Report from Capetown: GNP+ and ICW hold annual meetings.

Capetown South Africa has recently hosted the Third Annual Gathering of the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) and the Seventh Annual International Conference of the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+). The National Council for International Healths AIDS Program sent two participants to the conferences: ICWs key contact in the Caribbean who is from Trinidad and Tobago and a US activist from the AIDS Project Los Angeles. About 200 women from 70 countries attended the ICW conference. Topics included overcoming isolation caring for others and themselves sexual abuse harassment and violence against women loss/bereavement situation of women in Africa and the impact of HIV sexual health treatments access to medical care pregnancy and motherhood and the impact of HIV on children. More than 400 persons attended the GNP+ conference. The major program tracks were the dichotomy between the importance of holistic health strategies in many parts of the developing world and treatment of opportunistic infections and antiviral treatment in the developed world travel restrictions skills building and communication. Priorities identified during the business sessions were expansion of the networks communication capabilities and enhancement of the autonomy of each of the regions. The GNP+ conference was a significant opportunity for South African PWAs (persons with AIDS) to meet people from around the world. The South African Ministry of Health is committed to a national PWA conference and an affirmative action plan to include more HIV-seropositive staff members in the National AIDS Control Program and the Ministry. Ongoing activities of ICW and GNP+ are preparation of proposals for support from major donors and planning a global survey of the living conditions of persons living with HIV/AIDS and another survey focusing on human rights.