During the course of 2003, consultations are scheduled with a range of cities around the world to develop the capacity of participating local governments and institutions to mobilise local strategies to tackle HIV/AIDS.

Blantyre City, Malawi
On December 11, 2002 a workshop held in Blantyre, Malawi's main commercial and industrial centre, suggested that civic participation could be effective in developing a citywide response to the epidemic. As a result, Blantyre is one of the first cities in the world to embrace the City Consultation approach.

The Blantyre city assembly proposed a city consultation process. It is expected that the Blantyre example will be replicated in other local governments in the country and worldwide. The project gives a chance for local governments to play a crucial role in the mobilisation of their local partners in the prevention and management of the epidemic.

The first phase of the consultation process included a four-day Training programme for Transformational Leaders starting from May 27, 2003 in Blantyre. The training was facilitated by Mr. Jonathan Love, a consultant on Transformational Leadership for HIV/AIDS from UNDP in New York as well as other partners from various organizations.

Volunteers representing different key stakeholders from NGOs, CBOs and the Blantyre City Assembly were trained in appreciative inquiry methodology. The Appreciative Inquiry methodology is an approach, involving a maximum number of people who become leaders in the transformation process. The approach is different from other traditional approaches in that it emphasizes on exploring and realising the positive side of any situation. In so doing, the approach rejuvenates in people a spirit of HOPE and OPTIMISM vis-à-vis the future.

The HIV/AIDS City Consultation process follows the four main steps outlined by the Appreciative Inquiry methodology. The first step of this process is known as DISCOVERY, people and stakeholders in particular will identify factors, forces, values and practices that improve their performance in the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS. The second step is called DREAM, motivated by their vision of a better future, the stakeholders are expected to come up with new possibilities. The third step is DESIGN, using their own innovations, the stakeholders will construct strategies. The last step is called DESTINY, it drives the group to achieve their goals in the prevention and management HIV/AIDS. In a nutshell, all stakeholders in the Blantyre City Initiative on HIV/AIDS consultation process will go through a transformation process in order to frame a common Vision, Strategy and Plan of Action to fight the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the city.

The trained group will collect data and discuss ideas on how the city can respond to HIV/AIDS with identified potential stakeholders who hail from a large variety of fields in order to strengthen partnerships and make the process as participatory as possible. Thereafter, a stakeholders' report will be compiled and edited by the local support team. In addition to this, a City Profile Report will be produced by a local consultant assigned to conduct a baseline survey of HIV/AIDS and its impacts in Blantyre. Both reports will be presented as input into the stakeholders' city consultation workshop.

The stakeholders will take up different roles and responsibilities in order to make the current response to HIV/AIDS more effective. In the long-term, they hope to impact on the growing HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Blantyre.

The Local Support Team (LST) co-ordinated by the City Assembly will facilitate the process. A Steering Group (SG) comprising of representatives from Blantyre City Assembly, local governments, NGOs, and organizations involved in the HIV/AIDS campaign will provide overall guidance.

Everyone has a role to play. LST and SG will lead the implementation of action plan and the development of evaluation indicators of the city response transformation to HIV/AIDS. The media will be an integral part of the transformation process so that the initiative receives the publicity it deserves and the Blantyre City Assembly is expected to share its experiences with other municipalities in Malawi.

The City Consultation Methodology is not only an effective approach for local development, it is also a strategy to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS by mobilizing the leadership of City Administration in partnership with community-based organizations, people living with HIV/AIDS, academic research institutions, and other civil society actors. The process is spearheaded by UMP with support from UNDP.

Port of Spain, Trinidad
The city is targeting young people aged between 15 and 24. The first leadership training programme was completed in May 2003.

The city now plans a four-phased approach that will be based on team building and diagnosis, strengthening capacity and developing a city response, implementing a city strategy, and creating tools and management techniques to institutionalise the process.

During the course of the year, similar events will be held in Mumbai, India; Louga, Senegal; Phnom Pehn, Cambodia; Burj el Barajneh, Lebanon; Santo André, Brazil.