About this Event
Nearly 45 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the world stands at an inflection point. Scientific breakthroughs, from long-acting injectable prevention to Caring Cross's CAR-T cell therapy research pointing toward a functional cure, have never been more promising, even as the funding architecture that has sustained the global response for two decades is being fundamentally reshaped. With PEPFAR facing steep reductions and a planned wind-down, the Global Fund absorbing major donor pullbacks, and community-based services closing across dozens of countries, the gap between what science can now offer and what health systems can deliver is widening.
This panel brings together leaders driving innovation across the full arc of the response - cure research, prevention, and surveillance – to ask what a next phase of the fight against AIDS looks like - when it can no longer rely on the funding assumptions of the past - and why deeper collaboration across these traditionally separate domains is now a necessity rather than an option. The conversation comes at a timely moment: it follows directly on the heels of (RED)'s soft launch of its new "The End Starts Now" campaign, a moment ripe for exploring how cure-focused research can align with a high-visibility advocacy platform to reach new audiences and funders. Together, the panel aims to chart a realistic but ambitious path forward: one where scientific innovation, sustained political will, and creative cross-sector partnerships converge to keep the goal of ending AIDS within reach.
Speakers:
Dr Boro Dropulić, Executive Director, Caring Cross
Ms Dianne Stewart, Deputy Director of the External Relations and Communications Division and Head of the Donor Relations Department, GFATM
Ms Kate Charles, Managing Director, (RED)
With Special Remarks from His Excellency Dr Pierre Somse, Minister of Health and Population, Central African Republic
Moderated by:
Pradeep Kakkattil, CEO, Health Innovation Exchange
Event venue & nearby stays
Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.