The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a ministry of the World Council of Churches, is a broad ecumenical network for international cooperation in advocacy on global trade and HIV and AIDS. Biennially, it hosts an ecumenical pre-conference to the International AIDS Conference. The pre-conference engages participants in exploring the challenges posed by the HIV and AIDS pandemic to people of faith, an evaluation of action taken, and planning of strategies still required to put the Gospel into action in the Christian response to HIV and AIDS.

In 2006, Blessed Events managed this pre-conference when the International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto, in co-operation with the local host, The Canadian Council of Churches. The 3-day event for approximately 500 people from around the globe involved accommodations, plenary sessions, concurrent workshops, simultaneous interpretation of 3 official languages and meal coordination.

photo credits: Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance