As coverage of the conference continues to roll along, I thought I'd make an addition to Tamar Abrams' post from earlier: we have video footage of the remarks from both Bill and Melinda Gates that Tamar mentioned in her post.

These clips both include strong messages of support for the need to reduce stigma and provide women with greater support in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As the Gates Foundation vies for its place among the G8, it should be encouraging for reproductive health advocates that they are making such bold statements.

While Bill Gates may have been held in question by some for his comments in support of PEPFAR, he had some strong words to say in support of women: "A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life."

Melinda Gates' comments were likewise encouraging. In this clip, she takes on the threat of allowing societal stigmas to influence HIV prevention and treatment efforts.

As the conference progresses, several of our guest bloggers and certainly some of our editorial energy will continue to focus on women & AIDS. And tonight, the International Women's Health Coaltion is holding a special tribunal, "In Her Own Words: Violations of Women's Human Rights and HIV," which should be webcast live tonight at 6:30 pm, Eastern time.

We are looking forward to progress for women's rights and increased protection from HIV. We hope that we might see some from this conference.