Re: Global Fund board meeting in India: what are civil society priorities

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

 

It is exciting to know that the next GFATM Board meeting is being held in India

in November.

I think the Civil Society India should wake up from the slumber and inaction and

convinient co-option by NACO and other disease control bodies and speak up their

mind.

NACO has become Non Accountable Compromising Organisation as far as GFATM is

concerned. Let me site the latest non accoutbality and non transparency by CCM

India - their website is a dead website anyway.

The India CCM still as of today carried announcement of R8 being closed. after

that there has been no activity on the website. No follow up, no news about R9

preparation.

Even the person sitting as a token, the sos called CCM co-ordinator is a dummy

because if you ask any information or question she does not know and even avoids

or refuses to take the call.

For example, when I noticed that they have removed the link (reports from the

field) I was surprised and asked her about it (as I have

previously pointed out that why this link had only " under construction " written

there for years), she did not know or to save face said we will bring it back

when we have report.

So I asked further about when will that happen or why remove the link and who

asked her to remove the link she had not answer.

Such unprofessional maintainance of CCM India secretariat has been the norm and

that has been also noted by the recent GFATM Evaluation report on the CCM

functioning.

 

I think civil society has a right to answers and reports of progress and

performance especially when the GOI/NACO and others have been awarded the

projects and grants in a bidding process and supposedly scoring over the the

other CSO project bids.

 

So my humble first action for CCM India request is to put up reports of progress

and performance on the website for all GFATMprojects all years on a quarterly

basis. (as of now there is not a single such report on the CCM India website and

repeated request for the same have fallen of deaf and dumb ears)

 

Second, any continuation extensions given after two years for any GFATM project

calls for internal and external assessment and evaluation, this evaluation

should be made available publically on the net as well discussed in a public

forum.

 

Third, the elections or nominations of CSO/NGO members into the CCM India should

be made absolutely transparent and up for public scrutiny- as of now as I write

I know there is a overt move and manovere to incorporate members of SAATHI to be

incorporated into the CCM India member from the Gender quota even when the

elections or nominations found not even one application not valid of completing

the criteria.

This must be stopped immediately. There has been blatant violation and actions

of convinience on part of NACO as well by the personal  " favorites " (read

dummies) of people in power.

 

I think this opportunity of meeting and expressing the delegatuions and board

members of GFATM by India Civil society soiety should be utilised to cleanse up

the completely non transparent, non accountable system in India as far as

Global fund is concerned and the unfair practices and procedure violations by

the " gang " of mutual supporters (UN, Bilaterals and Foundations along with the

ministry and the diseases control bodies and some opportunistic CSOs).

Let there be light. We have to get ir right. Even if we have to fight.

 

Thanks and surley it is not over yet! 

Dr Sanjeev Kumar

New Delhi India

e-mail:<sanjeevbcc@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

Re: /message/9469

Today is 2nd October - Mahatma Gandhi's birthday - we remember and celebrate the

Great man's spirit of truth and fight against injustice, even if we have take it

on solo.

Like he said - Jodi tore dak shune kieu na ashe tobe ekla chala re! (Even if no

one comes along after you call them to join, you have to walk alone on the path

to truth and justice and demand it)

 

The idea of writing this message is not to make friends or enimies. I am just

expressing an opinion.

Yes, the passion and the conviction is there and that is what is the motivation

for the sometime blunt and unpopular and even politically incorrect stance.

 

But then that is what the true spirit of civil society should be instead of

being a silent spectator and an opportunist which reflect a kind of impotence of

character. There are 8 members of the civil society on the CCM India but not one

speaks up.

 

There are more than 2000 NGOs/CBOs who are partners in the HIV/AIDS programme,

but nobody speaks up. Then there are acamediacians, PLHA networks, IPHA, IMA

nobody speaks up.

 

The question is WHY?

It should bother all of us. Is it we are afraid of NACO? or in particular of

someone up there?

Or it is that we have become convinient and comfortable in our zones and do not

want to be labels as  " nuisance " just because we raise a valid question, or point

or opinion that is unpleasant and upsets your scheme of dubious and suspect

ways. And challenges your assumed super authority and vanity.

I will like all the AIDS India forum members to take time and littel effort to

access the CCM India website (www.indiaccm.org) and see for themselves the

blatant mismanagement and a crude joke they are taking out to be on the people

and civil society of India and the world, including GFATM.

Try these following action and you will begin to see and believe what I have

been trying to say and convey-

 

Please do access the link of the minutes of the CCM India meetings and you wil

realise what I mean by saying that how they are taking the civil society to be

idiots and non worthy of any respect.

 

Call up the CCM India scretariat and try talking to a solo person and ask her

some information on Round 9 or reports and results/reports/documents of previous

rounds,

or seek a clarification on the revision of the CCM India TOR that are being

revised dubiously, or ask about the NGO members election and selection to be

included as a CCM member (especially the current effort to get a prticular

member from a particluer NGO to be included via an invalid election and

selection process and also she being brought in through the " gender " seat for

which neither she nor her organisation is known as a specialisation.)

Look, read and wonder how the questionable RCC R 8 proposal was slipped pass

through the CCM India (see minutes of 18 July and 25 July) and read through the

objections raised and the kind of answers and explanations given by NACO for

getting IL & FS as PR, a project worth US$ 23 Million with no selection process

and by passing all good governance issues and practices.

 

And let me attach a a section from the CCM India Minutes dated 25 July 08 (see

attachment).

AS & DG, NACO sounds very perturbed by a " consultant " asking question on bthe

unfair and non transparent practices being followed in CCM India and writing to

global fund and global fund then asking questions to CCM India especially to

NACO which they are finding difficult to answer and " upsetting staff " as it was

questioning the integrity of the process!

What is most surprising is that no civil society member in CCM India raised a

point that what questions were being asked and why was it difficult and

upsetting staff.

And did the chair, Secretary HFW, Government of India ever botherd and wondered

and tried to say that let me meet this person and hear him out.

If it was so important that it (the questions and concerns raised by the

consultant = me) was put on agenda item of CCM India meeting why was it not

taken seriously. The charges were serious, even tatamount to saying there were

fraudulent practices and blatant schemining and favouritism to please a

particular proposal including other things.

 

There were several instances sited with documentary evidence where the " gang " of

NACO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, Bilateral agencies and Foundations (particularly BMGF) and

the dummy CSO representative in the CCM India played in the hands of the

authorities because silence is golden and does not hurt their interests which

they need to protect against the wrath of the system.

Did the co chair, CCM India, ever uttered a word and asked for details and ask

for having a presentation or hearing from the civil society member. NO!

The Co-chair is there to safe guarded and voiced the opiniuon of the civil

society.

I hope and pray some of my CSO-NGO-CBO- Rights friend find courage to get up,

speak up and come out of their shells and overcome fear and scare and veiled

threats and rise above petty politics and payback alligiences.

In hope and solidarity. Let there be light. 

Dr Sanjeev Kumar

New Delhi India

e-mail:  sanjeevbcc@...

[Guest guest]

Dear Editor,

Re: /message/9469

The call for feedback from Indian Civil Society is not just about post mortems;

it is also about how India's CSO community can help proactively shape the

country's engagement with  The Global Fund and other donors, and also respond to

its health priorities.

I would encourage readers to reflect on the opportunity that the Fund provides

for participation in shaping health policy and responses in India, and put

forward suggestions that the CSO board representatives can meaningfully advance.

Thank you.

Bobby

Dr. Bobby

e-mail: bj@...