The report draws on data from an innovative six-country research study conducted by UNDP together with Oxford University researchers and local social research institutes and organisations of people living with HIV that looked at exclusion in the health, education and employment sectors from the point of view of people living with HIV. The report also consults the views of people representing institutions in three key sectors that, where not properly addressed, generate much of the vulnerability that people living with HIV face on a daily basis: health care (doctors, nurses and other staff), education (administrators and teachers) and the workplace (employers and co-workers). Together, these sources provide comprehensive insights into the HIV challenges faced in the region, and the need for state responses to address these issues. This report specifically discusses gender dimensions of the epidemic (Ch. 2, pg 33), integrating gender into HIV programmes and policies (Ch 3, pg 49), applying a gender-sensitive response (Conclusion, pg. 55).