This publication highlights successful initiatives in Africa that have inspired confidence that the continent can one day free itself of the virus, with or without a vaccine or medical cure. The report summarizes the challenges facing Africa and the wider international community as new resources are channeled into more effective efforts to confront HIV/AIDS on the continent. Three major challenges receive detailed attention: (1). The need to scale up access to antiretroviral treatment as a key component of the response. Prevention and treatment must be seen as two sides of the same coin-one cannot be separated from the other. Antiretroviral treatment improves and lengthens lives, buying time for prevention strategies to take root. (2.) The increasing impact of the epidemic on African women. Because women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, there must be additional focus on women within the African response. (3.) The humanitarian crisis in Southern Africa, which has brought into sharp relief the need to integrate the HIV/AIDS response into broader development and humanitarian initiatives. Especially in high-prevalence countries, where the impact of HIV/AIDS is extensive, the response must be equally so.