The International AIDS Conference is the largest conference on any global health issue in the world. First convened during the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1985, it continues to provide a unique forum for the intersection of science, advocacy, and human rights. Each conference is an opportunity to strengthen policies and programmes that ensure an evidence-based response to the epidemic. The 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020) will be hosted in San Francisco, CA 6-10 July 2020.

Travel restrictions to the US remain a significant concern for us. AIDS 2012 in Washington DC is an important model for preparing for AIDS 2020. Early engagement from policy experts and advocates helped address a large number of access issues for delegates travelling internationally. That work led to the largest International AIDS Conference in history – with over 23,000 registered delegates – and lifting of the 22-year travel ban that prevented people living with HIV from entering the country.

We commit to organizing a US-based working group similar to that formed in advance of AIDS 2012. This group will be supported to proactively address access concerns and make recommendations to the conference organizers that support the mission and vision of AIDS 2020. Together we will develop solutions that ensure maximum participation and advocate for policy change at federal level.

This is not a time to shy away from engaging on AIDS in the US. We believe holding AIDS 2020 in the Bay Area, a global capital of AIDS activism, will send a powerful message to all those threatening to undo the progress of the past three decades and provide support to those living with HIV and fighting to protect global AIDS funding.

Having the conference in the US in 2020 will provide a powerful reminder not only of the extraordinary return on US investments in global AIDS programmes, but also an opportunity to work together to demand an end to discriminatory immigration policies and call for new investments in HIV research.