VANCOUVER -- Vancouver has been selected to host a major international conference on HIV-AIDS.

As many as 6,000 delegates and media are expected to attend the 8th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV in July, 2015.

Announcement of the B.C. location for the biennial gathering was made at this week's close of the latest IAS conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Premier Christy Clark says B.C. has been progressive in response to the HIV crisis, is committed to bringing science and policy together, and will be proud to share details of successes such as needle exchange programs and North America's only supervised injection site.

The IAS conference brings together scientists, clinicians, public health experts and community leaders to examine developments in HIV science and explore applications for cutting-edge ideas.

Previous conferences have been held in South America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.