KATHMANDU - Despite Nepal's some achievements in controlling HIV/AIDS, United Nations say Nepal needs more efforts to tackle the epidemic.

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Issuing a statement on the eve of world AIDS Day on Wednesday, UNAIDS said Nepal is one of at least 33 countries that had achieved significant decline rate in new HIV infections. "But the significant challenges remains in tackling the epidemic," the statement said.

Citing the 2010 UNAIDS report, Elena G Filio-Borromeo, UNAIDS Country Coordinator said the report gave Nepal an encouraging score on some key indicators in the past few years, such as an increase in condom use, a jump in the number of people accessing anti-retroviral medication, and greater overall awareness among the population about HIV and AIDS.

"Despite this good news, progress remains fragile, and Nepal must continue to address formidable obstacles on several fronts," the statement quoted Filio-Borromeo as saying.

According to the statement, the increasing efforts to address HIV/AIDS in Nepal has been awarded with the success that the rate of new HIV infections decreasing by more than 25 percent.

World AIDS day is observed on December 1 every year.

The theme of World AIDS Day 2010 is same as last year's - Universal Access and Human Rights.