Country Eligibility Criteria
Determining country eligibility for funding is a multi-step process, drawing on:
- the World Bank's classification of countries and other economies by income level;
- a Global Fund requirement that certain applicants (Lower-middle income and Upper-middle income applicants) ensure a predominant focus on key affected populations in their proposals; and
- a newly introduced principle of 'cost sharing' for Lower-middle income and Upper-middle income applicants.
The following page provides information on each of these steps and links to background documents.
Country income level requirement
The full list of countries eligible for funding for Round 9 is provided in Annex 1 to the Round 9 Guidelines. Since Round 8, the following Upper-middle income country is newly eligible for Round 9:
- Equatorial Guinea for HIV
The Global Fund directs its funding to economies classified by the World Bank as Low income and Lower-middle income, and also Upper-middle income economies with a current high disease burden (based on information from UNAIDS and WHO).
- Link to World Bank income classification here
- Link to Board document outlining country eligibility criteria: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese
- Link to presentation describing the steps to determine Upper-middle income country eligibility for Round 9: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese
Commencing in Round 8, the Global Fund has introduced a 'one year grace period' for countries whose income level moves up from one income level to another between a funding Round. Relevant countries can apply for funding as if their income level classification remained at the old income level.
Countries benefiting from this 'grace period' for Round 9 are listed in Annex 1 of the Round 9 Guidelines.
Focus on key affected populations
Lower-middle income and Upper Middle income applicants must ensure a predominant focus on key affected populations in their proposals.
The Global Fund uses the UNAIDS definition of key affected populations as follows: “women and girls, youth, men who have sex with men, injecting and other drug users, sex workers, people living in poverty, prisoners, migrants and migrant laborers, people in conflict and post-conflict situations, refugees and displaced persons”.
Cost Sharing requirement
In addition, Lower-middle income and Upper-middle income applicants must also show that the Global Fund's total contribution to the national disease specific program needs over the proposal term does not exceed certain maximums. This is the newly introduced principle of 'cost sharing' that replaces the 'counterpart financing' approach from previous Rounds.
- For Lower-middle income countries, Global Fund support cannot exceed 65% of the overall disease program need; and
- For Upper-middle income countries, Global Fund support cannot exceed 35% of the overall disease program need.
Country eligibility requirements summary diagram
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