Clinton To Address AIDS Conference

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will address the opening session of the International AIDS Conference in Washington DC this Monday. Via press release from the White House:

The International AIDS Conference is the biennial gathering of AIDS scientists, international policymakers, implementers and people living with AIDS from around the world. AIDS 2012 will take place July 22 - 27 in Washington, D.C. The return of the conference to the U.S. after 22 years is the result of the U.S. government’s elimination of HIV-related entry restrictions. Secretary Clinton’s remarks will be streamed live here. Additional State Department officials will also participate in AIDS 2012 and related events, including Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides, who will speak at The Global Fund: The Next 5 Years on Thursday, July 26 at 4:30 p.m. Ambassador Melanne Verveer of the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and Executive Director of the Secretary’s Global Health Initiative Lois Quam will speak at an event on Turning the Tide for Women at the Museum of Women in the Arts on Wednesday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m.

Former President George W. Bush will also address the conference. While his record on HIV/AIDS was mixed, activists continue to praise Bush for the PEPFAR program, which now provides meds to over four million people around the globe.