Board Decisions

GF/B12/DP05

Approved by the Board on: 16 December 2005

Continuity of Services

The Board recognizes that in exceptional circumstances there may be a need to provide funding for the continuation of treatment in grants where funding ends (whether due to termination, a decision not to provide Phase 2 funding, or a grant reaching the end of its term). The Board recognizes that discussions on whether and how to provide continued funding for treatment will be part of the strategy process. To address exceptional cases that may arise before a comprehensive approach to the issue has been decided, however, the Board replaces the decision at the Ninth Board Meeting on continuity of services (GF/B10/2, Decision Points: Continuity of Services, Decision Point 1) with the following:

The Board adopts the following system for addressing continuity of services:

1. A recipient (typically a CCM, or, if appropriate, in the case of a non-CCM proposal, the grant applicant) whose funding has ended, has been terminated or is less than four months from the end of its term may submit an Extraordinary Request for Continued Funding for Treatment.
2. The Extraordinary Request will be limited to expenses directly related to the continuation of treatment (including medicines [which, in the case of discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy, includes drugs for HIV-related opportunistic infections], diagnostics, and, as appropriate, costs for medical staff and other personnel directly involved in care of the patients on treatment) for those people already placed on life-long treatment under the existing proposal at the time of the Extraordinary Request.
3. The Extraordinary Request will be limited to the amount required to provide services directly related to the continuation of treatment for up to two years (taking into account any amount which remains available under the existing grant).
4. The Extraordinary Request shall contain a description of the steps that are being taken to find sustainable sources of financing for the people on treatment, and to ensure that treatment is being delivered effectively. To be eligible for funding under this provision the CCM (or, in the case of non-CCM proposals, the grant applicant) shall demonstrate that it has used its best efforts to identify other sources of funding to provide continuity of services but has been unsuccessful.
5. The Secretariat will review the Extraordinary Request, and provide a funding recommendation to the Board for its approval. The Secretariat will address performance issues as appropriate, and shall make any adjustments to existing implementation arrangements necessary to ensure the effective use of grant funds.
6. Throughout the process, the Secretariat will actively engage with technical partners to identify mechanisms to ensure continuity of services.
7. In a resource-constrained environment, Extraordinary Requests for Continued Funding for Treatment shall be treated the same as Phase 2 renewals for the purpose of the decision on prioritization set out in GF/B9/2 page 9, Decision Point 2.

This decision shall expire at the first Board meeting of 2007 unless renewed.