Press Release

OFID active at AIDS 2010
Sponsored participants acquire new insight

PR25/2010 July 26, 2010, Vienna, Austria
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The five-day long 18th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) concluded successfully on July 23 in Vienna, with the attendance of some 100 participants sponsored by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The sponsorship, which was channeled through the International AIDS Society (IAS), helped cover the participation costs of specially selected health professionals, scientists, researchers and graduate students from developing countries.

Commenting on the event, OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, said that OFID’s sponsorship had provided the beneficiaries with “a breadth of valuable knowledge that would otherwise have been unavailable to them.” The experience and lessons learned “will be taken back to their home countries where it can be put to good use” he added.

Dr. Elly Katabira, newly-elected President of the IAS, echoed the Director-General’s remarks, noting that many of the beneficiaries were “young people who are the future of HIV/AIDS care and activities.”

The conference also afforded OFID the opportunity to network with some of its strategic partners. Constructive dialogue took place between Mr. Al-Herbish and Mr. Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, and Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, among others. Speaking of OFID’s work in helping combat HIV/AIDS, Mr. Al-Herbish said that “OFID is a determined partner in this campaign; we stand ready with strategic partner institutions and cooperating countries to do what we can to fight this pandemic through all stages; working in prevention, treatment and care as well as in research and trials.”

OFID had a visible presence throughout the event, with an exhibition booth that provided delegates with a wide range of information materials about OFID’s general activities and specific contribution towards the HIV/AIDS initiative. OFID also hosted a reception at its headquarters that was attended by senior representatives from national and international, as well as non-governmental, organizations.

OFID is a long-standing partner in the campaign against HIV/AIDS, with co-financed operations in more than 100 countries. Since the launch of its Special Grant Account for HIV/AIDS Operations in 2001, the institution has set aside US$80 million in dedicated resources to help finance interventions, ranging from prevention and awareness, to counseling, care, treatment and support, as well as vaccine development, legal reform, blood safety and support to vulnerable children.

Arabic version