Independent Assessment of the Human Rights Complaints Mechanism
08 May 2018
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) commissioned an independent assessment of its human rights violations complaint mechanism. This mechanism has been formally in place since April 2015, based on the incorporation of human rights standards in grant agreements. It was designed to assist in the Global Fund’s objective to be accountable and its strategic goal to protect and promote human rights. A key issue has been the limited number of actionable complaints received by the Global Fund through the mechanism.
- Human Rights Complaints Mechanism Independent Assessment (March 2018)
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The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) manages the intake process of all allegations of wrongdoing, including human rights abuse complaints, and welcomes the publication of this report. Findings include a lack of awareness of the mechanism, as well as the relevant human rights standards, amongst the relevant stakeholder interviewed, as well as a lack of understanding of the independence of the OIG from Country Coordinating Mechanisms or from the Secretariat’s country teams; this notably results in concerns over the potential remedy to complaints.
As the Global Fund and its implementers often do not widely disseminate information about funded activities, it is challenging for stakeholders to know when or for what they should seek redress from the Global Fund.
The OIG will work with the Secretariat to ensure the recommended actions are appropriately prioritized and continue its efforts to raise awareness of the mechanism and build trust in the independence and integrity of its processes, as detailed in the joint response in Appendix C of the report.
For more information:
Etienne Michaud
Email:
Telephone: + 41 (0)58 791 1087
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The Office of the Inspector General safeguards the assets, investments, reputation and sustainability of the Global Fund by ensuring that it takes the right action to defeat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Through audits, investigations and consultancy work, it promotes good practice, reduces risk and reports fully and transparently on abuse.
Established in 2005, the Office of the Inspector General is an independent yet integral part of the Global Fund. It is accountable to the Board through its Audit and Ethics Committee and serves the interests of all Global Fund stakeholders. Its work conforms to the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing and the Uniform Guidelines for Investigations of the Conference of International Investigators.
The Global Fund believes that every dollar counts and has zero tolerance for fraud, corruption and waste. Through its whistle-blowing channels, the Office of the Inspector General encourages all to speak out to report fraud, abuse and human rights violations that prevent Global Fund resources from reaching those who need them.