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Message from the President I am pleased to inform you that the Society for AIDS in Africa under the leadership of the past President, Professor Femi Soyinka, conducted the Executive Council Elections at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa on the 7th of February 2010. The elections were presided over by Professor Mboup Souleyman and Professor Lazare Kaptue as the President and Secretary of the electoral commission respectively. The outcome of these council elections is constitutionally set to allow the Society for AIDS in Africa renew its governing council. As the newly elected President of the Society for AIDS in Africa, I would like on behalf of the SAA Administrative Council and Members, in Africa and other parts of the world, to assure you of our commitment in working towards Universal Access, the attainment of the MDGs in 2015 and a long term goal of eradicating the pandemic in Africa. Our watch words under this new governing council are: Transparency, Openness and Accountability. The Society has been able to organize 15 ICASAs in the 20 years of its existence, the results of which are quite evident. Stigmatization and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS have fallen. However, the majority of the infections are concentrated amongst MSM, injection drug users and commercial sex workers. These groups are often stigmatized and highly discriminated against. It was with this in mind that the last ICASA organized in Dakar in 2008 featured a peaceful demonstration by these sexual minorities, voicing out their challenges and expectations. Being the custodian of ICASA, the Society for AIDS in Africa would like to emphasize that ICASA is an event opened to all stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in Africa. We will appreciate your support towards strengthening our partnership in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in our beloved continent: Africa. This year 2010 was set for the achievement of universal access to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, there is therefore an urgent need to evaluate the achievement so far towards the realization of this goal. In line with this, the Society will be hosting its 2nd Scientific Symposium in Accra, Ghana on the 24th -26th of November 2010. The symposium will among others feature presentation of evidence-based scientific research findings aimed at evaluating the attainment of universal access. The Society will also be organizing the 16th ICASA with local organizers in Addis Ababa on the 4th - 8th of December 2011. I look forward towards a better collaboration and scaling-up of efforts among the different stakeholders involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS towards the achievement of the various goals targeted at combating this pandemic in our beloved continent. BR Soudre |