The Global Fund admits that activities to fight AIDS,tuberculosis and malaria can’t be successful without significant participation of civil society and main affected key population groups.
However, often civil society lacks access to knowledge which is necessary to play an important part in activities of Global Fund. Besides, programs aimed to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria often have a limited impact as not enough attention is paid to obstacles connected to human rights, gender inequality and other kinds of inequality and social exclusion.
To provide significant role of key groups of populations affected by the three diseases in Global Fund activities and effective elimination of these obstacles with the help of grants, Global Fund Directorate approved СRG – communities, human rights and gender equality – Special Initiative for the period 2014 – 2016.
In November 2016, the Global Fund Board reaffirmed its commitment to the strengthening of the voices of civil society in the Global Fund’s processes by approving a new phase of the Special Initiative. Within the new commitment, now called Strategic Initiative, the Fund allocated additional $15 million to be executed throughout 2017-2019 by the three mutually reinforcing components:
- CRG Short-term Technical Assistance.
Within the new phase of the Strategic Initiative a replenishment of pool of TA providers took place. Now technical assistance is provided by 26 nongovernmental organizations– including key population networks, universities and civil society organizations – that were selected through an open tender process for their demonstrated skills and capacities on community, rights and gender competencies as well as in emerging areas such as Sustainability, Transition and Co-financing and support to civil society in complex operating environments (COEs).
An important change is that now the technical support is extended also to cover the grant making and grant implementation phases (e.g. to enhance the capacity of community organizations to engage in the design of the grant as well as to monitor grant implementation).
Civil society organizations wanting to engage in GF-related processes can apply at any time, by sending a request form to crgta@theglobalfund.org. TA requests can also be submitted to CRG SI through country teams
More information about the Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Technical Assistance Program is available here – http://eecaplatform.org/en/technical-support/.
- Long-term capacity development and meaningful engagement of key and vulnerable populations
Within implementation of this component of the Strategic initiative the meaningful engagement of key and vulnerable populations in Global Fund processes in the long-term perspective will continue to be supported including:
- Support of the Global networks of HIV KPs – direct contract between the Networks and the Global Fund. 6 global HIV networks were supported to implement this component of CRG SI;
- Launching of HER Voice Fund – an initiative to build private sector support for programs that address HIV in 13 African countries where adolescent girls and young women face disproportionate risk. HER Voice website launched on World AIDS Day: www.hervoicefund.org
- Malaria – more focused investment in the engagement of communities affected by Malaria
- Tuberculosis – more focused investment in the engagement of Global and Regional Networks of TB Advocates
- Supporting the work of Regional Communication and Coordination Platforms
The Regional Platforms in Asia Pacific, Anglophone Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Francophone Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Middle East and North Africa will continue to enhance civil society and community coordination and communication. At the end of 2017 six civil society organizations were selected by the Global Fund to host the platforms in these six regions.
While in the first phase of the GRG-SI the Regional Platforms expanded communication of Global Fund process among civil society groups and organizations, the new phase of the initiative will see a stronger role of the platforms in the coordination of TA needs and opportunities
More information about the EECA Regional Platform you may find here – http://eecaplatform.org/en/about-platform/.
In November 2016the report on an evaluation conducted during April–October 2016 on the performance of all three components of the Community, Rights and Gender Special Initiative (CRG SI), carried out by the Global Fund over a three-year period of 2014-2016, was finalized. This report shares the findings, conclusions and recommendations of an Evaluation of the Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Special Initiative of the Global Fund. The report is available here.
