On behalf of the International AIDS Society, the Toronto Local Host and the Co-organisers (the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the Canadian AIDS Society) of the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006), we cordially invite you to join us in Toronto, Canada, 13-18 August 2006 for the world’s premier biennial event in the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

Participants from around the globe will gather in Toronto to share the latest evidence, ideas and lessons learned in HIV/AIDS research, policies and programmes. Organised around the key challenges facing those engaged in the response to the epidemic, AIDS 2006 will focus on our shared obligation to deliver the promise of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care to communities throughout the world.

AIDS 2006 marks the 10th anniversary of the breakthrough in HIV/AIDS treatment known as “highly active antiretroviral therapy” (HAART), first announced at the XI International AIDS Conference in Vancouver––the last time the International AIDS Conference was held in Canada. It also marks the 25th anniversary of the first reports in the US CDC Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report of a new illness, which later came to be known as “AIDS”. As we gather in Toronto, we will examine the progress made since then and focus on the steps we must take now to reach the vision of “One World, One Hope” that was embraced at the 1996 meeting.

The Conference will also greatly expand its reach to those around the world who are not able to attend in person with webcasts, transcripts and presentations available on the Conference website. The Conference Organising Committee has also lowered the financial barrier to participation. For the first time, registration fees for those from less-developed countries will be significantly lower and we hope to provide more scholarships than ever before to participants who lack the means to attend.

The strong working relationship between the International AIDS Society, the Toronto Local Host, the co-organisers, the Canadian government, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto, along with the active participation of stakeholders from across the global HIV/AIDS community, will ensure that AIDS 2006 is a landmark event in the global response.

As the world’s membership society of researchers and health professionals committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS, the International AIDS Society is steadfast in its dedication to end the HIV pandemic through meaningful collaboration among scientists, health workers, policy makers, people living with HIV/AIDS, civil society, community members and other stakeholders. We are pleased to return to Canada, a country that has long demonstrated its strong resolve to fight the pandemic at home and abroad.