Fraud in the IAS Governing Council election. Leaders must act now!

If the International AIDS Society (IAS) Governing Council election
is taken as an example of the way in which IAS business is being
conducted, it shows an alarming decline in democratic ideals of an
international professional organization. Leaders must act now, to
redeem the integrity of the organization.

The IAS is the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS
professionals, and the custodian of bi annual mammoth gathering of
global HIV/AIDS stake holders. The IAS is expected to be governed by
an elected Governing Council. Recently, the IAS conducted an
election to the Governing council. But the result has yet to be
announced.

All the available evidence indicates that, in collusion with a
corrupt and dishonest, out going IAS Governing Council Member, some
of the IAS office staff in Geneva committed fraud. They created
bogus IAS voters list, committed conspiracy to cover up their act,
and trampled on the basic democratic rights of the IAS members. They
lied about it, when confronted with evidence.

Material evidence of the election fraud was supplied to the
president of IAS. Dr. Gayle.

This incidence raises some of the fundamental aspects of IAS's
Governance or lack of ethical soundness of its governance. IAS as
the custodian of the International AIDS Conferences sucks out
millions of dollars from the Global AIDS Response. Such massive
profit generated by IAS through the international AIDS Conferences,
is yet another reason for call for greater compliance with good
governance practices.

The difference between, a professional event management company and
a professional organization is its values and ethics.

Some of the IAS office staff is increasingly behaving like a private
event management company willing to resort to unethical practices.
And they are shielded by some of the elected IAS officials, from
calls for greater for transparency and accountability.

It appears that, some of the IAS office staff in Geneva has
demonstrated questionable levels of professional ethics. They are
untrustworthy and disrespectful to the professionals from the
developing countries.

IAS is a precious institution in Global AIDS response. It must not
be allowed to be reduced to an event management company.

Elected official of the IAS must act. Act now! To bring, greater
ethical compliance in the governance of the IAS.

The IAS Governing Council must constitute an enquiry into the
election fraud, without further delay, to salvage the reputation of
IAS as the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS
professionals.

AIDS ASIA eFORUM