Zimbabwe was among the first countries to recognize the HIV and AIDS problem and take organized action on a national level to ameliorate its effects. The first case of HIV was tested positive in 1985 and screening of blood donors for HIV started in the same year. A programme to control HIV and AIDS was drawn up in 1987, led by the Ministry of Health, which emphasized prevention of transmission of the infection and surveillance of its spread. In 1999, Zimbabwe launched a national AIDS policy, and the following year established a multi-sectoral National AIDS Council (NAC) to coordinate the overall HIV and AIDS response. A National AIDS Trust Fund financed by a 3% levy on all income taxes paid to government was subsequently established to finance the national AIDS response.

Recognising that in 2004 it would be almost 20 years since the first person tested HIV positive, representatives from the National AIDS Council (NAC), the AIDS and TB Unit of the MOHCW and the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians (ZCPHP) proposed to hold a national conference to take stock of what had been learnt, and use those lessons to improve the response measures. It was agreed that the conference should be national in the widest sense involving all sectors and levels of Zimbabwean society.

The conference was held from 15 to 18 June 2004.

Full document on introduction, background and organisation for the conference