Virtual window on the Barcelona Conference AIDS 2002

Thanks to an innovative low-tech approach, the power of electronic mail and the Internet is providing a front-row seat at the first major AIDS event since the UN Special Session on AIDS last June - without even leaving home.

14,000: The number of people who will most likely attend the XIV International AIDS Conference in Barcelona next week. This is also the number of people who were infected with HIV each and every day last year.

* For every person at the Conference, there are over two thousand people living with HIV today. For every delegate, there are one thousand children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

* For every person at the Barcelona Conference, there are hundreds of leading health workers, biomedical and community AIDS experts around the world who will not be there to share their own first-hand expertise.

Those people also need to hear about the latest discoveries and observations on the impact of the epidemic and what can be done to halt its spread. But the costs of getting to Spain, registering for the Conference itself and taking time out from day-to-day work are simply not possible.They have not been overlooked.

On each day of the meeting, reports and summaries of presentations, debates, interviews and commentaries on new developments will be provided through a dedicated email, Internet and Worldspace satellite reporting service - opening a window to those who cannot see and hear them in person. The services have been specially designed to use e-mail and low-bandwidth connections, making the information content of the Conference accessible to as many people and communities as possible - including in countries with only poor internet connectivity. Articles will also be broadcast through the Worldspace satellite service to physicians and other health workers in all African countries.

To help avoid the information overload often experienced around such events, users will be able to request only the reports and articles they wish to read - they will then be delivered to their e-mail inbox. No deluge of postings and no need for expensive and time-consuming web browsing. All reports and articles are made freely available for reproduction elsewhere as appropriate.

How to take part: To receive listings of daily reports and articles as they become available, copies of the Conference daily on-site newspaper, and daily updates from a team of 50 dedicated Key Correspondents, write now to: [email protected]

These information services are provided free of charge to users by Health & Development Networks in collaboration with the XIV International AIDS Conference Secretariat and SATELLIFE.

For further information, please contact:

Health & Development Networks (HDN)
David Haerry, Project Manager
Cheryl Nelson, KC Co-ordinator
Tel: +34 680 302 064 (Barcelona)
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.hdnet.org

AIDS2002 Secretariat
Karen Bennett - Communications Co-ordinator
Tel: +34 93 254 05 55
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.aids2002.com

SATELLIFE
Leela McCullough:Director of Information Services E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.healthnet.org