The session is primarily designed to respect the diversity of all young people at the conference. Discussions will focus on encouraging the young people to engage and promote safe sexual practices to reduce on the risks of HIV infections and re-infections as well as other Sexually Transmitted Infections and a rights-based approach to promoting Sexual Health. Interactive moderation will be used to provide the general audience including sexual health experts with opportunities to discuss the subject. Discussions on pleasurable safe sexual intercourse will be held to clear myths and misconceptions on pleasurable sexual intercourse and to be mindful that pleasure is not only penetration but other factors also play a role to having pleasurable sex, an interactive fun exercise “The condom Bash” that enables people to break the silence about discussing condom use as a key aspect of safe sex.As the session proceeds, we shall have an online social media chat using #PlayItSafeForPleasure to engage the online community.

The booth will present voices as "stories" from LGBTQIA+ HIV advocates and those of people living with HIV. The teams will be available for interactions and will answer Q&A as well as present stories of people on ground during the "interaction hour". The booth will have educational videos, content, manuals, campaigns that Yaariyan and HST has co-created for HIV awareness, education, prevention and treatment in the past. Resource material (pamphlets, manuals, videos) developed by Yaariyan and HST can be downloaded/adapted to the viewers'/attendees' local context.

It's no secret. HIV and climate change are two of the world's most pressing issues; and those living in poverty are drastically impacted by a changing climate and health challenges such as HIV. For the past 12 years, LetsStopAIDS has partnered with the AIDS Foundation of South Africa and Food & Trees for Africa in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to facilitate community workshops around preventing and addressing HIV. We are looking to expand friends from various parts of the world to join Spread Trees, Not AIDS.

Enhancing the diversity of the biomedical research workforce is a key priority for the United States. Undergraduates from minority backgrounds who are underrepresented in the fields of public health and HIV prevention research may be inspired to consider these career paths by participating in highly applied mentored research experiences. This 45-minute interactive panel discussion, moderated by Dr. John Sauceda, will enlist three alumni scholars from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF Summer HIV/AIDS Research Program (SHARP). Panelists will reveal how the program influenced their current training and work trajectories.

By highlighting Indigenous issues and culture, the Indigenous Peoples Networking Zone (IPNZ) will contribute to the recognition of Indigenous Peoples to be included in the “key populations” of HIV vulnerability that receive allocated and targeted funding globally in order to develop evidence-based Indigenous specific strategies.The IPNZ will be a culturally safe and open space for Indigenous Peoples and their allies to meet, discuss, learn and share information. Our program of events for the duration of the conference features panel discussions, networking collaboration, collective brainstorming, presentations, workshops, video/audio resources, traditional practices and cultural performances; catering to all the diverse populations within the Indigenous cultures of the world including key populations including but not limited to the LGBT community, women and children, Elders, people who use drugs, people involved in the sex trade and families. Local, national and international Indigenous partners will collaborate and showcase their culture and their work including local Indigenous organizations.

Throughout 2019, five of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s partner organizations, in South Africa and Uganda, documented their efforts to change the course of the AIDS pandemic in their communities. All content in “Youth Championing Youth” was created by these organizations, healthcare professionals, teachers and the courageous youth featured in the film. The voices, insights and experiences are their own. Over 88% of the 2.8 million children and adolescents living with HIV around the world live in sub-Saharan Africa, and globally, more than 6,000 young women, aged 15-24, are diagnosed with HIV every week. Despite obstacles – gender inequalities, stigma, food insecurity, economic hardships, and the fact that they must adhere to HIV medication every day for the rest of their lives – young people are rising up to educate, prevent transmission and create better futures for themselves and their communities.

This will be a very open and candid collaborative conversation of three very distinct organizations with similar but unique responses to the HIIV epidemic as it affects specifically Black America with emphasis on the South. The panelist will delve into specific problems in the Black community and discuss in detail how they have addressed these issues. By offering best practices and unique models, participants will walk away with not a toolbox but a tool trunk of new and innovative ideas and programs to implement in their communities. The primary objective will be to nurture a new conversation about the response to the epidemic in the Black community. Each presenter will discuss barriers and successes as it relates to the black population. Although specific to the South, the models and solutions discussed can be applicable to other regions where Black folks and people of color are prevalent. Participants will learn in detail about the "DIRT" Advocacy movement. The objectives and measurable outcomes will be to give participants the language and specific tools to address getting the Black Church to take a more meaningful stance in the fight against HIV, how to implement programs in rural areas that are inclusive of Black women, intentionally.

End Hep C SF exists to support all San Franciscans living with and at risk for hepatitis C (HCV) to maximize their health and wellness. We achieve this through prevention, testing, treatment, and linkage to reduce incidence and mortality related to HCV. While many people with HCV are able to smoothly access care in San Francisco, others face barriers to getting tested and completing treatment. Particularly for people disproportionately impacted by HCV, such as people who use drugs, people of color, and people who are LGBTQ or unhoused, this obstructs equitable access to care. In August 2019 End Hep C SF, released a plan for microelimination of HIV/HCV co-infection in San Francisco. This initiative strives to reduce HCV among PLWH in San Francisco by 90% by 2023.

Winam Care for Adolescents is a registered community based organization located in Kisumu County, Kenya. The organization was started in March 2019 by an adolescent and HIV activist, Claris Tina, who was motivated by her own experiences with a lack of proper ARV timing that later led to ARV first line treatment failure. She started buying wrist watches for young people in her community living with HIV to ensure that they took their medications on time. Her vision grew when others came on board to form the community-based organisation Winam Care for Adolescents (WICAFA). Winam Care for Adolescents initiated a campaign of donating wrist watches and wall clocks for HIV positive adolescents in the community, and has since expanded their work to include educating the community about HIV and sexual reproductive heath, as well as providing young people with household supplies like blankets, mosquito nets and sanitary towels.

Unheard Stories is a project by TRANScend, an initiative of The Humsafar Trust (India’s oldest registered LGBTQ organisation), supported by Publicis Sapient. It is a collection of films depicting transgender lives in India. The need for this project emerged from sensitization workshops conducted with employers and educational institutes around awareness on transgender issues. These workshops included transgender persons telling their own stories which made the concepts on sex, sexuality and gender ‘real’ for the audience. However, it also meant the speakers reliving the trauma of discrimination, harassment, violence and abuse faced by them, every time they narrated their stories. Hence, short films on lives of transgender men and women were made with an objective of portraying their lived realities in a dignified and compassionate manner.

The booth will include multiple presentations on topics such as: a brief history of Ward 86, one of the first clinics dedicated to HIV care in the US; HIV and aging; Rapid Treatment in HIV; HIV SW pearls; HIV and COVID19. Also opportunities for 1:1 chats with experts in all aspects of HIV Care.

This networking zone will showcase the power of adjusting both community and facility sites and programming to provide a better client centered service delivery experience across the clinical cascade. It will highlight the emotional and health system needs of clients and provide an opportunity to share insights, lessons learned, and ideas on what is necessary to further provide a quality service delivery experience for all clients of the domestic and global HIV epidemic. Hosted by PEPFAR, this networking zone will feature partner organizations and their programmes, allowing clients and providers to provide their insights.