Webcast: 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Live Webcast---High Bandwidth (Windows Media)
Live Webcast---Low Bandwidth (Windows Media)

Developing country urban areas pose both challenges and unique opportunities in the fight against HIV/AIDS. High population densities and the rapid growth of poor and informal communities make them particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS within the urban context. In some middle income country cities, intravenous drug use and risky sexual behaviors also place urban residents at risk of contracting HIV.

Despite these challenges, residents of urban areas do have better access to HIV prevention education and treatment than their rural counterparts. Urban areas also provide resource-poor governments a less expensive way to reach more of their population with both prevention education and treatment.

Public health officials have found community-based approaches are a particularly effective way to meet the needs of certain urban populations. This approach is especially effective at reaching under-served communities and promoting a supportive legal, social, and cultural environment for people living with AIDS and their families.

This seminar will address community initiatives and rights based responses to HIV/AIDS in resource poor countries. In the first panel representatives will provide an overview of global resources available for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in urban areas. The second panel will address successes and challenges of specific community-based approaches in urban areas in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Russia and the former Soviet states.

Panelists include:

Arachu Castro, Partners in Health/Harvard University
Susan Simon, Open Society Institute
Ronald MacInnis, USAID
Rafael Mazin, Pan-American Health Organization
Lane Porter, The Futures Group International and
Nina Schuler, The World Bank