UNAIDS Board approves 2022–2023 budget and a five-year results and accountability framework
Author:
Aidspan
Article Type:Article Number: 9
ABSTRACT The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) held a special session on 7 October to approve the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) for 2022–2026 and its budget for the two years 2022 and 2023. The UBRAF is the overall framework for UNAIDS’ contribution to the global HIV response.
On 7 October 2021, a special session of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) approved the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) for 2022–2026 and the UNAIDS budget for 2022 and 2023. The approved budget is set at up to a threshold of $ 210 million per year.
| “We must prevent a resurgent AIDS crisis. COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions have badly disrupted the use of HIV prevention services, access to HIV testing, and in many countries this led to steep drops in HIV diagnoses, referrals to care services, the initiation of HIV treatment and limitation in access to viral load testing. This is of great concern. That’s why approval of the UBRAF is so important,” Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, at the opening of the special session |
Increased importance of UBRAF given the COVID-19 pandemic
The coming years are crucial for the HIV response. The Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 outlines the multisectoral approaches that are required to address the challenges ahead. As UNAIDS celebrates its 25th anniversary, the new UBRAF provides an opportunity to draw on lessons learned, build on implementation and achievements made under UBRAF 2016-2021 and further enhance UNAIDS’ unique role and critical contribution to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, in line with the vision and context provided by the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 and in support of the 2021 Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS.
UBRAF is the central tool to guide and frame UNAIDS’ action for results as part of the implementation of interventions to address the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets. It is the framework for leveraging the advantages, strengths and mandates of the 11 UNAIDS Cosponsors and the Secretariat for the full and effective implementation of the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026, placing people and communities at the centre and in strong partnership with other stakeholders.
UBRAF framework
Through the new UBRAF, UNAIDS will operationalize its work to catalyze the rapid implementation of the priority actions outlined in the Strategy. The new UBRAF also shows how UNAIDS will align its footprint, capacity, ways of working and resource mobilization efforts with the new priorities and result areas. UNAIDS will measure its performance, contributions and results against progress in country, regional and global HIV responses, with a specific focus on its contribution to support countries and communities to reduce the inequalities that drive the AIDS epidemic and get the HIV response on track to end AIDS by 2030.
The new UBRAF includes innovative and transformative shifts to strengthen its focus for results and is informed by a clearly articulated theory of change approach and a commitment to the optimization of human and financial resources as part of broader efforts to enhance UNAIDS’ overall effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.
Figure 1. UBRAF Components
More specifically, under the new UBRAF, from 2022 to 2026 UNAIDS’ will:
- Maximize its global leadership and advocacy.
- Create and promote the distribution of global public goods that are key to ending AIDS.
- Support countries and communities through coordinated technical guidance and support.
- Facilitate and support information and knowledge-sharing.
- Convene and facilitate multistakeholder dialogues to foster enabling environments and leverage inclusive partnerships and investments to close programmatic and policy gaps for greater accountability, efficiencies and impact.
Areas of intensified focus and investment under the UBRAF are to:
- Tackle inequalities in order to ensure equitable access to services for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
- Foster leadership and support for innovative approaches to achieve more inclusive HIV services.
- Benefit from scaled-up HIV combination prevention and testing and treatment, with a focus on closing service gaps among those who are the furthest left behind.
- Champion the empowerment and resourcing of communities for stronger community-led responses that lead to scaled-up service delivery and respond to needs.
- Strengthen societal enablers through more robust social, institutional and structural capacities of countries and communities for social protection, establishing and strengthening enabling legal environments, successfully eliminating stigma and discrimination and reaching gender equality in the HIV response.
- Advance the increased availability and financing of sustainable systems to achieve the 2025 HIV targets.
At the Closing Session, Ms Byanyima said “Thank you for approving the framework and the budget. I took note and am encouraged by the clear requests and support by Board members for a fully funded UBRAF at US$ 210 million to help the Joint Programme deliver transformative and life-saving work towards the goals in the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026.”
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