Double Bill

It was a 'Double Bill' event this morning for delegates of the 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates took centre stage to discuss what they see as the priorities in ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

They both talked about trends they are seeing in developing countries including struggles and successes with making antiretroviral therapies available.

"It's a breathtaking human tragedy, that most people in rich countries who are infected with HIV live, while those in poor countries die,” said Clinton.

"It's unacceptable."

Clinton also said that one the biggest obstacles in the fight is that 90 per cent of people who are infected in developing countries don't know it.

“I don’t see how we’re ever going to catch up, unless people are at least aware that they could be giving the virus to other people,” he says.

"I want to stop people from dying and to give these countries a chance to have a future."

Gates couldn’t agree more, reiterating his statement from Sunday’s opening that women need to be empowered to protect themselves and that stigma has to be removed from the equation.

“I haven’t come to a country where injecting drug use is easily discussed or men having sex with men or commercial sex workers,” Gates said as the huge audience erupted in laughter.

“I hope to go to that country some day, where none of those things are controversial or hard to discuss, but we don’t really have that.”

"We really can't achieve the goals of giving these countries a chance unless we address this epidemic," Gates said.

“The more you empower women the more you will have prevention programs that work, education programs that work,” states Clinton.

Both leaders answered questions submitted by the audience that ranged in issues from nutrition, clean water and sanitation in developing countries as well as economic prosperity and youth activism.

“Kids everywhere are really smart and are full of dreams until they are crushed out,” states Clinton encouraging a 15-yer-old activist to continue the fight.

In answer to another audience question Clinton said he will not be challenging Stephen Harper for the Prime Ministers job. However, he did say that he has been in Canada so often in the last five years that he should check with his accountant to see if he owes any taxes.