Visa disaster looming ahead of International AIDS Conference in Munich

Delays in visa processing at German embassies put the participation of people from countries of the global South and of people from vulnerable communities in jeopardy. Deutsche Aidshilfe is now calling for political action.

The conference of the International AIDS Society IAS is the world's largest congress on scientific, socio-political and civic aspects of HIV. More than 15,000 scientists, doctors, other health care professionals and activists from over 175 countries are expected to attend #AIDS2024 in Munich from July 22 to 26, 2024.

However, several activists have been reporting that the slow processing of tourist visa applications at German embassies is putting their participation in jeopardy.

Dr Frank Mugisha, internationally acclaimed LGBTIQ* activist from Uganda, posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Unfortunately, many people from developing countries and vulnerable communities will miss this important conference due to visa issues. When will inequalities end? #AIDS2024".

What happened prior to Montréal must not be repeated!

The City of Munich's candidature to host the conference was supported by Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung, Münchner Aids-Hilfe and Deutsche Aidshilfe (DAH), among others. "Germany must ensure that representatives from all regions of the world and from all important key populations are granted a visa to attend the conference, whether they are drug users or sex workers," emphasised Sasha Gurinova, DAH International Affairs Officer, at the time.

At the 2022 World AIDS Conference in Montréal, the Canadian authorities delayed or even refused visas to many delegates from African countries.

"Montréal must not be repeated," says Silke Klumb, Managing Director of Deutsche Aidshilfe. "The motto of the World AIDS Conference is Put People First—and this means that people from key communities must be able to represent their interests on site," Klumb continues.

Deutsche Aidshilfe is therefore calling on the German government and the International AIDS Society to immediately and urgently support the timely issuing of visas for all attendees. Deutsche Aidshilfe is also urging the German embassies to process applications quickly.

If you have any problems with obtaining a visa, we recommend that you contact AIDS 2024 Immigration Support at visa@aids2024.org.