Joint Statement on Country Coordinating Mechanisms

Joint Statement on Country Coordinating Mechanisms

Communities / Developing Country NGO / Developed Country NGO Delegations

 

Download Here: Joint Statement on Country Coordinating Mechanisms

 

The Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) remain a vital lifeline for Global Fund investments at the country level and an essential part of our comprehensive sustainability agenda. CCMs not only act as a first line of defence for grant oversight and/or financial and programmatic accountability, but they also present as a best practice in health governance models that provide the opportunity for a multi-sectoral response to health that includes meaningful engagement of civil society and affected communities, even in countries where they are criminalised. In many countries, this is the only space where civil society and communities can unite with governments.

While CCMs are meant to be safe spaces for civil society and affected communities to engage and provide oversight, some have become challenging operating environments with persistent, long-standing negative experiences such as unequal power dynamics, unmitigated conflict of interest, lack of access to information and representation of key populations, and lack of adequate resources to engage meaningfully, among other challenges, as highlighted in the Rise Study. These findings underscore an important opportunity to strengthen CCM performance and elevate community and civil society engagement within the Global Fund partnership.

We recall the Communities Delegation’s call at the 51st board meeting for more focused attention to CCMs, and now the Communities, Developing Country NGO, and Developed Country NGO Delegations reiterate this call to the Board. The CCM Evolution made crucial progress in achieving robust and responsive CCMs that will ensure that the Global Fund’s investments translate into tangible and sustainable health benefits at the country level. As we pursue the sustainability of the Global Fund’s investments, we recommend that the Global Fund further build on the work done and:

1. Create a standing CCM Advisory Body to provide support to the CCM Hub and recommend strategies that will enable the strengthening of CCMs to reach higher maturity levels. The CCM Advisory Body should report to the SC and EGC, and include SC and EGC members and independent technical experts such as CCM Chairs, Vice Chairs, and members, as well as technical assistance funders and providers.

2. Safeguard and proactively support meaningful involvement of key and marginalised populations within CCMs to promote inclusion of diverse perspectives and set priorities in participatory decision-making processes.

3. Strengthen and establish open and transparent governance structures and accountability mechanisms within CCMs that the CCM Hub closely monitors in partnership with the established CCM Advisory Body.

4. Promote the use of data and evidence in CCMs to inform decisions made in prioritising interventions that are most effective and adopt strategies that will create efficiencies in the Global Fund investments.

5. Develop strategies to ensure the ongoing sustainability of CCMs and foster partnerships that can support CCM activities beyond Global Fund financing.

6. Ensure CCM secretariats provide effective, timely and transparent support to CCMs. Partners include bilateral donors, U.N. agencies, technical support providers and the private sector.