The Global Network of People Living with HIV mourns the sad passing of HIV activist and advocate Catherine Williams of Trinidad and Tobago. Catherine had been at the forefront of the HIV response at a national, regional and global level since her HIV diagnosis, aged 29. Catherine worked tirelessly for over 23 years to improve the lives of people living with and affected by HIV in Trinidad and Tobago with the NGO she co-founded, Community Action Resource. In 2006 Catherine received the Godfrey Sealy Award for her work in the field of HIV in the Caribbean region. Catherine played a significant role in the establishment of the International Community of Women Living with HIV.The positive community will miss Catherine’s passion and commitment and the HIV response is poorer for her passing.

To read a tribute to the life and work of Catherine Williams from a Trinidad and Tobago Member of Parliament, please follow this link.

The Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+) and the LIVING 2012 partnership are pleased to announce the launch of www.LIVING2012.org, the official website of LIVING 2012: The Positive Leadership Summit. LIVING 2012, the 13^th International conference of people living with HIV, will be held in Washington DC, USA on 19 and 20 July, 2012. LIVING 2012 is an official preconference to AIDS 2012, the 19^th International AIDS Conference that will take place from 22 to 26 July 2012.

The website at www.LIVING2012.org provides information about the preconference and its objectives. At LIVING2012.org you will be able to read more about the programme and background of the conference. In addition, LIVING2012.org is the place to start your participation in the e-consultations that will begin in early 2012. These consultations will provide basis to programmatic developments and agenda of the conference.

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At ICASA 2011 in Addis Abeba, GNP+, ICW Global and ITPC jointly launched a briefing paper for people living with HIV on the implications of the ‘Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive’.

The briefing paper highlights opportunities presented by the Global Plan to strengthen existing efforts to end vertical transmission and support mothers in 22 low- and middle-income countries. These opportunities include enhanced advocacy for available and accessible services to support the health and wellbeing of women living with HIV as they exercise their rights to have a family. People living with HIV, especially women living with HIV must be at the centre of efforts to stop vertical transmission.

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