The Fifth International Scientific Conference «System for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Armed Forces» took place on 16–17 September 2008 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Conference provided politicians, social leaders, scientists, researchers, medical specialists, and social representatives from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries to discuss serious issues related to the prevalence of HIV infection amongst servicemen and servicewomen. More than 500 participants attended the Conference, including 120 accredited participants from the CIS countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine): representatives of CIS military health services, leading scientists and administrators from the Russian healthcare system, epidemiologists, laboratory experts, and communicable disease specialists engaged in addressing prevention, diagnostic, and treatment issues regarding HIV infection; representatives from governmental bodies, NGOs, and international organisations, as well as politicians and social leaders.

The Conference covered issues regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV infections in armed forces throughout the region, the development and implementation of an HIV-prevention program for armed services, and international cooperation in HIV-infection prevention.

In his keynote speech Dr Ulf Kristoffersson, Senior Consultant, UNAIDS Office of AIDS and Security, stressed, «Based on the current epidemiological situation, HIV infections within the armed forces are highly significant, taking into account the foundation principles of the 2000 UN Security Council Resolution # 1308 and the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The armed forces are part of the government, and the pandemic prevalence of HIV infections has inevitably resulted in conditions that spread the infection amongst the military. In principle, the nature and pattern of HIV prevalence in servicemen mirrors the epidemic situation that has developed within countries. The HIV epidemic has become global and constitutes a direct threat to the socio-economic development and national security of many countries. We express grave concern in regards to the development of the HIV epidemic amongst military personnel in most of the world’s armed forces and the elevated and increasingly active trends observed in prevalence of the disease in militaries.»

Dr Sergei Furgal, Director, a.i., RST/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, emphasized, «Three things have made this event substantially different from all the previous military conferences in the region with the UNAIDS contribution and allowed us to be proud of our regional staff: national delegations represented armed forces of the nine CIS countries, they have made regular presentations and discussed a wide range of programmatic issues, and within the frame of the CIS Regional Network on Military and AIDS it has been decided to shape a coordination mechanism for information and experiences exchange with a clear indication of the UNAIDS special role in this process».

The Conference participants consider the following items necessary:

1. Strengthen the coordination of activities to combat HIV prevalence amongst servicemen and servicewomen on an interdepartmental level of interaction between military medical services participating in the conference.
2. Expand cooperation with international and state governmental and non-governmental organisations in regards to HIV prevention in the armed forces.
3. Consider the establishment of a coordination method to exchange information and experience amongst organisations working to curb HIV prevalence in the armed forces of conference participant countries and take into consideration that UNAIDS and the Centre for Social Development and Information have offered to provide support to establish this coordination method.
4. Develop approaches to establish a program for expanding educational activities for different categories of servicemen and servicewomen.
5. Investigate the creation and design of a conference Internet site to distribute informational materials on combating an HIV epidemic in participant countries’ armed forces.
6. Consider the possibility of inviting representatives from other participant country uniformed services agencies to take part in conferences.
7. Organize the Sixth International Conference on HIV/AIDS Prevention in Armed Forces in 2009 in the Russian Military Medical Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia.