Plenary session during AIDS 2008 in Mexico City. © IAS

Each day of the Conference begins with a plenary session developed by the Conference Coordinating Committee. No other Conference activities occur at this time. All delegates come together in a large hall for the plenary session. There is a different theme each day and 4 to 5 prominent speakers address different aspects of the theme.

For a list of Plenary Speakers in Mexico, see here.

Special Sessions are lunchtime sessions each day devoted to special topics. They are chosen by the Conference Coordinating Committee. Examples of Special Sessions in Mexico included one on Travel Restrictions for PLHIV, and a session that reported on the Living Positive pre-conference. An example of a special session at AIDS 2006 in Toronto was 25 Years of AIDS – Reflecting Back and Looking Forward which gathered doctors, researchers, activists, decision makers and PLHIV who have been involved since the beginning to discuss the history and future of the AIDS response.