Presentation of the Friends of the Global Fund LAC

On 8 December 2009, the new phase of the Friends of the Global Fund Latin America and the Caribbean was presented within the scope of the Regional Meeting of CCMs and RCMs of the Global Fund’s fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Friends of the Global Fund Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) are part of the network of 8 organisations, which in regions and countries that are developed or currently being develop, fulfil the role of being ambassadors of the Fund.

These independent entities have been created to increase knowledge, visibility and awareness about the three diseases and the Global Fund, and to carry out policy advocacy with the decision-makers in the public and private sector so that they can lend their political and financial support.

The Friends of the Global Fund Latin America and the Caribbean will be particularly centred on:

· Mobilising political, strategic and financial support for the fight against the three diseases in the region.
· Increasing understanding and support for the Global Fund.
· The main activities will be political advocacy, raising awareness campaigns, working with mass media, education about the Global Fund and research in terms of searching for more and better evidence about the three diseases.

Javier Hourcade Bellocq, Director of the Friends of Global Fund explained: "We would like to promote more significant participation by the governments, the private sector, educational institutions and civil society in all structures of the Global Fund. For example, within national, regional and international frameworks”.

He also went into detail about one of the great challenges in the region: “A higher profile of the region is needed on a world-wide basis and on the agenda of the donors. Hence, we must provide better evidence about the concentrated epidemics and demonstrate that if in one of our countries, we have a prevalence of 20 or 35% in a specific population, we are being severely battered by the epidemic”.

In terms of the role of civil society, he added: “There is a lot of work to be done by organised Civil Society on the response to HIV/AIDS, we still need to successfully mobilise the communities around the response to Tuberculosis and Malaria. It is difficult but it can be achieved”.

Javier Hourcade Bellocq recently left the Global Fund’s Governing Board where he represented the Communities of Persons living with HIV, TB and affected by Malaria and he is currently a regional representative for Latin American and the Caribbean in the International Alliance. The International Alliance shelters the Friends of the Global Fund.

The Friends of the Global Fund was formed in the International Conference on AIDS in Mexico in 2008 and was based in Columbia. This year, it was transferred to a new group of people who formed a team based in the city of Buenos Aires.

For more information: jhourcade@aidsalliance.org

Key Correspondents Team – Asuncion, 8/12/09

The Corresponsales Clave Team in Asunción, Paraguay

Between 8 and 11 December, the City of Asunción in Paraguay hosted the Global Fund’s Regional Meeting of the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and the Regional Country Coordinating Mechanisms (RCMs) for the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The objective of the meeting is to strengthen these governing mechanisms of the national framework that are key cornerstones in the proper functioning of Global Fund grants.

The Global Fund is an organisation that collects and distributes additional resources for the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in developing countries. Since its creation in 2002, it has signed subventions for 16.1 million dollars in 140 countries. The Global Fund grants funding based on performance and up to the funded date, all requests that are technically sound with interventions based on evidence.

One of its most relevant characteristics is its governing structure that faithfully responds to the approach of public and private association, recreating venues where decisions are made between government, civil society (particularly the most affected populations), agencies of the United Nations System, educational institutions and the private sector. This structure exists within the national framework (CCMs) and within the regional framework with a regional subvention (RCMs) whilst the highest governing body of the Global Fund is the World Board.

This initiative promotes programmes that will be developed, implemented and monitored by the countries. It is the CCMs that approve requests and monitor their programmes so they will be successful. It is for this reason that there are no Global Fund employees whatsoever in any country. The Fund is only responsible for channelling resources. The technical aspects fall on the shoulders of the Global Fund partners and in particular the Agencies of the United Nation System as well as the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. There are also other strategic partners in the central countries such as the German Government’s Backup Initiative (GTZ) and a countless number of NGOs and initiatives.

There is a wide gap between theory and actual experience so since the creation of the CCMs, this has been more than one cause for concern. There is a wide-range of challenges in the CCMs mainly related to participation, good government, transparency and conflict of interest, amongst others. This event’s purpose is to unblock some of these bottlenecks pursuing the result of the stronger CCMs.

Amongst the different values that the Global Fund put forward when it was established, the three fundamental pillars are: significant multisectoral participation, local appropriation and alignment with national programmes. To achieve this, there must be consolidated CCMs where dialogue flows and where each sector can bring the perspective of its representatives in order to achieve effective and efficient programmes that will save more lives.

This meeting will cover CCMs/RCMs in Latin America. In 2010, similar events will be held in Central America and in the Caribbean. For more information on the Global Fund, visit its website at: www.theglobalfund.org/es/

Through this Blog, we can share with you the topics and the voices that will be heard in Asuncion.

By Javier Hourcade Bellocq
Key Correspondent Team – Buenos Aires, 5/12/09