The Global Task Team, a UNAIDS-led initiative, set out to improve coordination among multilateral agencies and international donors responding to HIV/AIDS.

The team involved two rounds of meetings during May-June 2005, culminating in the production of a final report and set of recommendations.

In parallel, the Resource Needs Steering Committee set out to review and revise the assumptions that go into developing a clear understanding of the financial needs for HIV/AIDS.

The Committee involved two rounds of meetings during April-May 2005, culminating in a final report.

Both groups were facilitated by the UNAIDS Secretariat.

Making the Money Work

The Global Task Team and Resource Needs Steering Committee were formed as a result of Making the Money Work: The Three Ones in Action - a high level meeting held in London on 9 March 2005. The meeting was hosted by UNAIDS, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. It involved leaders from donor and developing country governments, civil society, UN agencies and other multilateral and international institutions.

The Global Task Team was asked to develop a set of recommendations on improving the institutional architecture of the response to HIV/AIDS. The particular focus was how the multilateral system could streamline, simplify and further harmonize its procedures and practices to improve the effectiveness of country-led responses and reduce the burden placed on countries. It was asked to report back within 80 days.

The Resource Needs Working Group was asked to further refine preliminary work on estimating the financial resources needed for HIV/AIDS. It was asked to report back within 60 days.


The ‘Three Ones’

The work of the Global Task Team and Resource Needs Steering Committee built upon the ‘Three Ones’, a UNAIDS-supported initiative that aims to promote:

• One agreed HIV/AIDS Action Framework that provides the basis for coordinating the work of all partners.
• One National AIDS Coordinating Authority, with a broad-based multisectoral mandate.
• One agreed country-level Monitoring and Evaluation System.
  
  

The Global Task Team involved participants from donor and developing country governments and UN agencies, plus two representatives of civil society.

The Team met twice during 19-20 May in Geneva and 3 June in New York. Both meetings focused on reviewing and strengthening recommendations proposed by its three Working Groups.

The Global Task Team published a final report on 15 June 2005. Its recommendations will be presented for endorsement to relevant multilateral institutions and used to inform the replenishment process of the Global Fund on AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The Global Task Team was informed by three Working Groups focusing on different themes:

• Working Group 1: Programming and financing
• Working Group 2: Technical support
• Working Group 3: Monitoring and evaluation

Each Working Group involved participants from donor and developing country governments and UN agencies, plus two representatives of civil society.

For each Working Group, a discussion paper was prepared by a technical expert and a report was produced based on a consultation among civil society.

Each Working Group met twice and focused on developing recommendations on their theme to be taken forward to the Global Task Team.

The Resource Needs Steering Committee involved participants from donor and developing country governments and UN agencies, including international economists, plus four representatives of civil society.

The Committee met twice on 15 April and 17 May in Geneva. It was informed by a Resource Needs Technical Working Group.

The meetings of both the Committee and its Working Group focused on developing and finalising recommendations about HIV/AIDS resource needs for 2006-8 in relation to: prevention; treatment and care; orphans and vulnerable children; human resources; and programme costs.

The Resource Needs Steering Committee published a final report on 24 June 2005. Its recommendations will be presented to relevant international institutions, including the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board. 

The Global Task Team and Resource Needs Steering Committee were supported through a consultation process carried out among global civil society.

The process included providing support to the civil society representatives on the groups, including through a rapid electronic consultation carried out among civil society individuals and organisations on the themes in question. It also included providing regular information updates to global civil society, including through networks and consortia.

The work was co-ordinated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and funded by UNAIDS. Alongside papers sharing key issues and recommendations from civil society, it produced many important lessons about how to improve such consultation processes in the future. These are documented in a report published by the Alliance.