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South Africa will take centre stage in this year's World AIDS Day celebrations with what is undoubtedly the biggest event: the 46664 concert at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on 29 November. Featuring some of the world's leading pop artists, the three-hour concert is expected to draw a crowd of 40,000 people. It will be broadcast by the SABC and MTV to cumulative audiences estimated at around 2 million. Performers include 50 Cent, Anastacia, Baaba Maal, Beyonce, Bono, Johnny Clegg, The Corrs, Eurythmics, Moloko, Ms Dynamite, Paul Oakenfold featuring Shifty Shell Shock and TC, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Queen, and Zucchero. Former President Nelson Mandela is the patron of the campaign.

For more information: www.46664.com

VSO's new campaign, AIDS Agenda, aims to focus attention on the need for more equality between women and men as part of an effective response to HIV/AIDS. The publication of VSO's new position paper "Gendering AIDS: Women, Men, Mobilisation, Empowerment" marks the beginning of the new campaign. Research for Gendering AIDS was carried out in South Africa, India, Namibia and Cambodia. It examines how national and international policies designed to protect women's rights can be put into practice, and how men can be more constructively involved in HIV/AIDS work at grassroots level.

To read the report: www.vso.org.uk

The City of Dakar, in partnership with the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA) International, are organising a march in Dakar, Senegal, as a prelude to the 6th International Home and Community Care Conference for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS to be held in Dakar from 8 to 12 December 2003.

The march will focus on raising awareness about stigma and discrimination - the theme of this year's World AIDS Day Campaign. The event will kick off at 8:30am on Sunday 7 December 2003. Round-trip transport will be provided for conference participants.

For more information and to sign up for the march, contact SWAA International at email: .

SWAA International
6, Avenue Bourguiba
B.P. 16425 Dakar-Fann
Senegal
Tel: +221 824 59 20
Fax: +221 865 26 07
Email:
Website: www.swaainternational.org

Botswana's AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA), in collaboration with all stakeholders and developmental partners, will be hosting the country's first national HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and other related infectious diseases research conference (NHASORC 2003). This will take place from 7 to 12 December 2003 in the capital, Gaborone.

The main aim of NHASORC 2003 is to provide a platform for sharing research data and experience by scientists that have done, or are currently intending to do, HIV/AIDS research in or about Botswana. NHASORC 2003 will identify research gaps and impediments to research implementation. NHASORC 2003 will also be used as a framework for streamlining national research priorities and determining dissemination modalities, in line with the country's National Strategic Framework (2003-2009).

For more details:
www.naca.gov.bw
NHASORC 2003
NACA P/bag 00463
Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: +267- 3903188/3904083/3903185
Fax: +267 3903273/3170960
Email: or or

Aidsmap's range of factsheets has been expanded. The following factsheets are now available online:

- Blood Pressure
- Sexual Health Check-Ups
- Winter Viral Illnesses
- Disclosing HIV status to healthcare workers

The theme of the World AIDS Campaign 2002-03 is "Live and let live" and focuses on eliminating HIV- and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination – key obstacles to effective HIV prevention and AIDS care.

World AIDS Day has been commemorated globally on 1 December since 1988 and around the world a number of activities are again planned for World AIDS Day this year. Many events are summarised on the UNAIDS website. All events on the site include links or contact details.
www.unaids.org