SIGN ON: SRH & Global Fund--deadline 5 January

[Guest guest]

Dear colleagues,

In effort to encourage the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and

Malaria to increase its funding of proposals that integrate or link sexual and

reproductive health (SRH) with one or more of the three disease components, attached

and pasted below is a sign-on letter requesting inclusion of language

expressing the Fund’s support for such proposals in the forthcoming Round

7 Proposal Guidelines. The letter will be sent to key members of the Fund’s

Board and Secretariat along with all members of the Portfolio Committee.

Please note: there have been small revisions made to the

letter that was originally circulated. These changes were made only for

precision and do not change the message or intent of the letter. Apologies for

the inconvenience.

To sign on, please send your name, your

organization’s name, your email address and your website address (if you

have one) to Mascha s at mascha.matthews@....

Organizational endorsements are due to

Mascha by close of business on Friday,

January 5, 2007 (please also note extended sign-on deadline).

Thanks very much for your support. Happy holidays!

Schechtman

Policy & Grassroots Associate

Global AIDS Alliance

1413 K Street NW, 4th Floor

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 789-0432 ext. 212

lschechtman@...

*********************************************************************************

Dr. Carol s

Chairman National HIV/AIDS

Commission

Prime Minister’s Office Fax:

Bldg. #2 Manor Lodge

Warrens, St.

Barbados

Dear Dr. s:

On behalf of the undersigned

organizations, I am writing to urge all structures of the Global Fund to Fight

AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to place increased emphasis on the eligibility

and importance of proposals that integrate and link sexual and reproductive

health (SRH) into programs to prevent and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and

tuberculosis. Specifically, we request that the Portfolio Committee include

language to this effect in forthcoming Round 7 Proposal Guidelines.

SRH integration with the three

disease components is recommended as having positive outcomes for HIV/AIDS,

tuberculosis and malaria by the technical agencies that inform the Global

Fund’s work, including but not limited to the WHO, UNFPA, and UNAIDS. An

indicative list of relevant activities should include accessible family

planning services, which provide appropriate systemic opportunity to promote

condom use and address the broader SRH of people vulnerable to and affected by

HIV/AIDS; widespread comprehensive antenatal care that can prevent

mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and malaria; and attention to SRH

commodities and capacity, an integral element of health systems strengthening

overall, which serves to benefit all three diseases as well as overall national

health and the specific needs of vulnerable populations.

As such, we urge the Portfolio

Committee, with support of the full Board and the Secretariat, to include the

following language in the Round 7 Proposal Guidelines:

¨

“Proposals

that include and/or establish linkages with sexual and reproductive health provision

are acceptable within the overall frameworks of combating HIV/AIDS,

tuberculosis, and malaria to the extent that they lead to positive outcomes for

one or more of the three diseases.” This language, or

similar language with the same intent, should be included in Section 4.6.3,

“Examples of Activities Supported”, as well as in Section 4.3.2 on

“Synergies.”

¨

“Health

System Strengthening aspects of all proposals to the Global Fund, regardless of

component, can include human resources, commodities and supplies, and

infrastructure for sexual and reproductive health.” This

language should be included in Section 4.6.6, “Activities to Be Funded

and the Linkage to the Disease Component” as well as in Section 4.4.4,

“National Health Systems.”

¨

“Acceptable

service delivery areas include those that provide sexual and reproductive

health services and supplies.” This language should be included

in section 4.6.1(d) of the Round 7 Proposal Guidelines.

Particularly in a time when HIV

infection rates are escalating dramatically among women, clear guidance on SRH

services, infrastructure and supplies is crucial. We thank you for your urgent

consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

[ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ONS HERE]

CC: Dr. Lieve Fransen

Dr. Feacham

Christoph Benn

Elmar Vinh-

Geoff Adlide

Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono

Ms. Carty

Ms. Lucia Fiori

Dr. Maurice Fezeu

Mr. Loures

Dr. Ernest Messiah

Mr. Jacques

Ms. Lydia Mungherera

Dr. Francoise Ndayishimiye

Dr. Nosa Orobaton

Ms. Akunda Pallangyo

Dr. Winnie Mpanju Shumbosho

Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien

Ms. le Tanguy

Mrs. Zhanna Tsenilova