Key Decisions Made by Global Fund Board

Author:

Bernard Rivers

Article Number: 2

ABSTRACT The board rejected proposed requirements regarding CCM structure and methods. The "Communities" board delegation was granted the vote. The board rejected proposals to accept certain forms of in-kind donations. And more.

Key decisions made by the Global Fund board at the meeting that ended today were as follows.

• The board discussed a series of proposed “requirements” and “recommendations” regarding CCM composition and working methods. However, in the course of an animated debate, the board decided to change all of the “requirements” to “recommendations”.
• As reported elsewhere in this issue of GFO, the board approved all Round 4 grants that the TRP recommended.
• The “Communities” board delegation, which represents people living with the three diseases, was granted the vote. (Previously, that delegation participated in all board discussions but did not have a vote.)
• After lengthy discussion, the board failed to agree on any procedures whereby the Fund will accept in-kind donations. (It appears unlikely that this idea will be raised again for some time. However, as in the past, there is nothing to prevent grant recipients from negotiating in-kind donations on a bilateral basis with specific corporate donors, so long as the products received comply with the Fund’s procurement guidelines.)
• The board asked the Secretariat to begin preparations for Round 5. (However, there was no discussion about when Round 5 will be launched; nor was there any discussion of the fact that it could be some years before there will be enough money for Round 5.)
• The board agreed that in future rounds, applications from Lower Middle Income and Upper Middle Income countries must show that specified percentages of the cost of the projects for which Global Fund support is being requested will be covered by the country out of domestic resources.
• The board agreed on procedures that will be followed in the event that there is not enough money to pay for grant renewals.
• The board agreed that for Round 3 and later, if a proposal is agreed by the board but a grant agreement is not signed within a specified period of time, the proposal in effect becomes “un-approved.”
• The board agreed to set up a new committee to review issues related to technical assistance.