Malawi is a small, landlocked country with 90 percent of its population living in rural areas. It has a GDP per capita of US$161 (2005). Its economy is predominantly agricultural and highly dependent on erratic rainfall. Arable land is limited and the country is generally resource poor. The first AIDS case was diagnosed in Malawi in 1985. By 2005 HIV prevalence among the adult population (age 15-49) was 14 percent. 930,000 Malawian are known to be HIV positive. Unprotected sex is the primary mode of transmission. HIV and AIDS is now the leading cause of death in the most productive age group, resulting in 87,000 adult and child deaths annually. Life expectancy is only 46 years and half of Malawi’s one million orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

The Government of Malawi and the international community are committed to halting the spread of HIV and AIDS and mitigating its impact. UNDP is a member of the UN System’s One Team on HIV and AIDS, which is led by UNAIDS. UNDP offers a neutral platform for strengthening joint planning and monitoring and evaluation among national authorities, development partners and other stakeholders. UNDP Malawi provides direct support to the National AIDS Commission (NAC) according to UNDP areas of expertise—capacity building, mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS responses and fostering partnerships. NAC is responsible for coordinating implementation and channelling resources to sectors and ministries at district level and civil society organizations towards AIDS/HIV related activities. In addition to UNDP support, NAC is supported by a larger pool fund of development partners and other individual donors.

UNDP Malawi supports national, district and community capacity building for enhancing the ability to respond to HIV and AIDS. This is undertaken through supporting NAC to develop its strategic framework and providing training and development of systems for managing the epidemic at different levels. The programme also supports the public sector, the private sector and civil society to internally and externally mainstream responses to HIV and AIDS into their core business. It works through the Department of Human Resource Management and Development to mainstream responses to HIV and AIDS in the public sector.