Message from the President of AFRAVIH
For the AFRAVIH alliance, our biennial AFRAMED conference in the Middle East has been a long time coming.
Despite Lebanon’s importance as a crossroads to the Middle East, this multicultural migratory hub is often neglected as a conference destination. Yet with its rich tradition of academia, medicine and community organisations, Lebanon - and its capital Beirut - was a natural choice for the 5th AFRAMED conference.
The goal of our AFRAVIH alliance is to bring together, educate and dialogue with all those who fight HIV and hepatitis, promote sexual health, and battle social, political, cultural and religious discrimination in French-speaking countries.
As it is our discussions that both enrich our work together and help us to expand our horizons, it is together that we will build this slightly different AFRAMED 2023 conference, open for the first time to non-French speakers in the Middle East. And together that we will make this meeting in Beirut a success.
Prof. Christine Katlama
President of AFRAVIH, Paris, France
Messages from the Presidents of the 2023 AFRAMED Conference
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
At last, AFRAMED will be coming to Beirut, pearl of the Middle East, and a natural choice for this conference as a French-speaking, multicultural hub.
The fact that Beirut is hosting this year’s AFRAMED despite the current political and economic context is testimony to the Lebanese people’s resilience and ability to rise above all the suffering and obstacles their country has had to endure, both now and in the past. Drawing inspiration from hard work, education and culture, the Lebanese people strive for brighter days.
AFRAMED 2023 will be hosted in the 19th-century Faculty of Medicine buildings at Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), known to reflect the “nation’s excellence”. The Organising Committee promises an exceptional, varied scientific programme, organised together with the prestigious American University of Beirut, which will host the “Clinical Course”.
On the agenda will be sexual health, HIV, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis, and emerging diseases, along with a focus on human rights as well as ethical and cultural issues. This conference will be open to professionals and students in medicine, public health, mental health, nursing science, social sciences and community organisations.
In its capacity as Mediterranean gateway to the East, Beirut will welcome stakeholders from neighbouring countries in the eastern Mediterranean and Arabian Peninsula, in order to work together to fight discrimination and ensure access to healthcare and human rights for all.
Lastly, as Beirut offers a magical combination of all Middle Eastern cultures, we promise you a welcoming programme of festivities to ensure AFRAMED 2023 leaves a lasting impression.
“Ahla w Sahla” in Beirut!
The Presidents of AFRAMED 2023
Associate Prof. Ayman Assi
Faculty of Medicine, USJ, Beirut
President of Marsa Sexual Health Centre, Beirut
Prof. Jade Ghosn
University Paris Cité
Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris, France
