Re: Unaffordable registration fee for IAS conference in Bangokok

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

I agree with the Dr. Kandula, From Pakistan only those people are participating

who have been sponsored by the conference. My institution declined to sponsor me

because of the fee, its rip off. Such a high fee may be justified for European

where per capita income allows paying for, but in third world countries, people

can't even think off. We talk about equity in excess to knowledge and resource

for HIV/AIDS on one hand and denying the basic concept in the events in

organizing that.

This point should be raised in the conference as well that is fee of conference

in congruity with the principles of IAS and other organizations organizing it?

It’s really a disaster to keep people away because they can’t pay registration

fee.

Dr. Naveed Zafar Janjua MBBS, MSc (Epidemiology & Biostatistics)

Research Fellow, Department of Community Health Sciences

The Aga Khan University, P.O. Box 3500, Stadium Road

Karachi - 74800

Tel: +92 (21) 48594932, Ext: 4932

Fax: +92 (21) 4934294, 4932095

Email: naveed.janjua@...

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Three messages on the issue of Unaffordable registration fee for IAS conference

in Bangokok

1) Global AIDS Conference access only for the elite.

2)The pharma circus

3) AIDS conference: Quite a bit of navel gazing and point scoring

Moderator

____________

1) Global AIDS Conference access only for the elite.

If the budgets and registration fees for all International UNAIDS Conferences

were totalled and allocated to prevention and care; we would be much further

along in stemming the tide of AIDS and related illnesses. It is a sad reality

when the Global AIDS Conference Infrastructure mirrors the reality of access

only for the elite.

B. Brinn

Global Health Strategies

E-mail: global325@...

_______________________

2)The pharma circus

Folks might wish to bring these issues to the IAS attention--along with other

deficiencies that might one day be addressed. See message below.

I am not attending due to the same outrageous cost issues. It is startling that

they cannot afford to provide access to more people given the pharma circus that

is always available and the billions that industry has made on the backs of

people with HIV/AIDS while assuring no or extremely limited access to millions

in their pursuit of intellectual property profits with a side of genocide.

M.

E-mail: <fiar@...>

__________________

3) AIDS conference: Quite a bit of navel gazing and point scoring

My agency told me that to pay for this would be my whole travel budget for the

year and I declined because I feel that being in south asia and east africa is

more valuable for me and what I have to contribute.

The same can be said for the Barcelona conference.

Ordinary workers just can't justify the time or the expense. We need to read the

waffle and then draw conclusions from it and meet seperately afterwards.

Hopefully one day I will get an invitation to come to Pakistan as well. I doubt

that much useful knowledge will be generated in such a large non specific

gathering. Quite a bit of navel gazing and point scoring though.

Even the protests will be short lived and the only ones to gain will be the

tourism and hospitality and sex work industries in Bangkok.

Geoffrey

e-mail: <gheaviside@...>