ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ways in which donors in the field of HIV/AIDS responded to concerns about the Zimbabwean government's misuse of donor funds and violation of democratic and human rights principles. It assesses the impact and appropriateness of these responses in the context of the human rights and humanitarian imperatives that such a serious public health situation raises. The chapter reviews the extent to which relevant donor conduct in Zimbabwe may be understood to have constituted Ostracism, Business as Usual or a form of Principled Engagement. It offers some general thoughts on ways the Zimbabwe experience, and public health issues more generally, might inform evolving Principled Engagement theory and practice. After 1980, Zimbabwe experienced significant progress in social indicators including life expectancy, under-five mortality and literacy. The overwhelming consensus is that the significant damage to the Zimbabwean economy has been as a result of the government's conduct and misconduct.
