Describing the six-day event as a "Hollywood show" activists said despite the conference's slogan – Time to Deliver – the plight of an estimated 40m people living with HIV/AIDS was being ignored.

"Universal access is the only solution if we want to save lives," said Sipho Mthathi, general secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign, interrupting a press conference on the scientific research into a vaccine, as protestors unveiled banners and chanted slogans such as "Stop this circus, treat AIDS now", "Another Delay- another life lost" and "Two Pills Better Than Two Bills" – an ironic reference to the appearance of Bills Clinton and Gates.

She added that media attention had focused on the Microsoft founder and the former US president rather than the suffering of those people living with the disease. She called for universal access to medicines and the transfer of technology so that the countries could produce low cost quality generic medicines to treat millions of people across the world.

India

Loon Gangte, an HIV positive man from northeast India, said millions of dollars had been spent to organize the conference but there was little to show in terms of progress on treatment.

He said that in India millions of people were in dire need of antiretroviral drugs but only 36,000 had access to them – mostly in urban areas – even though the country was the largest supplier of generic drugs to treat HIV/AIDS.

"Our voices have been literally hushed up in this fancy show in Toronto," he added.

World leaders in no-show

Taking part in the protest ActionAid's head of HIV/AIDS Leonard Okello said activists were aware that money, powerful leaders and movie stars were needed to highlight the needs for people living with HIV/AIDS but a big world conference should be focusing on a solution rather than theories of prevention.

"Unfortunately, the focus of the conference has been shifted to power and money rather than the proven experiences of the people living with HIV/AIDS which should be the real focus of attention," he said.

Questioning the commitment of world leaders towards treatment he said that a retired American president and a businessman were sent to get photo opportunities, adding no state leaders or even the host Prime Minister – Stephen Harper – had bothered to attend.

"They are backtracking on their commitments," he added. "Nothing, except the will to fight back by people living with HIV/AIDS and the determination of activists like Siphos, give me hope for any improvement."