and unfortunately as
you have to do that you run into the
problem that new drugs are heavily
patented and they are extremely
expensive and that is why the UNDP
global Commission on HIV and the door
suggested that it was an urgent priority
of the United Nations to look again at
the world's patent law the intellectual
property law because basically it was
formed before 1945 and the charter of
the United Nations the Universal
Declaration and the great treatise that
instill the human right to health and
reconciling that has never basically
been done with the right to health and
the right of
corporations to patent protection
fortunately that suggestion was followed
up by Michel Sidibe by Helen Clark the
administrator of undp by the then High
Commissioner for Human Rights and a
debtor was sent to the secretary-general
of the United Nations that letter is
being advanced and secretary-general ban
ki-moon who has been wonderful in aids
issues and sexuality issues has that on
his desk at the moment and I believe we
will see progress in the steps that will
set up a new review at the international
level to look again at the international
patent law not to take away panels which
are necessary for farmer but to reject
the law so that it is respectful of the
universal human right to help that
people should not depend on where they
had the fortune to be born as to whether
they have access to life-saving drugs
and this is a point made in the
Melbourne declaration and all of us
should be signing on to that declaration
and it will give encouragement to this
reform of the UNDP global Commission we
have time for just one more question but
before that question just a correction
that the candlelight vigil that I refer
to it at the opening of this press
conference will be at 1800 hours aest so
6 p.m. on tuesday the 22nd also just the
point of information the speech is
currently under embargo were made
available shortly last question and dane
back joy 94.9 we've spoken about some of
the political setbacks but I'd like you
to address some of the scientific
setbacks that have been coming forward
in the last few weeks in the lead-up to
AIDS 2014 how is that going to affect
the conference and the developments
moving forward
I guess you are thinking about the
Mississippi baby I mean of course we are
all disappointed and it's very sad
particularly up for baby with not a baby
anymore by the way with an infant she's
doing well by the way also she started
the antiretroviral treatment again of
course it's a little bit disappointing
but we have for us as scientists that
does not mean that we have to stop at
all that is telling us that the the
approach that we have to try to detect
and measure the cells that carry the
virus are not sensitive enough we need
to develop new tests and this is
something that the scientists are
already working on it by the way that
was one of the priority already defined
and published in 2012 and since then
there are several group of scientists
that are working on new test it's about
the same as for the Boston patient we
already said that for the Boston patient
by the way the second reason why a
certain year no we don't see why we
should not continue because we still
have the Visconti patient by the way the
Visconti patients now ten years that
they are off treatment they are still
controlling very well as a virus and
their infection so studies are ongoing
to try to understand how they control
studies will be done and research will
be done to understand why the infant's
of the Boston patient we're controlling
only for a while wife has been only a
transient remission so it's far as its
novel that
an area of research thank you all for
your attention and i'd like to welcome
you all to the opening session which
will begin shortly thank you