Structured Abstract
| Document Title: | The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Progress, Potential, and challenges for the Future. June 2004 |
| Institution: | Center for Global Development, Washington DC, USA |
| Authors: | Steven Radelet |
| Study supported by: | Hewlett Foundation. This analysis was undertaken independently of the Global Fund, with the cooperation of the Secretariat but without financial, logistical, or other support. |
| Objectives: |
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| Methods: | Analysis based on the opinions and views expressed to the author during interviews, meetings, and discussions with over 100 people that have been involved in Fund operations from a variety of perspectives, including members of the Board, Secretariat staff, recipient country government representatives, members of Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) in several countries, Principal Recipients and sub-recipients, donor representatives (both in home offices and resident in recipient countries), Local Fund Agents, consultants, representatives of NGOs, activists, and others. |
| Results and conclusions: | The paper presents some of the most common criticisms of foreign aid programs, and the way in which the structure of The Global Fund attempts to respond to them. Main achievements and key challenges for the Global Fund for the future are presented and discussed. Two alternative structures for The Global Fund To Fight AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria operations in recipient countries are explored and recommendations for structure reconfiguration are proposed. "The basic conclusion is that The Global Fund To Fight AIDS/HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria has made substantial progress during its first two years and has come a very long way for a start-up international organization. It deserves strong international support to consolidate these gains and expand its operations further. At the same time, with some modifications the organization could be strengthened and its performance could be improved in the future. It has disbursed less funding at this point than many had hoped for. Although most of the delays can be attributed to the time necessary to establish both a new organization and new systems in recipient countries, and while The Global Fund's speed has improved markedly, there remains room for improvement. The Global Fund must find ways to create the incentives to improve the performance of Country Coordinating Mechanisms, Principal Recipients, Local Fund Agents, and other key actors on the ground. The Global Fund should remain a largely "hands-off" organization that focuses on providing financing and not implementing programs, yet it should use its influence and leverage to be an agent for change to improve the operations of other actors that need to perform well if countries are to achieve significant progress in fighting the three diseases. As The Global Fund's Board begins to consider grant renewals later this year, it must clearly and consistently reward strong performance and reduce or eliminate funding for poor performance. With progress in these areas, The Global Fund has the potential to become a path-breaking foreign assistance financing mechanism that makes a significant difference in fighting AIDS, TB and malaria" (see original Executive Summary). |
