Uzbekistan received an extra $16.2 million for fighting the HIV epidemic

In June 2016, the Global Fund Board approved $179 million in funding for 13 grants emanating from concept notes submitted by nine countries, including Uzbekistan from EECA.

Uzbekistan (HIV)

According to the GAC, the Uzbekistan HIV program initially submitted a reprogramming request to the TRP in Window 2 in July 2014, and the TRP recommended that it be re-submitted due to the lack of sufficient data on the epidemiological situation, the activities being proposed, and how the activities would be carried out. The Uzbekistan country coordinating mechanism requested and was granted a one-year costed extension until the end of 2015 in order to provide essential services during the transition to the allocation-based funding model. During this period, the Secretariat provided assistance to build the capacity of the proposed PR, improve data for key populations, and address risks related to procurement and supply chain management.

In addition, UNAIDS provided TA to the CCM and the PR, the Republican AIDS Centre, to help them address the TRP comments and develop a well-focused concept note. The revised concept note was submitted in Window 8 in November 2015 and was considered by the TRP to be strategically focused and technically sound.

The objectives of the HIV program are as follows:

  • to deliver evidence-based, integrated and regionally prioritized HIV prevention and treatment services to key populations groups at risk of HIV and living with HIV;
  • to support the development of a national health infrastructure that can provide a sustained, relevant and optimal HIV response; and
  • to strengthen community systems and support civil society to ensure an HIV response that is based on needs, driven by human rights and public health, and is sustainable – and has a particular focus on key populations.
 The Republican AIDS Center is taking over from the UNDP as PR. The GAC said that it expects that the new PR will continue to engage civil society sub-recipients, which have demonstrated experience and existing capacity to effectively delivering prevention services to the key populations.

Read about the other 8 countries in the original article from Aidspan.