Board Decisions

GF/B02/DP06

Approved by the Board on: 22 April 2002

Country Coordination Mechanisms, Proposals and Eligibility Criteria - Part two

The Board re-emphasized the urgent need for additional funding to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in countries of greatest need as determined by levels of disease burden and poverty. The Board furthermore stressed the importance of responding to the enormous interest and great need expressed through the submission of 322 proposals from 77 countries (and 7 multi-country proposals) within the deadline.

The Board indicated that all proposals reviewed by the TRP are considered as proposals in the pipeline, which will follow an expeditious and progressive process for potential approval in the near future. The fact that the Board, at this session, will approve funding for a given number of proposals should not be interpreted as an indication that other submitted proposals will not be approved for funding at a later stage.

1. The Board requested the Secretariat to review new and resubmitted proposals to ensure consistency with the specific policy guidelines adopted by the Board at its second Board meeting as well as the Framework document.
2. The Board reconfirmed that non-CCM applications were not eligible unless the proposals satisfactorily explained how they met the exceptional circumstances set out in the framework document in this regard. The Board therefore agreed that non-CCM applications from the first round should be removed from category one and placed into category two, and follow the procedure for approval for category two. All decisions regarding categories one and two, as reported in the following section, were taken on the understanding that the categories had been amended in this way.
3. The Board gave preliminary approval to fund proposals in the first category recommended by the TRP, provided that: all proposal clarifications and additional information requested are received and reviewed by the Secretariat and endorsed by the Chair and/or Vice-Chair of the TRP; appropriate fiduciary, procurement, monitoring and evaluation (including agreed criteria and reporting guidelines) arrangements are in place in accordance with Board policy directives; appropriate fiduciary, procurement, monitoring and evaluation (including agreed criteria and reporting guidelines) arrangements are in place and approved by the Executive Director. The process of approval will be completed within six weeks on a continuous basis after the applicants received letter of notification from the Secretariat. Grant agreement negotiations for these proposals could then begin on a continuous basis as these proposals fulfill the criteria listed above.
4. The Board decided to approve the commitment to fund proposals in the second category recommended by the TRP, provided that clear guidelines to the applicants are provided by the TRP and the following: all proposal clarifications and additional information requested are received and reviewed by the Secretariat, and approved by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the TRP upon consultation of the proposal’s original primary reviewers;- appropriate fiduciary, procurement, monitoring and evaluation (including agreed criteria and reporting guidelines) arrangements are in place in accordance with Board policy directive and are approved by the Executive Director. The process of approval will be completed within six weeks on a continuous basis after the applicants received letter of notification from the Secretariat. These proposals shall finally be approved by the Board, through email, upon notification by the Secretariat that the above conditions have been met. Grant agreement negotiations for these proposals could then begin on a continuous basis as these proposals fulfill the criteria listed above.
5. The Board recommended that all proposals in category three need to be resubmitted for a full review by the TRP prior to being resubmitted for Board endorsement.
6. The Board decided to merge category 4 and 5. Proposals in this new category will be revised and reformulated using the new guidelines and forms for proposals and reviewed together with newly submitted proposals.
7. The Board requested the Secretariat to promptly communicate to applicants of proposals in all categories the additional information needed and/or issues raised by the TRP in order to provide technical guidance, including by relevant partners for an early revision or resubmission of proposals as recommended by the TRP.
8. The Board requested the Executive Director to negotiate the Grant Agreements for approved proposals, including detailed budget allocation, disbursement schedule and clear termination clauses as well as specifying the financial and program accountability and procurement mechanisms agreed.
9. The Board approved funding for the first two years of each proposal with subsequent years’ funding contingent on: a satisfactory performance assessment, to be completed no later than two years after the first disbursement; the Fund’s available resources at that time.
10. The Board authorized the Executive Director, after these conditions have been met, to enter into Grant Agreements and thereafter instruct the Trustee to disburse funds according to agreed disbursement plans and continuous reviews.
11. Applicants to the Fund who find that their proposal has not received a fair review by the TRP may appeal through a special procedure for which specific terms of reference will be developed by the Board Sub Working Group.

The Board took note of the lessons learned and instructed the Secretariat and the TRP sub-working group to take the appropriate actions to revise current procedures and documentation in line with the guidelines developed in the sub-meeting and the revised ToR for the sub-working group.