In the lead up to the AIDS 2010 opening on Sunday, many groups and delegates are already at work on a number of issues that will be key topics in the days ahead.

Young people from around the world gathered for the four-day Youth Pre-Conference to network and gain skills in research, advocacy and communications. For more information, visit the blogs from the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS and Y-Peer.

The International AIDS Society is sponsoring two meetings that run through Saturday. Bridging the Divide: Inter-Disciplinary Partnerships for HIV and Health Systems is bringing together participants from multiple disciplines to discuss options for leveraging HIV programming to improve health systems and other priority health conditions, as well as to highlight priority research areas. Scientists at “Towards a Cure": HIV Reservoirs and Strategies to Control Them are examining cutting edge research developments in this important area -- strategies currently being investigated to control HIV reservoirs may hold the key to a cure for HIV disease in the future. The session is chaired by IAS Governing Council Member and Nobel Laureate Francois Barre-Sinoussi and the programme is now available.

Children are the focus of two meetings. At the 2nd International Workshop on HIV Pediatrics, researchers and clinicians are sharing the latest developments in the fields of HIV pediatrics, drug development and the prevention of vertical transmission. Participants of the Children and HIV: Family Support First international symposium are discussing the latest models on family-centered care and services for children affected by HIV and AIDS.

The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) is sponsoring Be Heard! Gay Men and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Global HIV Pandemic, where participants are exploring challenges and best practices in achieving universal access to HIV-related prevention, care, treatment and support services for sexual minority communities worldwide.

Members of the faith community also are discussing universal access and how faith traditions can help achieve those goals at the Rights Here, Right Now: What's faith got to do with it? pre-conference, which is sponsored by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA).

The blog will host report backs from a number of these meetings in the days ahead.