GATHERING OPENS WITH FOCUS ON AIDS PREVENTION

TORONTO - The richest and one of the most powerful men on the planet
says the key to stemming the HIV/AIDS pandemic is getting more power
- - economic, sexual and legal - into the hands of the world's poorest,
most oppressed women.

"We need to put the power to prevent HIV in the hands of women," Bill
Gates said last night at the opening of the 16th International AIDS
Conference in Toronto.

Mr. Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp. and co-chair of the
$62-billion (U.S.) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that in
particular, it must be a priority to develop microbicides and oral
prevention drugs, medications that women could use to avoid infection
without being dependent on their sexual partners.

He said that effective microbicides could revolutionize the battle
against AIDS and mark a turning point in the pandemic.

Bill and Melinda Gates wave to the audience as they arrive to deliver
a keynote address at the AIDS 2006 conference in Toronto.

And Mr. Gates vowed to invest more charitable dollars into the cause.

(Microbicides are gels or creams used to block the virus; they can be
applied vaginally before sex. Oral prevention drugs are
antiretroviral drugs that are given to prevent infection rather than
as a treatment.) "We need tools that allow women to protect
themselves," Mr. Gates said.

"No matter where she lives, who she is, or what she does, a woman
should never need her partner's permission to save her own life," he added.

Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the foundation, said HIV/AIDS is
transmitted through activities that society finds difficult to
discuss, such as sexual practices and intravenous drug use, and "that
stigma has made AIDS much harder to fight."

Ms. Gates noted that fewer than one in five people at risk of
HIV/AIDS have access to basic preventive measures such as condoms,
clean needles, education and testing, and she called out to political
and social leaders to set aside their prejudices and act.

"If you're turning your back on sex workers, you're turning your back
on the faithful mother of four," she said. "Let's agree that every
life has equal worth and saving lives is the highest ethical act."

Worldwide, an estimated 38.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS.
Globally, half of them are women, but in parts of the developing
world, two in every three infections are among women.

The conference has attracted more than 31,000 scientists, advocates,
health workers, exhibitors, people with HIV/AIDS and journalists from
170 countries.

The weeklong gathering marks the 25th anniversary of the first
reported cases of HIV/AIDS, a bittersweet milestone: While there have
been amazing scientific advances, more than 25 million people have died.

Helene Gayle, president of the International AIDS Society and
co-chair of the conference, said she hopes that, in 25 years, the
world will look back at the 2006 gathering as the turning point in
the pandemic, a "moment in history when we saw an opportunity to stem
the tide of HIV and act decisively."

She said that while there are substantial challenges in getting
treatment and prevention programs to everyone, much progress has been
made. Global spending on HIV/AIDS last year reached $8.3-billion, an
all-time high, and more people than ever are taking life-extending
antiretroviral drugs.

"Momentum is on our side. We cannot afford to squander this
opportunity," Dr. Gayle said.

Governor-General Michaelle Jean said affluent countries such as
Canada have a "moral responsibility" to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic
at home and abroad.

Despite the challenges, she said, it would be irresponsible and
unforgivable to give up.

"The situation is dire. We must act now," Ms. Jean said.

Her admonition echoed the conference theme, Time to Deliver, which is
meant to underscore the urgency in getting effective HIV prevention
and treatment programs in place.

Peter Piot, executive director of the United Nations agency UNAIDS,
said the first 25 years have been marked by reactive crisis management.

Now, he said, it is time for a long-term, systematic and sustained
attack on HIV/AIDS, a recognition that the disease will be around for
decades and perhaps generations to come.

"Tragically, the end of AIDS is nowhere in sight," Dr. Piot said,
which means prevention offers the greatest hope.

He, too, said funding for microbicides research must be a priority,
as the development of an AIDS vaccine is a long way off. Universal
access to treatment must be a constant goal, as should the quest for a vaccine.

But Dr. Piot also stressed that the social underpinnings of the
pandemic - stigma, gender inequality, poverty and homophobia - must
be addressed.