The Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV 2010–2014 (Operational Plan) supports the implementation of the UNAIDS Action Framework: Addressing Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV.1 The Action Framework was developed in response to the pressing need to address the persistent gender inequalities and human rights violations that put women and girls at a greater risk of HIV, and increase their vulnerability. These factors also threaten the gains that have been made in preventing HIV transmission and in increasing access to antiretroviral therapy. The UNAIDS Action Framework focuses on action in three areas, outlined below, in which UNAIDS2 and UNIFEM can make specific and unique contributions.

Language shapes beliefs and may influence behaviours. Considered use of appropriate language has the power to strengthen the global response to the AIDS epidemic. That is why the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is pleased to make these guidelines to Preferred terminology freely available for use by staff members, colleagues in the Programme’s 11 Cosponsoring organizations and other partners working in the global response to HIV. These guidelines are a living, evolving document that is reviewed on a regular basis. This revision of the 2011 edition has discarded a few terms and added new ones that are relevant to the global response to HIV and commonly used by UNAIDS. The same terms, grouped by subject headings, also are listed at the end of this document. These guidelines may be freely copied and reproduced, provided that it is not done for commercial gain and the source is mentioned. Comments and suggestions for additions, deletions or modifications should be sent to terminology@unaids.org.

Despite the pervasiveness of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in national HIV epidemics and their harmful impact in terms of public health and human rights, they remain seriously neglected issues in most national responses to HIV. National AIDS programmes together with key partners can take concrete steps to address these critical obstacles and help pave the way towards universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support. This document presents strategies, programme examples and research findings concerning how governments, the UN system, donors and civil society can make the reduction of HIV-related stigma and discrimination central in the national response to AIDS.

According to data in the UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic there have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily affected countries. In Rwanda and Zimbabwe, changes in sexual behaviour have been followed by declines in the number of new HIV infections.

The global economic crisis has forced governments, civil society and even individuals to re-examine their investments and find innovative and often bold measures to ameliorate the situation.

Despite the pervasiveness of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in national HIV epidemics and their harmful impact in terms of public health and human rights, they remain seriously neglected issues in most national responses to HIV.

In this paper we explore a range of innovative approaches to evaluation that to date have been largely unknown or underused in the field of HIV and AIDS. Reflecting on dominant evaluation practice – in the context of wider shifts in HIV and AIDS programming – we highlight how innovations in evaluation and learning from various social sciences fields can be used to strengthen the assessment of social change, especially social change in how communities and individuals manage HIV.

According to new data in the 2009 AIDS epidemic update, new HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight years.