This paper provides background information from the planners and participants involved in the International Consultation on Peer Education and HIV/AIDS that took place in Kingston, Jamaica, 18-21 April 1999. The consultation's overall goal was to improve the quality of peer education programmes and their contribution to HIV/AIDS/STI prevention, care and support. This paper discusses the definition of and the theory behind peer education, and presents the findings of prior efforts to analyze HIV/AIDS peer education programmes. It also presents the results of the needs assessment and literature review conducted prior to the consultation, and concludes with recommendations aimed at further defining a set of best practices in the area of HIV/AIDS peer education.