The World Health Organisation, UNAIDS, International AIDS Society, Treatment Action Group and Forum for Collaborative HIV Research are jointly organising a one and half day international pre-conference consultative meeting entitled HIV and TB in the context of universal access: what is working and what is not? on behalf of the Global TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership in conjunction with XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada.

The meeting will take place on 12-13 August 2006 at Holiday Inn on King Hotel. The meeting is free of charge and open to international and national programme managers, clinicians, researchers, policy makers and NGO representatives working on HIV/AIDS. The magnitude and challenges of diagnosing TB among PLWHA will be reviewed and successful experiences and best practices from countries implementing TB/HIV activities will be shared and new and innovative strategic approaches to reduce the impact of TB among PLWHA will be explored.

The World Health Organization will be able to cover only accommodation (not airfare to and from Toronto) costs for the duration of the meeting for limited number of participants from high HIV and TB burden resource constrained settings. National HIV and TB control programme managers, and civil society organisation representatives from these countries are encouraged to apply.

If you would like to attend this meeting or if you want to know more about it please contact francisc@who.int before 30 May 2006.