[Press Kit, International Conference on AIDS (16th: 2006: Toronto, Canada)]

AIDS 2006 VIP Speaker Bios
Tre to Deliver * Passons aux acres
This document contains bios for major speakers confirmed as of 4 August 2006, arranged in
alphabetical order. A separate document in your Media Kit lists bios for plenary speakers by
day. Please enquire at the Information Booth for bios not included in either document.
Paul Bekkers (Netherlands), Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and Director, Social and
Institutional Development Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Paul Bekkers has served in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign of Affairs for over 15 years and
was named Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and Director of the Social and Institutional
Development Department in 2005. His positions prior to this appointment included Deputy
Head of mission at the embassy in Ankara; Head of the International Cultural Policy
Department and Deputy Ambassador for Cultural Co-operation; Head of Cultural and
Environmental Affairs at the embassy in Pretoria; and Policy Advisor in the Humanitarian
and Emergency Aid Section. Mr. Bekkers holds an LLM with a major in international law
from the University of Nijmegen.
Hydeia Broad bent (United States), Director, Hydeia & Friends
Hydeia Broadbent was abandoned in the hospital at birth, adopted by Patricia and Loren
Broadbent as an infant, and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although her HIV condition was
congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive until age three with the prognosis that
she would not live past age five. At age six, Ms. Broadbent became an AIDS activist and
public speaker during one of her hundreds of hospital visits.
By age 12, Ms. Broadbent was appearing on television programs such as Oprah, 20/20,
Good Morning America and A Conversation with Magic Johnson. Over the next 10 years she
became a featured speaker or guest panellist at some of the United States' most respected
educational institutions, including Clark Atlanta University, Duke University, Howard
University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern
California. In 1996, Ms. Broadbent brought the face of AIDS to the Republican National
Convention. She has been featured in educational videos for Nickelodeon, MTV and BET.
She is a 1999 Essence Award recipient and received the Red Cross Spirit Award. Ms.
Broadbent recently founded Hydeia & Friends, an organization committed to providing
young people a clear understanding of how to avoid at-risk behaviours through selfexamination and informed decision-making.
Richard Burzynski (Canada), Executive Director, International Council of AIDS Service
Organizations
Richard Burzynski is Executive Director of the International Council of AIDS Service
Organizations (ICASO), an organization he co-founded with other leading AIDS activists
over ten years ago. ICASO is one of five international co-organizers of AIDS 2006 and Mr.
Burzynski is a member of the AIDS 2006 Conference Organizing Committee.
A Canadian AIDS activist, Mr. Burzynski has worked in the AIDS field for over 20 years and
been active at the local, national and international levels in the areas of advocacy and policy
development. Through ICASO, Mr. Burzynski has been an advocate for building the capacity

of community-based AIDS service organizations, especially in the developing world, and has

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