The Cambodian response to HIV/AIDS has been impressive. Targeted prevention programmes have resulted in a decline in prevalence among most-at-risk populations and good progress has been made in providing access to care and treatment, including anti-retrovirals (ARVs). Challenges facing the national response identified in the Cambodian National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS, 2006-10 (NSP II) include scaling-up coverage of services to meet universal access targets, improved coordination and leadership of the response, developing efficient systems for allocation of resources, a more effective multi-sectoral response, particularly in impact mitigation, and establishment of a national level multi-sectoral monitoring and evaluation system.

The United Nations Joint Support Programme, 2006-10 (UN JSP) is an expression of strategic choices by the UN on how to best support the Cambodian NSP II on HIV/AIDS. Six areas of support have been identified through an analysis of how the UN can jointly exercise its comparative advantage in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the response to HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. The support areas for joint UN system action in Cambodia are:

• Technical support for achieving universal access
• Technical support to decrease vulnerability
• Building capacity for leadership and governance
• Technical support for an enabling environment
• Production, analysis and use of strategic information
• Promoting results through harmonisation and alignment

Each of these six UN support areas relate to one or more of the strategies in the Cambodian NSP II. Activities for the next 12-24 months, designed to achieve the outputs and outcomes for each support area, have been developed and are set out in the matrix "Work Plan of the Joint UN Team on HIV/AIDS"' (pp. 29-38). These activities will be undertaken by the UN organisations that make up the Cambodian Joint UN Team on HIV/AIDS (JUTH), in collaboration with the Cambodian Government and other partners. The lead UN organisations and main UN partners for particular activities are consistent with the Division of Labour which identifies who is responsible for each of the 17 areas of technical support where the UN has expertise.

The JUTH will be collectively and individually accountable for its work through an annual review of progress made for all activities. Based on the review and emerging needs, new activities for the following 12-24 months for each UN support area will be determined and set out in an updated work plan.

The UN Theme Group, made up of UN Heads of Agencies, ensures that coordination mechanisms are working effectively, provides overall policy and programmatic guidance and reviews and revises the UN Country Team's strategic directions on HIV/AIDS.

The JUTH is made up of all UN staff working full- or part-time on AIDS working under the framework of one joint programme of support. The Technical Working Group on HIV/AIDS has become the JUTH. The purpose of the JUTH is to promote coherent and effective UN action in support of an expanded national response to HIV/AIDS.

• Joint Statement from the United Nations Country Team on HIV/AIDS