It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 19th European AIDS Conference in Warsaw from 18-21 October 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted HIV services all over the globe and there is a need to share lessons learned from this crisis. More than ever, we must work together to get the HIV response back on track and move towards the elimination of HIV/AIDS as a global public health threat. Strong cooperation between clinicians, scientists, community organisations, public health agencies, academic institutions, and industry will be crucial if we are to succeed.

We will draw on these sectors to create not only a strong scientific programme, but also an innovative space where you can meet, learn, and share knowledge to build stronger partnerships to enhance HIV/AIDS care.

Many challenges continue to confront Europe, from the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 epidemic to the inconceivable war in Ukraine to the outbreak of an unexpected new pathogen, namely Mpox. This affected us all and keeps affecting us on many levels. Our travels, face-to-face meetings and professional life in general and more particularly in relation to medical conferences. The 18th European AIDS Conference in London allowed for an in-person attendance,but nevertheless most participants were virtual.

EACS aims to restore what has been broken and strike back with even higher energy. Holding a biennial conference, being a central event for all its members, was always a major objective of EACS. Moreover, it is not only a hub for EACS members across Europe, but an opportunity to communicate to a broader audience from all over the world.

What we can expect from the Warsaw EACS conference:

• To be a hub for clinicians, researchers, community and activists
• To have an impact on local/regional and international politicians and stakeholders
• To advocate and advise on HIV prevention and care, with a special focus on HIV testing
• To address social issues, including barriers in access to care and prevention
• To discuss human rights in the context of HIV and other preventable infections
• To learn from each other‘s experiences and share good practices

Having a conference in Warsaw would naturally put Central and Eastern European countries at the very heart of the meeting.

Under the theme „It‘s time to revisit!“, the 19th European AIDS Conference will aim not only to revisit the city of Warsaw, but also our goals and deliverables in the fight against the HIV epidemic and co-infections. Equal access for both EU and non-EU countries to high standards of care, focus on marginalised populations, scaling up the efforts to halt HIV transmission along with promoting access to harm reduction programmes and its de-criminalisation will be at the very centre of our discussions.

We look forward to welcoming you to Warsaw in October 2023.