The 16th AIDSImpact Conference in Casablanca, Morocco – Highlights & Global HIVAIDS Research

Begin with a practical plan: youll cover the opening plenaries, then move through the poster halls where many teams present real-world results. The location in morocco, a coastal city, offers a charming backdrop and a classic conference cadence. friday sessions cluster around open indoor spaces, and a pergola-covered courtyard becomes a natural meeting point for quick discussions over coffee. After hours, explore a touristy restaurant and life in the medina, where you can observe local culture while staying comfortable in practical clothing.

Many researchers from country teams contribute, with more than 60 posters and 25 oral talks that show how spending on prevention and care translates into real program outcomes. The program explains what does and does not work in different settings, with a sharp focus on the spread of HIV in key populations and the impact of testing, vaccines, and treatment access. friday morning plenaries set the tone, then subsequent sessions highlight open data and multi-country collaboration to cover gaps in knowledge. This clarity helps funders and policymakers align resources to accelerate improvement in life expectancy for people living with HIV.

For logistics, balance indoor sessions with time outside in open spaces. Wear comfortable clothing for long days and bring a light jacket for chilly evenings near the pergola. In morocco, you can find a variety of restaurant options within walking distance of the venue; try a touristy spot to sample local flavors while keeping notes ready. If you need a quiet place to review abstracts, head to an indoor lounge where staff can help you access multilingual materials and patient advocacy resources. actually, many attendees value the informal chats that happen in these spaces.

Youll finish with concrete steps to cover the transition from research to practice: to begin with practical steps, identify high-impact interventions, build cross-country collaborations, and apply proven models to your setting. Learn to map funding streams, engage stakeholders, and open data sharing that respects participant rights. If you want ongoing updates, friday debriefs with delegates from morocco and beyond can help you stay aligned and find new partners.

Practical takeaways for policymakers: translating conference findings into actionable HIV strategy

Establish a 12-month action plan by forming a cross-sector task force with clear ownership for translating conference findings into policy; appoint a lead minister and a deputy responsible for civil society engagement. Create a concise data dashboard and quarterly progress reports for ministers and partners. Pilot the plan in Jadida’s ocean-facing districts along the corniche, where an overnight outreach approach from local hosts at a villa hub can test fast links to testing, prevention, and PrEP services. Use the results to refine governance and set scalable steps for elsewhere.

Center prevention at the core by delivering a full prevention-to-care continuum: expand routine testing in clinics and community settings, scale PrEP for key populations, extend condom programs, and ensure uninterrupted ARV supply. Build six-month milestones with clear performance indicators tied to retention and viral suppression. Draw lessons from the netherlands, which uses extensive community-based testing and harm-reduction programs, then adapt to local realities in jadida, Casablanca, and beyond.

Embed justice and rights in policy design: ensure non-discrimination, protect privacy, and strengthen legal protections for people living with HIV and key populations. Fund organic, community-led services and capacity-building to reduce stigma among providers; involve local faith and cultural groups in respectful outreach, building on centuries-old traditions of hospitality and sacred commitments to health and dignity.

Strengthen partnerships and financing: secure a multi-year commitment from national and local authorities, with a fixed annual baseline and a mechanism to increase funding if targets are reached. Create procurement and supply chains that are fitted to local needs, including generic ARV stock, rapid tests, HIV self-test kits, and PrEP supplies. Use a blended approach, combining government funds with support from international partners, while ensuring transparency and accountability, with a plan to extend the approach elsewhere.

Data, monitoring, and accountability: implement a lightweight data system connected to clinics and community sites, with real-time dashboards showing testing uptake, PrEP coverage, retention, and viral suppression. Define a degree of success for each indicator, publish monthly results, and hold quarterly reviews with stakeholders. Use SMART targets to avoid duplication and measure progress toward established goals.

Operational tips for action: set clear responsibilities for city and district authorities, health facilities, and hospital floors; ensure training for frontline workers; leverage ocean-facing public spaces, strolls along the streets, and tours of local communities for outreach, while respecting privacy. Lean on local flavors–calamari stalls and other coastal trades–to engage communities, and pilot a fantastic hôtel-style service standard that keeps people feeling welcomed. Build a feedback loop from jadida and elsewhere to adjust strategies, driving momentum; data will tell where to redirect resources.

Emerging HIV prevention and treatment insights: what to monitor in the next year

Invest in integrated HIV prevention and treatment. Expand PrEP access at parks and hotels around transit hubs; start ART immediately after diagnosis; deploy outreach teams into tree-lined neighborhoods and sketchy markets near bars and clubs; use live dashboards to track uptake into countries, adherence, and viral suppression; reduce cost per person through bulk procurement and optimized supply chains; integrate psychosocial support to address stigma, housing, and violence; ensure friday clinic blocks and community events reach people who still havent engaged with care; include mobility data from horse-drawn transport to reach remote areas and measure coverage across landscapes.

Key indicators to monitor include extensive data on incidence by country, ART coverage, PrEP uptake, adherence, retention, viral suppression, resistance patterns, and testing turnaround times; watch stockouts, lead times, and logistics costs; assess psychosocial outcomes, justice metrics, green space access, and equity across genders, ages, and key populations; track former patients’ engagement and family impact; draw on boccaccio public health narratives to contextualize social dynamics; capture times to linkage and retention to inform policy decisions in the coming century; evaluate architecture factors such as privacy, patient flow, and clinic design that influence care engagement.

Strategic actions for the next year include: design a clear itinerary that maps diagnosis, linkage to care, and adherence support; scale PrEP and ART delivery in clinics designed with patient flow in mind and in green, tree-lined campus layouts; implement nutrition components with tagines and vegetables at select centers; partner with local leaders (including a symbolic king) to advance justice and reduce stigma; draw on extensive lessons from countries with mature programs; safeguard supply chains against sketchy suppliers and long lead times; extend friday outreach into parks, bars, and shopping districts to reach diverse communities; monitor costs and allocate plenty of resources for expansion while preserving equity and quality; ensure data collection remains consistent across times and settings to keep the health system resilient.

Casablanca and regional perspectives: local response, funding gaps, and community involvement

Recommendation: establish a regional consortium anchored in the centre of Casablanca, linking the middle districts and nearby medinas, with a transparent three‑year plan and a public registration portal. Leverage Casablanca’s world-famous festival season and the locean coastline to attract partners, while using local courts and community centres for meetings. Include visiting NGO staff and university researchers in the initial round to gather impressions from diverse voices.

Local response today spans multiple areas across the city. A 2022 survey of 46 local health and HIV/AIDS groups found that 72% operate across several areas in Casablanca‑Settat and the medinas, with 60% reporting funding gaps that constrain youth education, testing outreach, and peer programs. Impressions from on‑the‑ground visits highlight underutilized spaces such as cinema and theatre venues in dense neighbourhoods, where authentic engagement could reach children and families more effectively.

Funding gaps remain a hurdle: stable, multi‑year support is rare, and short cycles undermine long‑term planning and quality. Action steps include pooling regional funds totaling 2–3 million MAD per year and issuing 12–18 grants, plus micro‑grants of 20k–50k MAD for targeted workshops. Encourage co‑financing with municipalities and international funders from France and switzerland, and establish a degree of performance‑based renewal to incentivize impact while maintaining accessibility for smaller groups.

Community involvement should tap into existing assets: green spaces for outdoor health fairs, sports clubs for peer education, and medinas with strong social networks. Engage children through school‑linked activities and youth sports, while using coastal venues for outreach moments that combine calamari stalls, music, and short cinema screenings to attract families. Such authentic, locally led initiatives strengthen trust and create good, sustainable relationships with residents near and far.

Implementation should be practical and iterative. First, complete the registration of the regional consortium by year‑end and publish a concise budget and timeline. Second, host a regional forum during the festival season to collect impressions from community groups, youth, and faith and cultural organisations. Third, build a donor network that includes France‑based foundations and Switzerland‑focused partners, with clear expectations and reporting timelines. Fourth, deploy a data dashboard to monitor progress across areas such as testing uptake, outreach reach, and participation rates, and share these findings publicly to maintain concerned stakeholders informed. Otherwise, maintain flexible funding streams that can adapt to shifting needs in the medinas and near the loceanfront.

Near‑term priorities include mapping all activity areas–medinas, coastal promenades, cinema districts, and school hubs–so partners can coordinate calendars and avoid duplication. Align outreach with school terms to maximize reach to children and families, and establish rotating visiting expert sessions to bring fresh perspectives from world‑renowned networks. Elsewhere in the region, similar models show that local leadership driving decisions yields the most sustainable gains, reinforcing the value of a centre‑led, community‑owned approach that remains concerned with equity and impact.

Venue-specific logistics: Morning Mohammad V Square: access, schedule, and participant flow

Arrive 60 minutes before the opening to complete registration in the lobby and collect your badge. This keeps lines short and sets a nice mood for the day.

Access and orientation

• Follow regency-style signage in blue and gold from the square’s south edge to the registration desks, near the azemmour mural corridor.
• From the quartier edge, connecting paths lead to the square in about 8–12 minutes; refer to the marrakesh-style map to plan your route.
• Wheelchair and stroller access is clearly marked; ramps and lifts connect to the main conference floor and the outdoor stage on the square.

Registration and badge pickup

• Desks open 07:30–09:00; have your confirmation code ready for a quick QR scan and badge print.
• Grab the program booklet and a one-page map showing the conference menu, poster area, and the paintings zone around the square.

Flow plan for sessions and zones

• The central stage sits on the square with a real mood-friendly setup; paintings and a shaded seating area anchor talks.
• Connecting paths guide you to the azemmour mural corridor, the parks zone, and the hafida area for informal chats; screens show room assignments for the morning conference tracks.
• Families with children have a dedicated corner near the sports area; women and men can access restrooms and nursing rooms within easy reach.

Schedule snapshot

1. 08:00–08:15 Welcome remarks at the central stage, African-focused topics.
2. 08:15–09:45 Plenary session on HIV/AIDS research and policy implications; coffee break in the lobby area.
3. 09:45–11:15 Parallel tracks open across the square and adjacent rooms; another option leads to the poster zone.
4. 11:15–12:00 Poster session and networking near the azemmour paintings area.

Missed sessions and next steps

• If you missed a talk, check the schedule board on the square and move to the next available session in the same topic via the connecting paths.
• Use the mobile plan to avoid backtracking and stay on time with the conference flow.

Food and beverages

• The menu includes sweet bites and local options; sardines and other fish dishes appear in a coastal duo, with non-fish alternatives available.
• Still water and other beverages are available at stations near the parks; look for signage indicating nice and refreshing choices.

Practical notes

• Pack light; wear comfortable shoes for long walks across the square and the connecting corridors.
• Benches built from repurposed ricks of timber line the square, offering shade at the edge of the parks.
• Use architect-designed signposts to stay on track; the mood on the square blends urban energy with calm spaces.
• Respect family spaces and keep voices at a considerate level for continued focus on the conference topics.

About accessibility

The setup prioritizes easy access for urban visitors, with clear cues along paths connecting the square, azemmour corridor, and the conference lobbies.

Post-conference collaboration: avenues for researchers to connect, share data, and publish outcomes

Recommendation: establish a formal post-conference collaboration charter within 14 days, pairing a data-sharing agreement with an open publication plan and a quarterly progress review. This charter should host a practical kickoff in jadida, a well-maintained venue that opened recently, with a cuisto preparing a light lunch, morning coffee, and a scenic sight of the citys lamps. Include a short trip to observe a local prevention program and to meet guests.

Set up a transparent data-sharing framework: define access levels, versioning, and attribution rules; host a shared repository and an anfaplace platform where mohamed, simon, and alike researchers can deposit de-identified data and draft manuscripts. The plan works whether participants are in Casablanca, jadida, or abroad, and it is definitely adaptable to institutional constraints.

For publishing outcomes, align on a joint manuscript, a preprint, and a conference abstract; assign roles by expertise so mohamed and simon lead different sections; the fact that both are familiar with prevention data does accelerate writing. A fantastic draft will benefit from Hank’s review, and the document can include a tree-lined methods note about souks where sardines sell, with cost data to ground the analysis.

Maintain momentum with monthly virtual check-ins and a quarterly digest that updates a living glossary. Schedule in-person sessions in a capital venue with a luxurious backdrop, full catering (drinks, house), and tree-lined corridors. Ensure well-maintained ceilings and lamps create a welcoming zone, avoid touristy spots, and keep cost transparency for all participants, inviting guests from diverse institutions.