The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in association with AP State AIDS Control Society (APSACS), will conduct a seven-month-long workshop from November on ‘Leadership, management and effectiveness of organisations involved in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS.’ Under the programme, training will be imparted to various stake-holders, including NGOs, health institutions and government bodies working in this field.

At a preliminary workshop jointly organised by the two organisations on ‘HIV/AIDS leadership for results in AP’, in Hyderabad on Wednesday, it was emphasised that AIDS could no longer be tackled by the traditional approach. A more systematic and professional approach was required. Various new tools and methodologies would be incorporated in the proposed programme to check the spread of AIDS.

Programme Coordinator of the regional HIV programme of the UNDP Sonam Yangchen Rana and international consultant on transformational leadership Allan Henderson addressed participants at the workshop. Rana gave a presentation on ‘Leadership for Results: A New Vision.’

Giving an overview of the role played by the UNDP on the issue, Rana said a problem like AIDS required a multi-sectoral responsibility, sensitivity towards the affected persons without violation of any human rights. Reeling out statistics, she said everyday some 14,000 people worldwide were infected with the disease. About 30 per cent of them were Asian women. She pointed out that countries like Cambodia and Thailand were able to arrest the increasing number of AIDS cases with the help UNDP programmes.

Rana said through the workshop the UNDP intended to strengthen capacity and collaboration of leaders and institutions involved in AIDS awareness. It also would seek to strengthen various sectors to respond to HIV/AIDS and human development, poverty, gender and human rights. It would further help study the underlying factors that fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Allan Henderson, in his presentation, said the workshops would focus on leadership management and its effectiveness to check the spread of the disease.

APSACS Project Director Damayanti explained the importance of the workshop. She said that it would help seek enrollments and nominations from various stake-holders in the AIDS awareness campaign. “The capacity building of various organisations will be given importance,” she added.