The delegation to Angola was the second to visit the country since the devastating 27 year civil war which ended in 2002. The focus of the delegation was very much on the way in which Angola is dealing with the social and physical consequences of the war. It was also focused on the developments in the National Assembly which in September 2008 held its first parliamentary election since 1992.
Over 70 Parliamentarians from 35 countries gathered to hear leading experts discuss a range of topics at the heart of the debate on how to stop the spread of the HIV virus, and care for those already infected. Despite its disappearance from the media headlines in Europe and North America, HIV continues to be a major epidemic. There are 33.4 million people living with HIV, with 2.7 million new infections expected this year, of whom almost half a million will be children.
