Fourth International
TB/HIV Community Mobilization Workshop

A Satellite of the 36th IUATLD Conference on Lung Health
October 18th - 23rd, 2005
Paris, France

TAG announces the fourth international TB/HIV community education & mobilization workshop for TB and HIV/AIDS community representatives. This workshop will be hosted locally by our organizational partner AIDES. Following are the relevant details for potential applicants:

A. Workshop Information

1. Title: 4th International TB/HIV Community Mobilization Workshop

2. When: October 18th-23rd, 2005 (Participants will be expected to arrive on the 17th and depart on the 23rd or 24th as is feasible).

3. Where: The two-day workshop will be held in Paris, France in conjunction with the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease Conference.

4. Workshop Goals:

   1. Education. To share information on TB and HIV research, prevention, treatment, and policy; and to initiate and build upon strategies to disseminate information about TB/HIV coinfection through developing skills necessary for helping communities understand, participate in, and provide input into research and treatment programs.

   2. Networking. To provide opportunities for international TB and HIV community representatives to develop working relationships with national and regional public health, TB and HIV/AIDS control officers, WHO, the Stop TB Partnership, the Global Fund, and others to more effectively represent affected communities.

   3. Advocacy & resource mobilization. To provide opportunities for international TB and HIV community representatives to develop plans, skills, and strategies to mobilize communities, policymakers, and resources to better fight TB/HIV at the country and regional levels, and participate in global policy initiatives.

5. Other Expectations:
   All participants will be required to attend the full workshop and also participate in IUATLD conference sessions, meet daily for discussions and debriefing, meet with researchers, national TB program officers, and representatives of WHO and other organizations working to better control the dual epidemics of TB and HIV.

6. Who should apply?

   1. Prioritized Communities: Priority will be given to OSI/TAG TB/HIV grant recipients, to community representatives on the Stop TB Partnership, as well as to members of the TAG/OSI TB/HIV Advisory Committee.

   2. Additional target communities: Community members with a demonstrated history or keen interest in treatment advocacy, community mobilization, and treatment literacy programs, and who work with organizations or networks with an interest in expanding access to TB and HIV care in countries with a high burden of TB and HIV co-infection, or in those where HIV is spreading and TB is highly prevalent.

7. Cost: All invited participants will have their travel, lodging, and meals paid for the duration of the workshop. Due to financial limitations, only a limited number of applicants will be selected.

8. How to apply: Please fill out the application form below or visit www.aidsinfonyc.org by July 25, 2005.

B. Background of TB/HIV
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common infection among people living with HIV/AIDS, and the leading killer of PLWHA worldwide. Like HIV, TB can be prevented and treated; unlike HIV, it can also be cured. Yet in sub-Saharan Africa access to treatment is not ensured and as many as 70% of people with HIV lack access to life-saving DOTS TB treatment. Wherever the HIV epidemic is generalized, TB is now a major concern, and wherever HIV is spreading – such as in Eurasia, South and East Asia – HIV-related TB is becoming a major concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that with additional resources and training, TB control programs could cure TB among millions of HIV-infected individuals, and could identify and refer up to 500,000 HIV-infected TB patients to antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment programs per year.

Information about Lead Organizer: The Treatment Action Group (TAG) fights to find a cure for AIDS and to ensure that all people living with HIV receive the necessary treatment, care, and information they need to save their lives. TAG's TB/HIV Project is funded through Gates Foundation and aims to integrate TB/HIV issues into global AIDS advocacy - and to broaden community advocacy, education & mobilization against HIV-related tuberculosis. As one strategy to accomplish this goal, TAG has been organizing an annual TB/HIV Community Education and Mobilization workshops in conjunction with the IUATLD for the past three years.

Local Host and Collaborating Partner: AIDES, one of the largest European community-based organizations against HIV/AIDS that has partnerships with NGOs both in Africa and Europe to strengthen the role of civil society by sharing best practices and to jointly advocate for global access to HIV care and prevention.

TAG/OSI TB/HIV Advisory Committee: A committee of TB/HIV advocates from countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, China, Georgia, Namibia, Pakistan, and Uganda who will help in the selection of participants and in the agenda creation. They are part of the process of ensuring that the concerns of people infected and affected by the dual epidemic remain at the center of this workshop.

All applications need to be received by TAG at the following address, preferably by e-mail by the close of business on July 25, 2005. Please feel free to write back if you have any questions

Mail:	4th TB/HIV Workshop Joe McConnell Administrator Treatment Action Group 611 Broadway, Suite 608 New York, NY 10012 USA
Fax:	212 253 7923
Email:	tagnyc@verizon.net

The Workshop is made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Fourth TB/HIV Community Mobilization Workshop Participant Application

Completed applications must be received at TAG on or before Friday July 25, 2005.

Please complete the application and send it via mail, email or fax to:

Mail:	4th TB/HIV Workshop Joe McConnell Administrator Treatment Action Group 611 Broadway, Suite 608 New York, NY 10012 USA
Fax:	212 253 7923
Email:	tagnyc@verizon.net

WORKSHOP APPLICANT INFORMATION            [ print application to send by mail or fax ]