The world must build on three decades of scientific advances to enable a new generation to live free of HIV/AIDS.

The extraordinary scientific advances made in the past three decades to understand, treat, and prevent HIV infection have contributed to the hope that a world free of AIDS is achievable. The growing armamentarium of scientifically proven interventions-including the use of antiretroviral medications to treat and prevent HIV infection, voluntary medical male circumcision, education and counseling about HIV risk and behavior change, condom use, drug and alcohol treatment, and needle exchange programs for injection drug users-offers an unprecedented opportunity to make major gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Combining and implementing these interventions as effectively as possible has the potential to dramatically change the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Substantive challenges remain, especially obtaining sufficient funding for HIV-related interventions and developing the operational capacity to deliver them cost-effectively to all in need. If these challenges can be met, the world will have a clear path toward an "AIDS-free generation" in which new HIV infections, as well as illness and death due to AIDS, are increasingly rare.