
EXTRAORDINARY STRATEGY COMMITTEE MEETING DISCUSSES THE REVISED STRATEGY FRAMEWORK
Author:
Arlette Campbell White
Article Type:Article Number: 3
ABSTRACT On 15 June, the Global Fund Strategy Committee held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the revised Global Fund Strategy Framework.
On 15 June 2021 the Global Fund Strategy Committee (SC) met virtually at an Extraordinary Meeting to discuss their recommendations to the Extraordinary Board meeting to be held on 22 July 2021. Its aim was to review and recommend to the Board the Strategy Framework presented in Annex 1 of GF/ExtraordinarySC01/02.
Based on the clear Board direction at its 45th Meeting, the Strategy Framework has been updated and the explanatory paper explains in more detail the intent behind the revised draft Strategy Framework. The explanatory paper provides critical background and context for the discussion of the Strategy Framework and was the basis for informing the Strategy Committee recommendation that will be presented to the Board meeting in July.
The key aspects of the paper are described below.
Background
During the past 18 months of discussions on Strategy development, three fundamental precepts have become clear. First, the Global Fund was created with the mission of ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria among the most impacted communities worldwide and it must remain committed to completing that mission as its primary goal. Second, the Global Fund partnership should be working to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of people and communities. To that end, the people and communities living with and most affected by the three diseases and emerging health threats must be at the center of all the Global Fund’s efforts. Third, to achieve its mission to end the three diseases requires disease and health investments that maximize people-centered, integrated national and community systems for health, community engagement and leadership, and improvements in health equity, gender equality and human rights.
These three mutually reinforcing, contributory principles are the main tenets of the next Global Fund Strategy, supported by essential work to mobilize increased international and domestic resources for health. The work to prepare for Strategy implementation before the next cycle of grants as well as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks will build from this greater clarity of purpose.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the single largest set-back in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria since the creation of the Global Fund. The pandemic’s actual death toll is likely to far exceed the 4 million official deaths and the health, social and economic impacts have been the severest among the poorest and most vulnerable people and communities. This pandemic is far from over and the impact is catalyzing a far-reaching G7/G20/UN debate about the shape, architecture and priorities of global health. These will affect all global health organizations, in particular the Global Fund as the largest multilateral provider of grants in global health and the only agency specifically created to fight pandemics.
Given the extraordinary and continuing impact of COVID-19, the Secretariat, Strategy Committee and Board have had extensive discussions on the Global Fund’s potential future role in supporting pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). Underpinning these deliberations has been the imperative of protecting gains and the Global Fund’s mission against HIV, TB and malaria, ensuring that the three diseases – three of the largest global pandemics – are not forgotten in a shifting global health agenda. This means applying the lessons the Global Fund has learned from responding to COVID-19 to strengthen the resilience of HIV, TB and malaria programs and build system resilience and sustainability for the future.
The revised Strategy Framework
As a result of the Partnership Forum (Voices of the people I: EECA and LAC partnership forums: Voices of the people II: Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA 1 partnership forums; and Voices of the people III: Asia Pacific & MENA II) held earlier this year, and the considerable inputs received from the various stakeholders, a revised version of the framework is now available and is depicted in Figures 1 to 5 below.
Figure 2. Strategy goal and objectives
Figure 3. Mutually reinforcing contributory objectives and sub-objectives