National Civil Society Consultation on The GFATM

[Guest guest]

Call to strengthen civil society engagement in Global Fund processes in India

The India HIV/AIDS Alliance, a non-governmental organization supporting

community action on AIDS in India, organized a " National Civil Society

Consultation on The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria " from 27th-29th

April 2005 in New Delhi. Approximately 50 civil society representatives

participated in the consultation - from NGOs, civil society networks, community

organizations, NGO support organizations, private sector, and faith based

organizations, working on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria in India.

Representatives from the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), various

State AIDS Control Societies (SACS), multi-laterals, bilaterals and the CCM were

invited to participate in the discussions on the last day. Dr. Ajay Khera,

Joint Director of NACO, and Dr. F.del Prado, UNAIDS Deputy Country

Director, participated in the consultation on the third day.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (the Global Fund) is an

international financial mechanism which raises and disburses funds to developing

countries to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. The Global

Fund's structure has led to the creation of multi-sectoral Country Coordinating

Mechanisms (CCMs) in more than 120 countries. The idea of bringing together

representatives from health and other sectors of

government, civil society, the private sector, donor countries and international

organizations to formulate grant applications and versee implementation of major

health programs is a new one for most countries.

A CCM has been established in India by the government.

The major objectives of the consultation were to enhance the understanding of

civil society about the Global Fund and the CCM in India; to provide an overview

of the Global Fund grants awarded and implemented in India; and, to review

existing Global Fund processes n relation to civil society in India, identify

gaps and develop recommendations for civil society and the CCM.

During the two and a half days of discussions, participants were briefed about

the Global Fund and its processes; reviewed the status of grants in India;

reviewed the process of proposal development; assessed the existing role of

civil society organisations in proposal development and the monitoring of grant

implementation; and the role of the CCM.

Key concerns related to the role and functioning of the CCM, including

decision-making, communications and consultation with civil society, and grant

implementation progress:

There is a lack of transparency in the selection of CCM members, with CCM

members being appointed by the government.

There is a lack of communication about CCM discussions and decisions.

There is a lack of consultation with civil society by civil society

" representatives " on the CCM.

There was also concern about the lack of access to information related to grant

performance, and the delays in grant making and disbursement of grants from the

Principal Recipient (the Government f India ) to Sub-Principal recipients

(NGOs).

There were also major concerns about the recent call for proposals for Round 5

of the Global Fund, including the unrealistic timeframe for submission of

proposals and the " gate-keeping " by SACS, without adequate support to facilitate

the proposal development and submission process.

The purpose of the consultation was to find ways to enhance the engagement of

civil society in Global Fund processes. It was against this backdrop that the

participants representing approximately 40 civil society organizations formed a

working group consisting of a number of civil society organizations to take

forward the following key recommendations that emerged during the consultation:

Promote consultation with a wider cross-section of civil society organizations

across India.

Adequate and effective representation of civil society in the CCM, and capacity

building for this.

A new, transparent and inclusive selection process for civil society

representatives in the CCM, including well defined selection criteria needs to

be formulated.

Representation of vulnerable groups, including people living with HIV/AIDS

(PLHA), sex workers, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men.

The CCM to have a clear communication strategy to inform and engage civil

society.

A transparent process for proposal development, submission and selection,

including notification of outcomes to all applicants.

SACS to be equipped with adequate technical capacity/resources and given clear

guidelines to support effective proposal development and the engagement of

civil society organizations.

Resources and technical support to be made available to civil society

organizations and consortia thereof to develop project proposals.

Grant flow and disbursement should be made transparent.

SACS as gatekeepers do not include malaria and TB, as they are not equipped to

develop proposals on these. The health department or an expert committee to be

given responsibility for developing proposals on TB and malaria.

The working group of civil society representatives formed at the consultation

will develop plans of action to support the mplementation of the

recommendations and also to promote engagement with a wider cross-section of

civil society organizations across India. A full report of the meeting will be

widely disseminated by the end of May 2005.

_____________________

For further information, contact:

Anandi Yuvaraj: ayuvaraj@...

Balwant Singh: bsingh@...

_____________________________________________

" Priya Mohanty "

E-mail: <pmohanty@...>