Health Canada's International Affairs Directorate is preparing for the XV International AIDS Conference which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, July 11-16, 2004. This biennial event, the most important of all international HIV/AIDS related events, is expected to attract more than 15, 000 delegates from around the world and draw considerable media attention at home and abroad. The Conference, hosted by the International AIDS Society, is cosponsored by a variety of public and private institutions, including the Government of Canada. The Department is a traditional supporter of the event and, most recently, has contributed to conferences held in Durban (2000) and Barcelona (2002).

Guided by the theme of 'Access for All', the objectives of the 2004 conference are: to further and increase the scientific quality of the meeting; and to unify science and community efforts to secure access for all. Canadian presence will be particularly strong in Bangkok since Toronto is hosting the subsequent conference in 2006. Canadian representation, drawn from across the country, will be composed of federal and provincial government officials, non-governmental organizations and researchers.
Many participants contribute to the conference by organizing scientific and policy-related learning events such as satellite sessions, oral and poster presentations and skills-building workshops. This year, the Conference will include a Leadership Forum which will provide a unique opportunity for interaction amongst global leaders from the scientific, political and social spheres. The integration of leadership into the conference agenda in a systematic and expanded manner is a progressive addition to the biennial event.

For general information about the Conference and related activities, please consult aids2004.org Any specific questions regarding Canadian participation should be sent by e-mail to Amy Arnold (amy_arnold@hc-sc.gc.ca).

National Data Collection for AIDS Community Action Program (ACAP) Funded Activities

Since the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS (CSHA) was launched, there has never been a national roll-up of data from ACAP funded initiatives. With increasing emphasis placed on accountability, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation, the National Data Collection Questions for ACAP-Funded Activities project has been initiated as a starting point for an evaluation of ACAP.

The National Data Collection project is being steered by a working group comprised of national Health Canada staff, regional program consultants and evaluators. Based on various existing ACAP data collection tools in the Regions, a draft set of questions was developed. In June 2003, these questions were focus tested in a pilot phase with all ACAP-funded organizations across Canada, based on the reporting period of June 15, 2003-August 31, 2003.

Based on the feedback from the pilot phase, the working group is refining and revising the data collection tool. Each Region will be working with their locally funded groups to ensure that community feedback is integral to this process. Also resulting from the pilot phase, the working group has identified the need to develop a logic model of ACAP as a crucial step in providing the basis for data collection, before rolling out the tool in the Regions. Furthermore, the logic model will help provide a lens for analysis, once information from funded groups is collected. It is the working group's intention that once an ACAP logic model is developed, the rollout of the ACAP data collection tool can be planned. Thus the originally intended April 1, 2004 roll-out date has been postponed.

A second anticipated use of the pilot was to gather data for the 2003 World AIDS Day Report. However, this data was not used in the World AIDS Day report because the overall 50% response rate and varied response rates in different Regions contributed to an incomplete data set. Instead, information pertaining to ACAP in the World AIDS Day report came primarily from narrative reports from each region. This data was chosen for use because it represents all funded projects, not just those able to respond to the pilot questions.

It is anticipated that once the tool is ready, the national roll-out of the questions will result in a higher response rate, partly as a result of planned improvements, and partly due to efforts to incorporate this tool into existing reporting structures in each Region. It is anticipated that the information gathered will be highlighted in future World AIDS Day reports, along with other reporting documents.

If you have any questions regarding this update, please contact your regional ACAP Program Consultant.