Dear colleagues, welcome to this issue of the Global Fund Observer.

This is the issue where we provide you with a first view of the agendas for the three Committees (Audit & Finance, Ethics & Finance, and Strategy) who will meet in the first week of October (

The Global Fund’s 17th Committee Meetings for Strategy, and Ethics & Governance, to meet virtually over a three-day period

).

The Global Fund Strategy Narrative development continues to dominate. We provide you with a summary of view on the zero draft (

Stakeholders’ views on the zero draft of the Global Fund Strategy Narrative

) which, as might be expected from so many diverse partners, implementers, etc., are quite varied.

We continue to cover experiences with developing COVID-19 Response Mechanism grants from the dual perspective of the experience of Burkina Faso (

Lessons learned from the C19RM in Francophone countries

) and my own experience working on Francophone countries’ C19RM funding requests (

What the C19RM reveals about its impact on health system

). It has not been plain sailing for either the country or the technical assistance providers, and it shines an even brighter light on deficiencies in weak health systems that countries are already struggling with.

In the last issue we informed you of the publication of the Global Fund’s 2021 Results report and in this issue we summarise its findings in more detail (

44 million lives saved in total, says the Global Fund Results Report 2021

).

We also have our usual article with an Aidspan staff or Board member: this time it is Professor Gavin George, Aidspan’s newest recruit and his work merging economics with behavioural psychology and its relevance to health system strengthening and increasing health service uptake (

Increasing finance for health could be the Global Fund’s biggest challenge

). His article provides with a timely segue into a series of articles on health financing that we will start to publish from next month onwards.

Finally, further to our recent article on BACKUP Health’s work with Global Health Initiatives, Aidspan staff attended a virtual workshop organized by BACKUP Health in Uganda (

Stakeholders in Uganda identify areas for BACKUP Health technical support

).

As usual, we ask that if you enjoy the GFO and find it relevant to your work, please encourage your colleagues to subscribe!

Don’t forget: if you are aware of an interesting development relevant to disease programs or health systems and that you feel is worthy of global discussion, do let me know together with the name of a person prepared to write about this. Suggestions and comments can be sent to us in English, French or Spanish. You can find me, the GFO’s interim editor, through my email, christelle.boulanger@aidspan.org.

Christelle Boulanger