Geneva-based Kenes Group to manage largest AIDS conference for Asia-Pacific in Dhaka

Geneva-based Kenes Group has become the event manager of the upcoming AIDS conference for the Asia-Pacific region in Dhaka.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 May 2015, 07:19 PM
Updated : 6 May 2015, 07:19 PM

Bangladesh will host the 12th edition of the largest AIDS conference for the region, known as ICAAP, from Nov 20 to Nov 23 this year.
 
The government and the inter-governmental agency Partners in Population and Development (PPD) are the co-hosts of the conference themed on “be the change towards an AIDS free generation: our right to health”.
 
PPD on Wednesday said a MoU was signed between the local organising committee and the Kenes Group for event management in Dhaka.
 
State Minister for Health Zahed Maleque, PPD Executive Director and Secretary General of ICAAP12 Joe Thomas, Vice-President Special Project of Kenes Group Sadik Caglar, and Country Director of UNAIDS Bangladesh Leo Kenny were present, among others, during the signing at the Secretariat.
 
The Kenes Group will be responsible for “all the organisational, administrative, tourism and financial matters of the conference”.
 
They will take “full responsibility to organise all aspects of the ICAAP12,” PPD says.
 
ICAAP draws more than 3,000 participants from across the world, mostly from the Asia and the Pacific region.
 
The Dhaka meet will be the first global AIDS conference after the September UN General Assembly in which the post-2015 development agenda will be passed.
 
The conference would highlight Bangladesh’s and the region’s aim to achieve an AIDS-free generation through “science, innovation, community involvement with government leadership”.
 
People living with HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh consider this conference as a game-changer as they believe the huge gathering will help destroy myths and misconceptions attached to this disease.
 
Meanwhile, PPD says they will also organise their annual meeting on the sidelines of the conference.
 
Ministers for health, population and social welfare and high level officials from 26 member states are expected to join both the ICAAP and the PPD annual events.
 
PPD is also expected to inaugurate its own office building at Agargoan in Dhaka during the annual meeting.
 
The Bangladesh government had, earlier, donated a piece of land to the PPD for the building.