WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The International AIDS Society 2012 conference will be held in Washington, the first time in the United States since 1990, U.S. officials said.
The IAS Governing Council decided to convene its AIDS 2012 gathering in Washington following President Barack Obama's announcement in October that the entry restrictions on people living with HIV would end effective Jan. 4, 2010, the White House said Monday in a news release.
Announcement of the conference was among the HIV/AIDS efforts highlighted by administration officials the day before World AIDS Day on Tuesday.
"It is clear that our nation's investments in HIV/AIDS are having an impact," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "President Obama and I are dedicated to enhancing America's leadership in the fight against global AIDS."
Some of the administration's efforts on HIV/AIDS issues include:
-- More than half of an estimated 4 million individuals in low- and middle-income countries have access to anti-retroviral treatment.
-- Reauthorization of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 for four years.
-- Through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, begun by former President George W. Bush, frameworks with partner countries have been established to promote a more sustainable approach to combating HIV/AIDS.
Other participants included Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Ambassador and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric P. Goosby, and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement.
World AIDS Day, observed Dec. 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
