Communique from 49th Board Meeting in Han Oi, Viet Nam

 

On May 10 and 11, 2023, the Developed Country NGO Delegation attended the 49th Global Fund Board meeting in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. After five years, the Global Fund Board meeting returned to an implementing country, allowing the Board to visit HIV, TB, and malaria programmes supported by the Global Fund.

The Global Fund met during an escalation of global threats, which will impede the implementation of the new strategy.  These include escalating conflict situations; harmful and punitive laws targeting people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ communities that are gaining traction in several countries; an increase in the incidence of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in some regions; the continued contraction of civil society space; and threats to the sustainability of our Global Fund’s gains.  Prior to the board meeting, our delegation expressed concern over the deteriorating human rights crisis for LGBTQI+ communities in Uganda, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries, as well as the challenges to n Grant Cycle 7  to optimal community participation.

 

An overview of the decision points taken at this meeting can be accessed by following this link: Decision Points for the 49th Board Meeting Master List.

The Board Agenda

The agenda items) included: strategic performance reporting; adjustments to the Global Fund’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Framework; risk management; pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR); reports from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Ethics Officer; human rights; and resource mobilization.

Below is an overview of the critical issues   our Delegation raised at the board meeting:

Human Rights and Community, Rights and Gender

We urged Board deliberations on how the Global Fund may use its diplomatic voice to uphold human rights principles and equitable access to services for vulnerable and key affected populations.

This call was backed up by a joint statement by the Implementor Group, the 10 voting constituencies from implementing countries, Communities and NGOs, that called on the Global Fund to uphold the centrality of human rights and the role of key affected communities in guiding the response at the core of our strategy. It is essential that the Global Fund raises its diplomatic voice in partnership with key actors to address these threats.

Update on Engagement with the Pandemic Fund

We continued to express our support to the GFexploring involvement and alignment with the Pandemic Fund and look forward to discussing this issue further during our meetings.

Update on Country Funding and Catalytic Investments

Our Delegation continues to press the Global Fund to address the underfunding of the catalytic investments. We view this underfunding as a risk to achieving the new strategy’s strategic objectives and targets. We requested the Secretariat to explore ways to provide to bolster this portfolio through additional fundraising as well as country grant-making in line with strategic priorities.

Strategic Performance and KPI and Evaluation Function

We shared concerns about the slow performance in reducing the incidence across the three diseases. This serious concern is shared across the Board, and we urged the Global Fund to closely monitor performance in the years ahead to ensure timely course corrections and Board oversight on this issue.

Risk Matters

We supported the increased risk of attaining programmatic effect on prevention, poor data quality, and limited implementer capacity, which will significantly impact Grant Cycle 7 and the implementation of the new strategy.  As human rights violations and discrimination continue to undermine preventive efforts, we encourage the Global Fund to increase its efforts to correct defects in the design and execution of Adolescent Girls Young Women (AGYW) and critical demographic service delivery models.

Incoming Board Leadership

The Global Fund Board acknowledged the outgoing leadership of Dr. Donald Kaberuka, named chair emeritus, and welcomed Lady Roslyn Morauta as the new board chair and Bience Gawanas as the new vice-chair.

Our Delegation warmly welcomes the new Board leadership, who will lead the Board with a strong commitment to the Global Fund principles of human rights, communities and people at the centre of the response.  We look forward to engaging and collaborating as the Global Fund and the broader partnership embark on a critical phase to sustain and expand the gains in fighting HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria and strengthening Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health.