As the war against HIV proved to be highly ineffective with many people dying and even more being infected each passing year, the UN decided to establish the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) in 1995. This UN body was specifically aimed at finding solutions towards HIV & AIDS.

Additionally the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) was also created to provide funding for treatment. The GFATM is an independent public-private partnership which officially came into being in 2002. Its aim is to raise funds and pool money from governments, businesses and individuals around the world, and channel it into grant programs to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The first HIV case in Pakistan was identified in 1986.

The person who was infected was highly stigmatized by his family and the society at large. However, today he heads an NGO, New Light and provides comfort to people infected by HIV and gives them awareness on the disease. Contrary to what many people believe HIV is not a disease of people who have low morals or characters. It can be transmitted through blood products or contaminated surgical instruments.

The latest UNAIDS report estimate that there are close to 33.2 million people living with HIV. Of these, an estimated 4.9 million live in Asia. The government puts HIV infected people in Pakistan at 3,000 while the UNAIDS estimates figures close to 80,000 cases.

With no cure in sight in the near future it is imperative that active awareness campaigns targeting all segments of society should educate people about the disease so that new infections can be curbed.