Voicing Community Interests in the Global Fund

A Guideline for the Involvement of People Living with HIV in the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Country Coordination Mechanism.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) is one of the most important institutions in the response to the three diseases. As a funding mechanism, GFATM pools funds from international donors and then makes grants to low and middle-income countries for health services and systems. Community participation in the GFATM is integral to its success. The GFATM has a number of opportunities for people affected by the three diseases to participate in shaping where and how funds are delivered. A critical feature of this involvement is community representation on the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), which is a national committee that submits funding applications to the Global Fund on behalf of the entire country. Representatives of people living with HIV (PLHIV) play a vital role on CCMs and need support to ensure their participation benefits the broader community.

The handbook “Voicing Community Interests in the Global Fund: A Guideline for the Involvement of People Living with HIV in the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s Country Coordination Mechanism” aims to facilitate the active involvement of PLHIV in the GFATM CCM. It outlines basic values and principles, providing practical information and tools which can be adapted to national contexts. It stresses the ongoing importance of PLHIVled communication, coordination and consultation, so that people most affected by the three diseases can continually make their voices heard and weigh in on important issues. The ultimate goal of PLHIV representation on CCMs is to ensure that GFATM financed programs are efficient, impactful and sustainable.