UK Aid

Background and Context

The development of the Global Fund’s post-2022 strategy has commenced and will span the 2020 – 2021 period – with emphasis on the period concluding in May 2021 when the strategy framework will be approved by the Global Fund’s Board. Therefore, and as can be seen from the figure below, the Global Fund governance system’s major preoccupation during 2020-2021 will be, inter alia, about development of the organization’s post-2022 strategy.

This strategy and its development process are critical opportunities to set aims, objectives and targets that are well focused and prioritized towards achieving the 2030 targets of ending the three epidemics by 2030 – building on lessons learned and responding to priority needs and underperformance to date.

Given the majority of disease burden for HIV, TB and Malaria is found among the constituent countries of the East and Southern Africa (ESA) and West and Central Africa (WCA) constituencies, it is critical for ESA and WCA to generate the data and evidence base to formulate its priorities and positions for what the regions they represent need from the Global Fund post-2022. Also critical is ensuring there is consensus among the various stakeholders in the continent, not in the least including its constituent countries, its leadership, the various partners and the Civil Society. Doing so further enables ESA and WCA to present informed, coherent and prioritized recommendations to influence the deliberations of the Global Fund’s Committees and ultimately the Board. 

Accordingly, the African Constituency Bureau (ACB) is focused on strengthening its policy analysis, evidence generation as well as advocacy and engagement functions to ensure the needs, priorities and perspectives of the African continent are well represented in the dialogue on the Global Fund’s post-2022 strategy.

Additionally, the Bureau also seeks to support countries mitigate some of the Covid-19 related adverse effects on Global Fund funding request development process, grant implementation and grant making.

The Project Goal/Purpose

The Goal of this intervention is to engage various stakeholders to identifyand effectively represent priorities strategic to Africa in the post-2022 Global Fund strategy discourse.

The purpose of this project is to further enable the African continent to formulate ESA and WCA’s strategic priorities for the Global Fund’s post-2022 strategy, anchored on data or other evidence and consensus among key stakeholders, and position ESA and WCA’s Board and Committee representatives to effectively influence strategic conversations. The project also seeks to support countries and stakeholders mitigate some of the Covid-19 related adverse effects on Global Fund funding request development processes, grant implementation and grant making.

As described further below, efforts aimed at supporting African countries’ engagements in the post-2022 Global Fund strategy development includes:

• Identifying key trends and trajectories in the HIV, TB and Malaria responses, particularly in relation to 2030 goals and targets;
• Drawing lessons learned under the current Global Fund strategy and in the broader global fight against the three epidemics;
• Analyzing underperformance during the current Global Fund strategy and appropriate levers for course correction;
• Understanding root causes or drivers and the pathways for responding in the most effective and efficient manner;
• Generating ESA and WCA’s strategic priorities based on engagements with critical stakeholders.
• Advocating for and defending Africa’s strategic priorities among various stakeholders to create buy-in;
• Supporting ESA and WCA’s Global Fund Board and Committee representatives to effectively engage in the fund’s post 2022 strategy dialogue;

Additionally, interventions to mitigate against some of Covid-19’s adverse effects on funding request development, implementation of grants and grant making include the following:

• Sharing experiences across African countries around how they are accessing Global Fund funding for the covid-19 response and identifying shared barriers e.g. unclear guidance, TA gaps, etc.;
• Sharing experiences around how countries are maintaining progress against the three diseases by flexing Global Fund programmes, including the additional funding. 
• Mapping the challenges that countries are facing in both of these areas, where additional support is needed, and any challenges to accessing that additional support (e.g. if TA providers are focusing on the wrong countries etc.)
• Sharing best practice and lessons learned;
• Communication support to enable countries quickly roll out and optimize utilization of virtual platforms to support stakeholder engagements and other priorities through acquiring tele-conferencing facilities, improved access to internet services through for instance using 3G and/or 4G routers. It may also entail subscribing to and using virtual applications like Blue Jeans, Zoom, etc.; and

Feeding all this information back up to the Global Fund through Africa’s board and committee representation and through focal points.