Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said that an AIDS-free generation is within current technology and society's reach in a speech at an international conference in Australia. At the conference held in Melbourne, Clinton addressed an audience of hundreds of leading scientists, activists and journalists.

After beginning his speech with tributes to the six Flight MH17 victims who were AIDS researchers headed to the conference, the former president's speech was delayed by protesters demanding for taxation to help fund HIV treatment.

Once the speech resumed, Clinton said that with increases in early treatment to HIV-infected people and additional resources for women and children, "an AIDS-free generation is within our reach."

"We should no longer have any doubts, nor should anyone else, that we have the ability to see this effort through to the end," said Clinton, praising the strides recent research has taken in lowering infection rates.

AIDS-related deaths are steadily decreasing. In 2005, 2.4 million people died of related illnesses; in 2013, that same rate is down to 1.5 million people, according to the Joint United Nations Program of HIV/AIDS.

However, Clinton said that despite technology and medical treatment improvements, each year 2 million people are newly infected. Specifically, he focused on increasing provisions to poorer countries and keeping down transmission between mothers and infants.

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be transmitted through blood, semen and breast milk. By identifying and treating infants with HIV right away, or better yet, testing mothers and children to prevent transmission would significantly lower the number of new infections, according to Clinton.

"As many as 50 percent of all new pediatric infections occur during the breastfeeding period," Clinton said. "Keeping these women in care until the end of breastfeeding is perhaps the single most important thing we can do to achieve an AIDS-free generation. It's our big remaining barrier."

Clinton also remarked that there is lingering stigma that HIV is blamed on high-risk groups of people, including sex workers, gay men and injecting drug users.