People tend to under-estimate how difficult it is for women to have control in sexual interactions.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to get people to pay attention to HIV prevention and that in and of itself is a primary reason for this conference.

When I want to explain why empowering girls and women is critical to fighting poverty, I often tell a person's story. It's easier to relate to a personal story than to global data telling us that the majority of the billion people who live on less than $2 per day are women and girls. We are often told to never treat a person like a statistic.

One in four African-American and one in six Latino men who have AIDS -- and contracted it through having sex with other men -- actually consider themselves as heterosexual.

The AIDS 2006 theme recognizes the need to accelerate scientific research while also dramatically expanding access to the knowledge and tools currently available to prevent new infections and prolong life among people living with HIV or AIDS.

The importance of doing this work can't be overstated. The fact that we're still using a vaccine developed in the early 1920s for a disease as serious as TB is a real shortcoming.