We are a non-profit organisation based in Kenya with a reputation for independently observing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) since 2002. This has enabled us to enhance the effectiveness and accountability of Global Fund initiatives. We have engaged in responsible reporting and analysis and are recognised as a credible source of information for the Global Fund ecology. We provide in-depth analysis of Global Fund policies and processes and are referred to by stakeholders as ‘explainers of the Fund’.
Aidspan is a non-profit organization based in Kenya whose mission is to reinforce the effectiveness of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by serving as an independent watchdog of the Fund and its grant implementers.
TRANSPARENCY
Aidspan promotes and advocates for open and inclusive deliberations and decision-making in the governance and operations of the Global Fund and other GHIs and their grants; Aidspan commits to the same in its own work.
INTEGRITY
Aidspan promotes and holds itself to the highest standards of honesty, accuracy, truthfulness and ethical conduct.
COLLABORATION
Aidspan values stakeholder engagement, leading to grant ownership and improved results. Aidspan embraces cooperation in its work, valuing an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to research, analysis, and publication.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Aidspan promotes full accountability of the Global Fund and other GHI resources at the global and country levels. Aidspan takes full responsibility for the content it publishes, paying close attention to its sources and listening to its audience to respond as best as it can to questions or criticism, including correcting errors or mistakes should they occur.
TIMELINESS
Aidspan aims to deliver the most pertinent content when it is most useful to its audiences through proactive research, prospective analysis, and prompt reporting.
EFFECTIVENESS
Aidspan promotes and holds itself to the highest standards of honesty, accuracy, truthfulness and ethical conduct.
INDEPENDENCE & IMPARTIALITY
Aidspan embraces cooperation in its work, valuing an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to research, analysis, and publication
.
ACCESSIBILITY
(of information and language) Aidspan ensures that information and language are accessible and purposeful (efficient, useful) in its own publications and for the GHIs it observes.
Transparent, accountable and effective implementation by the Global Fund and other global health initiatives as a foundation of global health equity.
To improve the effectiveness, transparency and accountability of the Global Fund and other global health initiatives through independent observation, convening, and building the capacity of in-country stakeholders and accountability mechanisms.
Refine and strengthen the existing services Aidspan provides to Global Fund stakeholders and expand these
services to other global health initiatives.
Aidspan conducts independent and critical analysis and investigation of Global Fund policies, strategies, processes and structures, funding mechanisms, transparency and data quality. We publish its analytical content through reports, case studies, peer-reviewed articles, and reviews. Aidspan also provides guidance to those applying for, implementing or overseeing Global Fund grants by publishing guides on diverse subjects. Aidspan relies on a small team of in-house researchers and external collaborators with expertise in health economics, epidemiology, governance, health systems strengthening, and Global Fund processes among others. We are developing collaborations with research institutions and other policy-focused organizations. Aidspan aims to provide independent analyses on the Global Fund policies that can be used by our stakeholders. They include the Global Fund (Secretariat, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Board, including the committees), Global Fund donors, implementers, civil society researchers, and media. All Aidspan publications are open access. We welcome suggestions for articles and research collaborations.
December
Aidspan launched Global Fund Observer (GFO), rapidly establishing it as the definitive source of news, analysis and commentary about the Global Fund.
March
Aidspan published its first “Guide to Applying to the Global Fund”. The guide has been updated annually since, reflecting the evolution of the Fund itself.
March
In the first two years of the existence of the Global Fund, Aidspan and two partners developed and refined the Equitable Contributions Framework : an equation that proposed the optimal size of the contribution from each donor country to the Fund based on its relative wealth. This approach was eventually adopted by a number of advocacy groups and by the Fund itself, in a modified form.
May
The Global Fund launched an in-depth external audit of Secretariat procedures after Aidspan wrote a confidential memo to the chair of the Global Fund Board raising certain concerns.
August
The Global Fund temporarily suspended all grants to Uganda after confirming allegations of corruption raised by a GFO reader and shared with the Fund by Aidspan.
January
Aidspan convened a round table on problems faced by Global Fund recipients in accessing technical assistance, attended by the heads of UNAIDS, PEPFAR, the WHO and World Bank AIDS programmes, and other global health leaders.
March
Uganda jailed the first two of four officials for Global Fund-related corruption that was first reported by Aidspan.
April
Aidspan provided testimony to a UK parliamentary committee in which it said that the Global Fund could not afford to have a second year like 2011, and might be permanently damaged if it did.
January
Aidspan developed its third strategic plan, covering the period 2016-2018.
Our Board of Directors has vast experience from across the globe and demonstrates strong leadership in driving the organisation’s mandate. Aidspan has a diverse team of monitoring and evaluation experts, policy analysts, knowledge management specialists, and engagement experts, and regularly engages with a global network of partners and service users. We have honed critical skills and services that continue to contribute to the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria-related programmes funded by the Global Fund.
Isaac Awuondo
Board Chair
Group Managing Director, Commercial Bank of Africa, Based in Nairobi, Kenya.
isaac.awuondo@cbagroup.com
Ida Hakinzika
Executive Director
Aidspan’s Executive Director
ida.hakizinka@aidspan.org
Professer Allan Whiteside
Board Member
Founder and Executive Director of the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
awhiteside@balsillieschool.ca
Djalo Mele
Board Member
President of the Country Coordinating Mechanism in Niger, Based in Niamey, Niger.
djalomele@yahoo.fr
Dr. Jesse Boardman Bump
Board Member
Executive director of the Takemi Program in International Health and lecturer on global health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
awhiteside@balsillieschool.ca
Prof. Gavin George
Board Member
Prof Gavin George is a Programme Leader at the Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division (HEARD) and Associate Professor in the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the University of KwaZuluNatal, Durban, South Africa.
georgeg@ukzn.ac.za
