The International Union of Superiors General plans to send a representative to the  upcoming International Conference on AIDS in Vienna, which would have participation of some 25,000 people.

Sister Donata Pacini, secretary of the Health Committee of the union’s sections of men and women, will participate in the July 18 to 23, said a note in the union’s official website.

She aims to make visible the commitment of Religious institutes across the world in this field and to obtain some updated informative material to share with people and institutions interested in this issue, the note said.

This year’s meet, billed as the the largest international meeting on HIV, is organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), in partnership with government, scientific and civil society partners in Austria and international partners from civil society and the United Nations.

The conference, besides sharing and updating information on research and treatment of the disease, will also discuss the issue of human rights of people affected by the pandemic.

The conference include a day-long meetings with Catholic organizations working in the filed and another day of discussions with all other faith-based organizations working in this field.

According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), an estimated 150,000 people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were newly infected with HIV in 2007 bringing the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the region to 1.6 million.

This compares with 630,000 PLHIV in 2001, an increase of 150%. Worldwide, an estimated 33.2 million people are living with HIV and more than 2.1 million people died of AIDS in 2007.

Source:  vidimusdominum.info

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