US Government Accountability Office (GAO) Releases Report on Global Fund

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Download PDF The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a 60-page report based on a study of the Global Fund that lasted several months. The views of the report are captured in its title, “The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Is Responding to Challenges but Needs Better Information and Documentation for Performance-Based Funding.” The GAO is…

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ABSTRACT The US Government Accountability Office has published a 60-page report based on a study of the Global Fund that lasted several months.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a 60-page report based on a study of the Global Fund that lasted several months. The views of the report are captured in its title, “The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Is Responding to Challenges but Needs Better Information and Documentation for Performance-Based Funding.”

The GAO is the non-partisan audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the US Congress. The report, available at www.gao.gov/new.items/d05639.pdf, summarises its findings as follows:

• Limited Capacity in Recipient Countries Affected Performance, but Some Governments Have Strengthened Health-Sector Capacity

• Lack of Clear Guidance Impeded Performance, but in Some Cases Guidance Helped Recipients Meet Targets

• Poor Coordination Slowed Grant Implementation, but Good Coordination Facilitated It

• Planning Difficulties Made It Hard to Meet Targets, but Adept Planning Made Them Attainable

• Delays in Contracting and Procurement Hindered Grant Performance, While Efficient Procurement Helped

• No Significant Association Found between Grant Characteristics and Percentage of Funds Disbursed

• Information Sources for Disbursement and Renewal Decisions Have Limitations

• Little Documentation Provided to Support Phase 1 Disbursement Decisions

• Some Renewal Recommendations Were Not Clearly Documented

• Stakeholders Also Raised Concerns Regarding Phase-2 Renewal Process

• Secretariat Is Reorganizing and Increasing Its Staff to Better Manage Grants

• Secretariat Is Implementing a Risk Assessment and Early Warning System to Identify Potential Nonperforming Grants

• Secretariat Is Streamlining Procedures

• Global Fund Is Working with Partners to Improve Technical Capacity at the Country Level

• Global Fund Has Clarified Guidance and Taken Steps to Strengthen CCMs, but Some Issues Remain

• Global Fund Intervened in at Least Two Countries to Address Grant Performance