Approved by the Board on: 08 November 2008
The Board takes note of the recommendations of the Technical Working Group, as endorsed by the majority of the Joint Steering Group. It is important to note that these recommendations do not imply a priori characterization of donation programs as positive or negative but rather make a pragmatic judgment on the current viability of the Global Fund as an implementing vehicle for product and service donations. The Board agrees the following:
(a) The Board recognizes the added value of service donations to the Secretariat and the potential added value of Global Fund grant recipients receiving service donations.
(b) The Board therefore requests the Secretariat, under the oversight of the Finance and Audit Committee and with input from the Ethics Committee, to develop guidelines for the acceptance of service donations by the secretariat and for the facilitation by the secretariat of service donations to Global Fund grant recipients. The Board requests the Secretariat to report on the development of such guidelines at the Nineteenth Board Meeting, and to report annually thereafter an itemized list of such donations received by the Secretariat.
(c) The Global Fund should not, under current conditions, accept in-kind donations of health products. The Board may re-consider this position after the Voluntary Pooled Procurement Mechanism (VPP) has operated for at least two years and sufficient evidence is available to evaluate whether the addition of a donation component to the VPP is practical, feasible and appropriate.
(d) Key considerations in undertaking any review regarding donations of health products would include: Global Fund recipients' views regarding such donations; changes in market conditions in key relevant health product categories; and consequent potential market impact of such donations.
(e) The Global Fund should not accept in-kind donations of non-health products until adequate information is available to assess the implications of doing so. The Board asks the Secretariat to gather such information and to report on progress made at the Nineteenth Board Meeting.
The budgetary implications of this decision are $200,000. (This cost will be covered by the budget contingency.)