LIVING2008: The Positive Leadership Summit is the 12^th international conference for people living with HIV since 1987. While the first international conferences were mainly European focussed, the most recent ones in Poland 1999, Trinidad/Tobago 2001, and Uganda 2003 brought together up to 800 people living with HIV from up to 84 countries.

These international gatherings of people living with HIV have been of tremendous importance to many positive people from around the world. Meeting in a safe and empowering environment has contributed both to their personal growth and to a strengthening of the PLHIV movement. Nevertheless, the conference planned to be held in Peru in 2005, failed to materialise due to financial constraints.

According to the LIVING 2008 partnership, these bi-annual international conferences of people living with HIV are a vital component of the global HIV response. At the International AIDS conference in Toronto, the Partnership reiterated their commitment, and after some deliberation proposed an international PLHIV conference to be held immediately prior to AIDS 2008.

The Partnership is proud and grateful for the support of the International AIDS Society, the organiser of the International AIDS conference AIDS 2008 in Mexico City, which has recognized LIVING 2008: the Positive Leadership Summit as an official pre conference to AIDS 2008.