Global Fund

A global fund for local responses

The work of the Alliance is helping to make the Global Fund’s money achieve more for vulnerable communities.

The relationship between the Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria continued to strengthen in 2006, Alliance linking organisations are Principal Recipients of Global Fund grants in three countries and sub-recipients in a further five. We are also encouraging community participation and representation in Global Fund decision-making processes, such as the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs).

The results of the Alliance’s capacity-building work were seen in Senegal where, in 2005, the Round 1 grant was facing cancellation due to poor performance. Civil society mobilised around a national response to the situation and the Alliance linking organisation, Alliance Nationale Contre le SIDA (ANCS), was selected as co- Principal Recipient responsible for the civil society component of the Global Fund grant from April 2006. ANCS is receiving US$2.9 million over two and a half years to support work with communities and marginalised groups.

The increased capacity of Alliance organisations to take on the Principal Recipient role was also demonstrated in the Global Fund’s Round 6 grants announced towards the end of 2006. Alliance India received over US$14 million as co-Principal Recipient for work to reduce the impact of HIV on women and children. Alliance Ukraine and ANCS received US$64.6 million and US$1.8 million respectively for HIV prevention, care and treatment work with vulnerable and marginalised populations.

At a time when work with injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and sex workers is under-funded (and even where it is funded, is often bound by constraints that can limit its effectiveness) the ability of Alliance organisations to effectively engage with the Global Fund means grants will support work with civil society organisations who are best placed to reach these vulnerable and marginalised groups.

In 2006 the Alliance also set up a Global Fund grant support group to provide technical support to all Alliance organisations in Global Fund grant management, and to facilitate lesson-sharing and support rapid skills-building across the Alliance. The group also responds to issues raised by the Global Implementation Support Team (of which the Alliance is a member), a high-level forum created to resolve problems that threaten effective implementation of Global Fund grants at country level.

The second key role of the Alliance has been to support community participation and representation in Global Fund decision-making mechanisms. In 2006, the Alliance continued to support participation in the Global Fund board, and the delegation of Communities Living with HIV, TB and Malaria (see right). Also, during 2006 Alliance Madagascar represented international NGOs in Madagascar on the CCM. Alliance Madagascar worked with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure that community perspectives helped define the CCM’s priority areas, and played a central role in developing the country proposal for the sixth round of financing.

In July 2006, several Alliance organisations participated in the Global Fund partnership forum in Durban, South Africa, to discuss Global Fund performance and to make recommendations on its strategy and effectiveness. The Alliance team was active in advocating for an enhanced contribution from civil society in Global Fund planning and implementation, an issue that the Fund recognises as being critical to success.

What is a Country Coordinating Mechanism?

Country Coordinating Mechanisms include representatives from both public and private sectors. They develop and submit grant proposals to the Global Fund, based on national-level priority needs. For each grant they nominate one or more organisations to serve as principal recipient. After grant approval, they oversee progress in grant implementation.