RISK CATEGORISATION SHOULD NOT BE USED TO LIMIT FUNDING, IMPLEMENTERS SAY

Author:

David Garmaise

Article Number: 6

ABSTRACT Grant implementers agree on the need to strengthen the management of risk at both the Secretariat and country level. However, implementers state that the practice of categorising countries according to risk should not be used to stigmatise countries, nor as the basis for denying or limiting access to funding. These were some of the outcomes of a consultation on 3-4 November 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by UNAIDS, WHO and the Stop TB Partnership.

Grant implementers welcome the new emphasis on identifying and managing risk at the Global Fund, and agree on the need to strengthen how this is done at both the Secretariat and country level. However, implementers state that the practice of categorising countries according to risk (also knows as “risk segmentation”) should not be used to stigmatise countries, nor as the basis for denying or limiting access to funding.

These views were expressed by participants at a two-day consultation on 3-4 November 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya, organised by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership. Participants included Board members from the implementers bloc, their alternates, other members of their delegations and strategic partners. The meeting provided a platform to discuss the changes taking place in the Global Fund, and to explore and review the proposed Consolidated Transformation Plan (CTP) and the Strategy 2012-2016, both of which were subsequently adopted at the Global Fund Board meeting on 21-22 November 2011 in Accra, Ghana.

The implementers at the meeting said that any criteria for risk segmentation of the portfolio must be developed with implementers, through an open and transparent process. Implementers recommended the establishment of an Implementers’ Advisory Group to work with the Secretariat on risk management.

Implementers said that assessments of the ability of key stakeholders to manage risks should be done at country level, and that capacity building should be undertaken to improve skill levels. Finally, implementers said that as part of any risk management plan, mechanisms needed to be in place to strengthen the capacities of principal recipients to manage sub-recipients.

Other issues

Implementers expressed deep concern about proposed measures in the CTP that appear to favour a shift towards more vertical and project-based approaches. Implementers also said that the new measures being introduced could cause the Global Fund to move away from an integrated approach to health systems.

Other points made by the implementers included:

• “Country ownership” must be safeguarded during the transformation.
• The national strategy applications (NSA) process should continue.
• The Global Fund should review, improve, and adhere to, standard operating procedures to allow the Secretariat to be smarter and faster, and to respond on a more timely basis to requests from countries.

The outcome document from the implementers meeting is available on the UNAIDS website here.