These practical guidelines are designed to help policy makers and planners to create an effective national response to HIV prevention, by ensuring that their response matches the epidemic dynamics and social context within their country and the populations who remain most vulnerable to and at risk of HIV infection. The guidelines encourage countries to know the national and local epidemiological scenarios and their current response; to match and prioritise their response; to set ambitious, realistic and measurable prevention targets; to tailor prevention plans to local epidemic scenarios and to use and analyse strategic information