The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to outpace the global response. Although important progress has been made in expanding access to HIV prevention, treatment and support, such services currently reach only a fraction of those in need. Turning the tide against the epidemic will require significantly stronger and sustained national efforts. To achieve this, a number of key challenges were identified: implementation; co-ordination; capacity; leadership; financing; social barriers and a renewed commitment to the principle of active involvement of people living with HIV & civil society as key pillars in all levels of the response

In June 2001, 189 UN member states endorsed the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS at a special session of the UN General Assembly, under which it was agreed to establish specific, time-bound targets to measure progress in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Using this mandate, the UNAIDS Secretariat, together with its co-sponsors, have developed a series of global, regional and national indicators to measure progress towards the Declaration's targets, in line with the Millennium Development Goals. This report provides information on global, regional and national responses to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS through core indicators grouped into four broad categories: global commitment and action; national commitment and action, including domestic government spending on HIV/AIDS and assessing country-level policy development and implementation against a national composite policy index; national programmes and behaviour, including numbers of people receiving key services and public use of safer practices to reduce the risk of HIV transmission; and national impact indicators including the number of new infections amongst young people and infants born to HIV-infected mothers.