All you need to know about #HIVIstanbul2023 Community Conference, which will focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) regions around the theme #AreWeReallyEqual and the scholarship application.
Scroll down for more details, the most up-to-date draft agenda and the scholarship application form
(Scholarship applications are closed as of October 3rd, 23:59 (GMT+3) Türkiye time. We thank everyone for over 600 applications)
Red Ribbon Istanbul
#AllAboutHIV
#UequalsU
HIV Istanbul 2023 Organization Team, August 15, 2023
If you are a conference participant, click here to enter the digital platform.
- What is the HIV Istanbul Conference?
HIVIstanbul Community Conference is a local, regional, and international community gathering. Organized for the first time in 2021, HIV Istanbul has gained significant international recognition in this short period and has become an important gathering where the HIV agenda and issues not only in Türkiye but also in the EU, MENA, and EECA regions it interacts with are discussed by the HIV community itself.
- Who is organizing the HIV Istanbul 2023 Conference? What is the conference's theme for 2023, and what does the conference aim to achieve?
The HIV Istanbul Conference is organized by Red Ribbon Istanbul (RRI), Türkiye's leading HIV information provider. As the international face of Türkiye in HIV, RRI, known for its leadership in global campaigns such as #UequalsU, organizes HIV Istanbul 2023 with the indispensable support of volunteers and the international HIV community.
Following the success of the conference in 2021, the first year of its implementation, and the international visibility it added in 2022, RRI aims to create an even more inclusive agenda in its third year with the theme "Are we really equal?" and aims for much broader participation and high international impact in the EU, MENA and EECA regions.
HIVIstanbul2023 is a trilingual conference. All sessions will be in Turkish, English and Arabic. Thanks to GNP+ for Arabic language support. .: Please watch the summary of the HIV Istanbul Conference's 2022 edition below and download the Conference Booklet in English by clicking here :.
- Why Istanbul?
Istanbul, a unique location where Europe and Asia meet, where two continents meet in one city, is the intersection point of different cultures today as it has been for centuries.
Istanbul (and Türkiye) is also one of the most important destinations for migration traffic, which has increased in recent years due to various reasons and is in intense interaction with the MENA and EECA regions, where new HIV cases are increasing. This detail adds to Istanbul's geographical and strategic importance that the international HIV community should not neglect.
From this perspective, Istanbul is an ideal meeting point for discussing current problems, inequalities, and the future of HIV and developing a shared vision.
The annual planning of the conference in Istanbul is part of the vision of Red Ribbon Istanbul, which includes the name Istanbul in its name and is headquartered in Istanbul, to make Istanbul an easily accessible connection hub for the global HIV movement, hosting significant events.
- Which regions will HIV Istanbul 2023 focus on?
Organized in 2021 with the theme #HIVWilLose and in 2022 with the theme #CivilSocietyHasTheAnswer, HIV Istanbul 2023 will focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) and EU regions in 2023 with an agenda focusing on the question "Are we really equal?".
- What is on the agenda of HIV Istanbul 2023?
#HIVIstanbul2023 will use regional NGOs, stakeholders, and activists attending the conference to publicize the inequalities in the MENA and EECA regions through the local experiences of the regions themselves. It will also include best practices from these regions and near neighbors to raise collective motivation and encourage greater cooperation within the region.
The agenda of #HIVIstanbul2023 will include sessions organized with NGOs and stakeholders such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC & Fast Track Cities Initiative, European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) Sofia Checkpoint, Barcelona Checkpoint, Mena Rosa Lebanon, Love to Love Organization Uganda, U=U Africa Forum, Azerbaijan Republican Center for Combating AIDS, Cyprus Turkish Medical Association, Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation, Positive Living Association Türkiye and more...
Click here for the latest draft agenda, and follow our @redribbontr Instagram account for updates.
- Why should you participate in HIV Istanbul 2023?
HIV Istanbul, which emphasizes its vision with its first-year motto (HIV will lose) and its
mission as to who is the leading actor in achieving this goal with its second-year motto (civil society has the answer), is moving forward on this line while gaining an international dimension by focusing on MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and EECA (Eastern Europe and Central Asia) regions in its 2023 agenda. Unlike other regions, MENA and EECA are where the number of new cases is rising, making this year's conference more critical.
In addition, an essential dimension of the vision of HIV Istanbul 2023 is to present Türkiye's problems in the field of HIV, the solutions and works developed by the HIV community in Türkiye against these problems through both local and regional interactions with the International HIV community, and catch attention to the country and the region is also an essential dimension of the vision of HIV Istanbul 2023.
- What does the scholarship application cover?
The HIV Istanbul 2023 scholarship application covers full digital participation in the conference, which will take place on October 5, 6, and 7, 2023.
The scholarship also includes participation in the #HIVForumIstanbul, which is planned as the final session of the last day of the conference. HIV Forum Istanbul is an interactive session that allows all conference participants to express their opinions and develop a shared vision within the framework of the topic chosen within the scope of the conference agenda.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is October 3 23:59 Türkiye time (GMT +3)
- Who can apply for the scholarship?
HIV Istanbul 2023 scholarship application is open to people living with HIV, activists, NGO staff/representatives, students, and community-friendly health professionals worldwide.
Due to legal limitations, we cannot have an open-door registration system, so please consider the scholarship application form as a registration form. The scholarship application will only take 2 minutes, and all digital scholarship applications will be approved.
Pharmaceutical industry representatives who want to follow HIV Istanbul 2023 need to register to attend the conference. Industry representatives wishing to register can send an e-mail to conference@kirmizikurdele.org. - Conference venue for registered delegates from Istanbul The conference venue for #HIVIstanbul2023 is HILTON Istanbul Kozyatağı. For registered delegates who would like to attend the conference from Istanbul and make their speeches physically, you can find the location information of HILTON Istanbul Kozyatağı and how to reach it by clicking here.
- Registration calendar for professionals and pharma representatives;
Early bird (June 1- 30);
Community: €200,
Health professional: €350,
Industry representative 300 €,
Standard registration (July 1 - August 31);
Community: 225 €,
Health professional: €450,
Industry representative 400 €,
Late breaker (September 1 - October 5);
Community: €250,
Health professional: €550,
Industry representative: 500 €.
You can send an email to conference@kirmizikurdele.org for registration.