Stephen P. Robbins, 1989

HIV/AIDS poses new challenges worldwide every day. An effective response to these challenges requires guidance from leaders with courage and vision: leadership is one of the keys to success against HIV/AIDS. A good leader is one who can lead and guide a team toward an agreed direction. NGOs such as the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation have a particular role to play as leaders in the fight against the epidemic. Compared to governmental institutions, NGOs are more flexible and responsive to changing community needs – important qualities in coping with the ever-changing challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.

How essential is leadership in the battle against HIV/AIDS and how well have AIDS programmes been utilising leadership? In the past, the fight against AIDS was viewed in terms of the technical aspects of prevention, care and related issues. The importance of leadership in changing the course of the epidemic was never comprehensively discussed until this year's United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS, which gave priority attention to political leadership and commitment.

The importance of sharing leadership

Being the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong (HK) AIDS Foundation and involved in a number of international bodies, including the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), many see me as a leader in the AIDS field. However, rather than relying on hierarchy, our organisation's leadership role builds on a strong team spirit among its staff, regarding each other as brothers and sisters. Similar to any ‘family' setting, we may disagree about certain issues, but reach decisions based on mutual respect and reasoning. Consequently, the HK AIDS Foundation functions as a harmonious, productive and effective organisation.

The HK AIDS Foundation has wanted to share its leadership role with other NGOs. However, the early days of the fight against AIDS were characterised by a lack of trust and understanding among the different AIDS organisations. To allay the competition and suspicions underlying the rivalries among the NGOs, the HK AIDS Foundation created a forum for mutual exchange that included colleagues working in different organisations. The turning point came when Hong Kong was preparing legislation against discriminating persons with disabilities, including people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). The HK AIDS Foundation took this opportunity to work together with other AIDS NGOs on the legal protection of PLWHAs' basic human rights. Through this experience of working together, trust built up gradually and it was decided to create a formal structure for ongoing cooperation. This led to the establishment of the Hong Kong Coalition of AIDS Service Organisations, which appointed the HK AIDS Foundation as vice-chair.

Expanding leadership beyond Hong Kong

Responding to changes in Hong Kong and worldwide, the HK AIDS Foundation adjusted its role accordingly and started new initiatives on mainland China with a view to helping colleagues there do a better job. By using international regional AIDS conferences as a forum for exchange (e.g., the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific), the HK AIDS Foundation expanded to assist Chinese communities in other parts of Asia and the Pacific Region. This has proved to be a successful approach: mainland China reports progress and responses from colleagues in Chinese communities elsewhere have also been encouraging. By accepting the nomination to be the Asian NGO delegate to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB), as head of the HK AIDS Foundation I intend to bring the concerns of the Asian-Pacific region to UNAIDS' main policy-making board.

Being an NGO delegate to the PCB allows me to advocate and lobby for specific Asian-Pacific concerns, and provide PCB member states and UN co-sponsor organisations with technical advice and practical information on future responses to the pandemic. Many government delegates are not very familiar with technical issues; as practical frontline workers, NGO delegates from different continents have a duty to provide their fellow PCB members with guidance. To be effective representatives of respective continents, NGO delegates need to stay in regular touch with fellow NGOs. The advancement of information technology has been crucial in these communications.

International NGO leadership

The PCB membership allowed us to play a leadership role in the recent UNGASS on AIDS. At the beginning, the HK AIDS Foundation was involved in the Civil Society Advisory Committee that advised UNAIDS on mobilising civil society participation, and encouraged fellow NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region to provide input on the draft Declarations of Commitment. The HK AIDS Foundation was invited to present its views and ideas at all UNGASS preparatory meetings. In the near future, we expect to be involved in monitoring the implementation of the UNGASS recommendations.

The Hong Kong AIDS Foundation acts both as mobiliser and advocate. It mobilises  partners to be aware of regional and global situations and to contribute their own experiences and ideas, and advocates for an opportunity for their voices to be heard. The Foundation's unique role allows it to monitor the UN system and related bodies on behalf of its colleagues in the region.

A leader in the fight against AIDS should not focus on his or her own organisation alone. This is especially true for AIDS programmes that are inevitably affected by events in other organisations or places. To be a real leader in AIDS work, one must have vision, the courage to make tough decisions and the commitment to fight the epidemic to the very end.