Re: Cancellation of 7th ICAAP

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

I appreciate the willingness of individuals to keep us informed, but I find

that their emails only add to the confusion surrounding this conference.

Why are we not receiving any official messages from the organizers if a decision

to postpone has in fact been made?

The only official information available on the website is that registrations

have been suspended for now. It would be helpful to receive information about

a) whether the conference will take place in Japan this November,

whether a change of venue is being considered, and

c) specific information about the next meeting.

If there will be no ICAAP again until 2005, that is hardly a postponement, but

rather a cancellation of the 2003 meeting.

Ekstrand, PhD

University of California, San Francisco

E-mail:<mekstrand@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

As part of the ICCAP IAC, I wish to state that the unilateral decision of the

Local Organising Committee to 'Postpone' ICAAP for 2 years [an effective

cancellation], without the active participation of either the ASAP, UNAIDS or

the IAC in the decision making process has been a surprise to many of us who

have been involved. In spite of the decision of LOC, there are parleys that are

still in process between the LOC, ASAP, UNAIDS and IAC. Therefore there may

still be a scope of the decision to be rescinded, or modified. Therefore the

decision cannot be called full and final yet.

It is therefore that I feel the LOC has not sent any mails to anybody regarding

their decision. I have personally been waiting for things to crystallize before

I wrote to the group, because I wanted to avoid the confusion that many of you

feel now.

I shall keep you involved as things develop.

Regards and best

Aditya Bondyopadhyay

International Advisory Committee

ICAAP-7; Kobe, Japan.

[Guest guest]

Aditya,

I sent my feelings in response to yet another mail from Japan via

the AP Rainbow network. I think this decision so close to the time

when people have to finalise so many travel and accommodation

bookings is a scandal.

No doubt you have seen my comments there so I won't repeat them

here.

There is no doubt that you are the meat in the sandwich in this

matter but it does make us look a bit like the UN right now.

Despite your comment that no mails are coming from LOC, some mails

are coming from folk in Japan who appear to be as disappointed as

we are.

Please make some pace with the parleys!!

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>

[Guest guest]

,

I am glad I am not the only one who is distressed by this turn of

events.

The Professor of Politics from Latrobe university in Melbourne

ticked me off for my postings. He apparently chairs the ASAP

committee that apparently owns ICAAP.

is where I am posting my responses.

The critique is being posted via AP-Rainbow and I

will try to find the chain of emails and forward them to your

email address.

Of particular concern to me is an apparent offer from an Indian

University which has been ignored on the grounds and in the words

of another indian, they would only muck it up.

Heaven knows how many more virus types might be around in 2005

when Japan hopes to be able to pick up where they left off.

The silence has been deafening since my last post but no doubt

that is because the Professor doesn't work on weekends.

I did get a message from one of the organisers who is in a network

of Japan Africa agencies and he is expressing disappointment and

trying to find ways to convene some initiatives through his

network. I offered my condolences to him and his group who were

obviously intent on doing quite a bit of work before Bangkok

International Global conference where local asian initiatives will

be buried even deeper.

I for one will be advocating for a much more representative

steering committee process in future. Having a two year gap is

fine but making one into a four year gap is negligence.

I am happy to be the contact point for what I hope will be an

increasing number of people who want to replace the 7th ICAAP

before 2005.

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>