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 Board approved СRG – communities, human rights and gender equality – Strategic 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 now Strategic Initiative.
The 3rd phase of the Community, Rights and Gender Strategic Initiative (CRG SI) was approved by the Global Fund Board in November 2019 as a three-year $16-million catalytic investment, aimed at strengthening the meaningful engagement of civil society and communities in Global Fund-related processes. It works through three mutually reinforcing components: (1) A short-term technical assistance program, (2) long-term capacity strengthening of key and vulnerable population networks and organizations, and (3) six regional communication and coordination platforms.
1. CRG Short-term Technical Assistance.
Objective: To provide short-term peer-to-peer technical assistance on human rights, gender, community responses, community systems strengthening and other related areas to strengthen the engagement of civil society and communities across the grant cycle and priorities in Global Fund-related processes.
Technical assistance can be requested throughout the Global Fund funding cycle and in relation to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria as well as resilient and sustainable systems for health (RSSH). Furthermore, support can be requested for sustainability and transition planning and in-country processes linked to the Global Fund model of work (e.g. National Strategic Plan review and development). Within this broader framework, CRG technical assistance requests should be focused on human rights, gender, community responses, community systems strengthening and related areas.
More information about the Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Technical Assistance Program is available here.
2. 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 with the next objectives:
Sub-objective 1: Amplify the participation and voice of key and vulnerable population communities in policy and decision-making fora and in governance and stewardship of the response to the three diseases.
Sub-objective 2: To strengthen the influence of populations most vulnerable to and affected by HIV/TB/malaria on the design and implementation of national strategies and costed plans, so that they adequately reflect and respond to realities and needs associated with human rights, gender, community responses and community systems strengthening.
Sub-objective 3: To empower populations most vulnerable to and affected by HIV/TB/malaria to generate and use data to monitor program coverage and quality and national commitments to end the three epidemics and to utilize the evidence generated for advocacy and programmatic action.
Investments are channeled through seven global HIV networks of transgender people, people who use drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, people living with HIV, and young key populations; four global and regional TB networks of survivors and activists; and one global malaria network focused on advocacy for disease elimination.
The list with contacts of the Long-Term Support to Key and Vulnerable Population Groups and Networks is available here.
3. 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 current 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.
In November 2016 the report on an evaluation conducted during April–October 2016 on the performance of all three components of the Community, Rights and Gender Strategic 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) Strategic Initiative of the Global Fund. The report is available here.
Also, you may access the report on the results of the independent evaluation of the Community, Rights and Gender Strategic Initiative 2017-2019.
