Alliance for Public Health, based in Kyiv, Ukraine, proposed a new approach to support community engagement in Global Fund programmes. The proposal submitted in response to Global Fund RFP is to continue the activities of the EECA Regional Civil Society and Community Support, Coordination and Communication Platform within the Fund’s Strategic Initiative on Communities, Rights, and Gender. The proposed second incarnation of the Platform designed to operate from July 2017 to December 2019 is significantly different from the previous phase. Launched in 2016, the Platform initially focused on coordination of regional technical support providers and regional key population networks. Now, when the regional dialogue has achieved a stable momentum, the Alliance proposes to focus on specific action at the national (country) level, where we will form practical partnerships based on specific tasks. As specific tasks require specific solutions and tailored partnerships, instead of the predefined pool of consortium partners, the Platform will rely on competitive selection in order to identify the best available implementing partners for each activity. Both regional and national level entities will be able to offer their relevant expertise and capacities to their peers and partners across the region. The new approach is designed to capitalise on the recent developments in epidemic responses at the national level including:

• Growing articulation and acknowledgement of the role of civil society and affected communities in the responses to epidemics;
• Intensive formation of national key population networks and activist organisations;
• Powerful precedents of genuine KP representation in national coordination structures and
• Specific achievements and plans for gradual transition of epidemic responses to governmental leadership and funding.

The Alliance is strongly committed to improving the overall impact of interventions based on the diffusion of innovative and effective technical, organizational and political solutions. We will pay specific attention to and promote live cases of accelerated transition, meaningful and genuine collaboration between sectors and intensive community participation and advocacy. Involvement of peers in technical assistance (TA) planning and delivery will ensure focus on results and resolution of practical challenges. The new algorithm for TA involves linking community networks and organizations with specific providers of required TA (TA Navigation) and managing further access to required technical services by linking partners to appropriate funding mechanisms and brokering political support through peer CCM members (TA Case Management). We also prioritize practical and focused engagement with RSSH efforts at national level based on realisation of the role of communities as critical actors for inclusive access to health care. We focus on equitable access to services for all segments of KPs including women and men, various age groups, and specific sub-populations within KPs such as users of various types of substances, sexual partners of KPs etc.

The Alliance is seeking resources for strengthening peer communication and support in the region. We urge donor agencies and other stakeholders to support implementation of the new approach.

Currently, Regional Platform-EECA is pending decision of the Global Fund regarding the hosting organization. Therefore, EECA RP resources including the web-site and the current opportunities e-digest distribution, will remain in stand by mode until July 2017.

With any inquiries, please contact us at: tshub@aph.org.ua