Board Decisions

GF/B42/EDP11

Approved by the Board on: 09 April 2020


Additional Support for Country Responses to COVID-19

The Board agrees that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a global public health emergency and that failure to control the pandemic threatens to derail the Global Fund’s mission to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria and strengthen systems for health. The Board acknowledges that without immediate action, health facilities, communities and geographies served by Global Fund programs will be severely impacted. As a major actor in global health, the Global Fund is uniquely positioned to deliver rapid support to countries developing responses to control the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the urgency of the situation, and the need to take swift and decisive action with partners to control the impact of COVID-19 on the Global Fund mission and country health systems, the Board:

  1. Approves the creation of a temporary COVID-19 response mechanism (C19RM) to provide additional support for country responses to the pandemic and to ensure the continuity of the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. C19RM will:
    1. Support the rapid deployment of funds to support implementer countries’ COVID-19 responses, using expedited decision-making approaches determined by the Secretariat and coordinated with partners;
    2. Finance interventions consistent with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on COVID-19 and national Strategic Preparedness and Response Plans, including:
      1. COVID-19 control and containment interventions, including personal protective equipment, diagnostics, treatment, communications and other public measures as specified in WHO guidance;
      2. COVID-19-related risk mitigation measures for programs to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; and
      3. Expanded reinforcement of key aspects of health systems, such as laboratory networks, supply chains, and community-led response systems, to address advocacy, services, accountability, and human-rights based approaches;
    3. Finance interventions across the 5th and 6th replenishment periods;
    4. Be administered within the established internal control framework of the Global Fund; and
    5. Be additional to amounts approved by the Global Fund for programming towards COVID-19 interventions under existing grants.
  2. Approves initial funding for C19RM of up to USD 500 million, comprised of:
    1. USD 180 million from the USD 300 million of available funds approved by the Audit and Finance Committee on 16 March 2020 under GF/AFC12/DP01; and
    2. Up to USD 320 million of additional funds approved as available by the AFC under section E.6 of the Amended and Restated Comprehensive Funding Policy.
  3. Agrees that C19RM funds may be used to procure COVID-19 products approved under the WHO Emergency Use and Listing procedures or under other emergency procedures set up by any Stringent Regulatory Authorities as defined under the Quality Assurance Policy for Pharmaceutical Products and Quality Assurance Policy for Diagnostic Products.
  4. Agrees that C19RM is a Board-approved initiative for which the Global Fund may mobilize additional resources from private and public donors, in accordance with existing policy.
  5. Agrees that the Secretariat may approve requests for C19RM funds for an initial six-month period through 30 September 2020, and that C19RM funds may be used through 30 June 2021. These dates may be extended by the Board, based on updated information on needs as the pandemic evolves.
  6. Requests the Secretariat to further operationalize the investment and management modalities for C19RM, including working with partners to deliver critical technical assistance, ensuring the appropriate involvement of Country Coordinating Mechanisms and alignment with the Global Fund’s underlying principles of gender equity and human rights, and providing the flexibility to take rapid action, including at global and regional level, in close collaboration with WHO and other critical partners, and provide regular reporting to the Board on the operationalization of C19RM, including on any investments made with C19RM funds.

Budgetary Implications

The cost of implementing these decisions will be absorbed within the current 2020 OPEX budget.

Notes

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