In the past, UNAM's 1997 policy guidelines on HIV/AIDS provided a basis for action, but since that time, the country and the region have seen a massive escalation in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The 1997 guidelines do not promote a coherent focus on HIV/AIDS across the curriculum and in all faculties and are not informed by a strategic work plan. The Namibian Senate thus mandated an ad hoc committee to review and recast existing policy guidelines. The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework of information and action that will guide the University community to develop an adequate response to HIV/AIDS. As such, this policy framework commits UNAM to mitigate the impact of the disease on the University community and their dependents, as well as on the wider community. This policy is intended to provide an institutional response to both the national, as well as personal challenges, that the HIV/AIDS pandemic poses.