The main focus of the day was prevention of HIV/AIDS and increasing awareness about the pandemic. While countries in the region have already implemented awareness programs, cultural and social taboos have prevented widespread dissemination of information. The development of a vaccine for HIV is an important component of the push for HIV prevention, but has remained elusive.

"There has never been more optimism than there is now that an HIV vaccine can be identified," said Peggy Johnston, Assistant Director for HIV/AIDS Vaccines at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States.

"However we don't know what it will look like just yet, we don't know how it will act, clinical trials will take a long time and it's likely that the first ones found to be effective won't be a 100 percent effective and more development will be necessary."

Vaccine research is taking place at a number of pharmaceutical companies and encouraging results have been found in certain monkey-models where animals have simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a disease similar to HIV-2.

"Results from animal testing provides optimism that the vaccine could work in human situations," said Johnston. But she cautioned that a vaccine cannot be seen as a substitute for preventative action like education.

"Since the first vaccines to become available are unlikely to be completely effective it will be absolutely essential to deliver it along with education and promotion of risk reduction behavior," she said.

An academic led consortium in Australia is receiving 27 million Australian dollars from NIH to undertake vaccine research. Community involvement in this project is seen as imperative to find a feasible and achievable vaccine. The Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations, representing communities most at risk of HIV, is part of the consortium.

"We know that behavioral prevention works and in vaccine trials we want to make sure the practices aren't lost," said Robin Gorna, Executive Director of AFAO. "We're advocating best practice behavioral prevention along with vaccines."

Prevention is the best case scenario--when people have access to accurate information as well as the means to protect themselves. But women and adolescents, two groups most at risk of infection, remain malinformed about the virus in many countries.

"The women most likely to contract HIV are young, poor, marry early and have little access to accurate information," said Susan Paxton from the Key Center for Women's Health.

Education and awareness campaigns have to be structured to target these groups of people.

"Not enough women know about condoms," said Princess Rattana-Devi Norodom of Cambodia. "Even if they do they are faced with stigma if they use them because condoms are associated with sex-workers and promiscuous women."

Social and cultural inhibitions toward sex education in schools and in the community is a major barrier to empowering women and adolescents, especially in poor areas.

"Effective HIV/AIDS responses require respect and reduction of stigma," said Mrs. Mahatir, First Lady of Malaysia. "We acknowledge that poverty exacerbates the situation and we stress the importance of gender equality."

According to UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, the support of first ladies and political leaders helps destigmatize issues surrounding sex and sexual education. But there is still not enough of a sense of urgency. If governments wait till people get sick and start dying, the problem may become insurmountable.