Global Fund Rates Highly in Australian Aid Review
15 May 2017
CANBERRA, Australia – The Global Fund scored a top rating for its effective investment of donor money to respond to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in a newly released Multilateral Performance Assessment published in the Performance of Australian Aid Report by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The assessment confirmed the Global Fund as a strong, results-driven partner, giving consistent ratings of 5 out of 6 across its six criteria.
The high rating follows similarly strong assessments of the Global Fund in a recent Multilateral Aid Review by the United Kingdom, and in a new report by the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network, representing a broad group of donors who highly rate the Global Fund exceptional performance, transparency and impact.
Published this month, the Performance of Australian Aid Report is used by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) uses the Performance of Australian Aid Report to gauge the effectiveness of the Australian aid program’s multilateral partners and their relevance to Australia’s interests. Recognizing the reforms undertaken by the Global Fund since 2012, the assessment says Global Fund investments demonstrated robust and compelling impact. Since 2002, Global Fund-supported programs have saved more than 20 million lives, including 10 million lives in the Indo-Pacific region. The assessment noted that the Global Fund is making an important contribution to the health security of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly containing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and eliminating artemisinin resistant malaria.
Globally, the assessment noted that the Global Fund had stimulated increased domestic investments in health, and led in both creating effective private sector partnerships and developing innovative ways to respond to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. It cited the Global Fund partnership’s success in driving down the price of key health commodities, for example by reducing the price of insecticide-treated mosquito nets by 38 percent since 2013, and of antiretroviral drugs by 25 percent since 2014. The review also said that the Global Fund had greatly improved its strategic leadership and governance, and made financing more predictable through a needs-based allocation methodology.
"This assessment demonstrates that effective global partnerships are the best way to deliver results and impact in health,” said Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “It also reflects the alignment of Australia’s priorities in the Indo-Pacific region and the Global Fund’s commitment to impact, value for money, and innovation and private sector partnership.”
The review lauded the Global Fund’s policies aimed at strengthening sustainability of the programs it supports and remaining flexible in challenging environments, and challenged the Global Fund to ensure these policies are effectively implemented. It also applauded Global Fund’s 2017-22 strategy, which focuses on investments in building resilient and sustainable systems for health and in addressing gender inequality.
In March 2017, the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) gave the Global Fund top ratings for its organizational architecture, operating model and financial transparency and accountability, and said the Global Fund is delivering substantive results. The 2016 UK Government Multilateral Aid Review awarded the Global Fund the highest possible rating for overall organizational strength. And the 2016 Aid Transparency Index recognized the Global Fund’s rigorous systems and commitment to transparency, rating the Global Fund in the top five of all international aid organizations.