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The World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the International AIDS Society, Treatment Action Group and the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research are jointly organising a one and a half day international pre-conference consultative meeting on 'HIV and TB in the context of universal access: what is working and what is not?' for the Global TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership, in conjunction with XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada.

The meeting will take place on 12-13 August 2006 at the Holiday Inn on King Hotel. The meeting is free of charge and open to international and national programme managers, clinicians, researchers, policymakers and NGO representatives working in HIV/AIDS. The magnitude and challenges of diagnosing TB among people living with HIV and AIDS will be reviewed, successful experiences and best practices from countries implementing TB/HIV activities will be shared, and new and innovative strategic approaches to reduce the impact of TB among PLWHA will be explored.

The World Health Organization will be able to cover only accommodation costs for the duration of the meeting for limited number of participants from high HIV and TB burden resource-constrained settings (not airfare to and from Toronto). National HIV and TB control programme managers and civil society organisation representatives from these countries are encouraged to apply.

If you would like to attend this meeting, or if you want to know more about it, please contact before 30 May 2006.

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) has launched an AIDS vaccine clearinghouse - www.aidsvaccineclearinghouse.org - a comprehensive and interactive source of AIDS vaccine information on the internet. The website provides a gateway to information and a link to people and organisations interested in AIDS vaccine advocacy, research and global delivery.

The Clearinghouse is divided into separate content sections, each providing an overview, frequently asked questions and 'top picks' of other sources for further information on a particular topic. The site covers a wide variety of issues, all of which greatly affect the work of advocates, community members, researchers and policymakers in developing an AIDS vaccine. The Clearinghouse includes both original content and annotated links to other helpful resources.

AVAC is simultaneously launching a new Advocates' Network - an electronic resource for organisations and individuals interested or already involved in advocacy for the development of vaccines for HIV/AIDS. The Advocates' Network, which is linked to the Clearinghouse, will provide regular electronic announcements, updates and notices of events or activities related to AIDS vaccine and other prevention research. Advocates can also submit events and activities to be included in the Advocates' Network Calendar - a calendar of AIDS vaccine related activities around the world. You can join the Network by sending an email to: