Preparations for the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa (ICASA) scheduled for December 4 – 9 2023 have gone a gear up. ICASA is organised by Society for AIDs in Africa and Zimbabwe got the nod to host the high-level event where upwards of 12 00 people are expected to attend both virtually and in person. The conference will run under the theme AIDS is not over: Address inequalities, accelerate innovation and inclusion. Africa is a continent greatly affected by diseases and Southern Africa has the burden of HIV AIDS while cancers, infectious diseases, and pandemics like COVID – 19 has affected the whole continent.
ICASA is a great milestone for the continent and for Zimbabwe. It is Africa’s opportunity to come up with homegrown solutions to its health problems and to seek to end AIDS by 2030 a goal that aims at zero infection – nothing for Africans without Africans. The scientific, leadership, and community programmes need to come up with solutions to some of the problems.
An international steering committee specifically selected to plan for the conference with experts from (SAA), UN agencies, national aids councils from different countries, researchers, health professionals, communities and non-governmental organisations met from 29th March to 1 April 2023 to map the way forward. In the spirit of leaving no one behind in the fight against HIV AIDS, the Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), organiser of the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) nominated the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected By HIV AIDS (INERELA+) Country Coordinator Rev Jane Nganga as a member of the international steering committee for the 22nd edition of ICASA. The objective of the steering committee is to provide planning and policy for the success of ICASA 2023 in the quest to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS, TB, hepatitis, malaria, and emerging diseases on the African continent. It’s excellent news for INERELA+ and we believe Reverend Jane will play a significant role in this important committee. INERELA+ works to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS, co-infections, and STIs globally.