URGENT REQUEST: Please release the transcripts of the CCM Meeting

[Guest guest]

Dear Dr. Preeti Kumar, (India CCM of the Global Fund)

This is my second communication with you in this matter. The rules of

transparency that the GFATM vouches for demands that you urgently release the

minutes or the transcripts of the CCM meeting. It has been a week since your

communication quoted below and you have not taken any step towards this. This is

not acceptable.

I was part of the CCM meeting when the presentation by SAMHIC was made, and only

2 issues were raised and explained, to the satisfaction of the members present.

It clearly means that of the points raised by your Technical Review Panel, and

the explanations provided on those points, only these two points were of concern

to the members present and that there were no more clarifications or clarity

needed by the members. Since these points were raised and explained to the

satisfaction of the members present, it is safe to assume that your rejection of

the SAMHIC proposal is based on considerations other than or extraneous to these

points.

The rules of fair play and justice, if not of transparency demand that SAMHIC

should have been given an opportunity to clarify those extraneous points or

issues, should they have been the basis of your decision of rejection of the

SAMHIC proposal. Such an opportunity was never given.

Of greater concern is the information that we have received from members of the

CCM in private and confidential communication that voting was actually done over

telephone after members were expected to read a 1700 page proposal over 1

weekend. This clearly demonstrates a total non-application of mind to the merits

of the proposal. The lack of any meaningful discussion within the CCM after the

members had perused the proposal further demonstrate the cavalier attitude of

the CCM to MSM concerns.

We are further disturbed by the reports that there were members present in the

CCM meeting, from respected international bodies, who apparently raised

extraneous technical objections after the SAMHIC presentation, not when SAMHIC

representatives were present and therefore in a position to clarify these

points, but rights after the representatives left the room. This is indicative

of a design to deny a fair opportunity to SAMHIC to be heard, and also of an

attempt to colour the impressions of the other members even before they have

perused the actual proposal. Obviously many members voted out of this coloring

of their opinion and not because they have perused the 1700 page long proposal

over one weekend, which is physically impossible to do. My contention is that

this attempt of coloration is a direct result of the personal bias and

homophobia of the member concerned, and it helped the negative vote by inspiring

the latent discriminatory attitude that many members of the CCM have on male-to

male sex.

Your refusal to either disclose the minutes of the meeting, or of the transcript

is extremely unhelpful, as it does not help us in appropriately addressing these

concerns, nor does it help you in dispelling or addressing any of the above

issues that we are repeatedly raising in aid of transparency and fair play.

Hoping for an early response from your end,

Best Regards

Aditya Bondyopadhyay

e-mail: <adit@...>