After a decade of participating in civil society organizing around the Commission on the Status of Women, I came to this year's meetings to observe.   It's an exciting moment for those of us who have worked for so many years to link the women's movement with the HIV and AIDS movement.  For the first time, a central aspect of HIV and AIDS affecting women - the burden of care - is an explicit focus of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Have we achieved the equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels? Having recently undertaken a review of women's leadership and participation in the AIDS response for UNIFEM, I have been intensely immersed in answering this question and understanding where we stand on the trajectory for the past two years.