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Board Decisions

GF/B43/EDP12

Approved by the Board on: 30 September 2020

Extension of C19RM Timeline and Operational Flexibility for COVID-19

The Board agrees that COVID-19 continues to pose a grave threat to the Global Fund’s mission to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria and strengthen systems for health, and that continued support for country responses to COVID-19 is critical to safeguard Global Fund programs and country health systems. The Board acknowledges its previous decisions establishing the Global Fund COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) to provide additional support for country responses to COVID-19 (GF/B42/EDP11), and approving certain time-bound operational flexibilities to ensure the continued delivery of the Global Fund mission during the pandemic (GF/B42/EDP10). Noting that COVID-19 continues to jeopardize country health systems and impede progress in the Global Fund’s mission, and that additional funds may become available for C19RM, the Board:

  1. Approves that the Secretariat may approve requests for C19RM funds through 15 April 2021;
  2. Affirms that all other previously approved principles under GF/B42/EDP11 will continue to apply to C19RM;
  3. Requests the Secretariat to return to the Board, through its Committees as relevant, for additional consideration and approval should further extensions of C19RM be required as the pandemic continues to evolve, or if total additional funding for C19RM exceeds USD 500 million; and
  4. Approves that the operational flexibility under paragraph 3 of GF/B42/EDP10, delegating authority to the Secretariat to grant limited exceptions to the Quality Assurance Policies to waive the requirement for pre-shipment sampling and testing for Expert Review Panel-approved products, vector control products, and condoms, where such testing may delay the delivery of products to countries, will apply through 15 April 2021.

Budgetary Implications

Budgetary implications (included in, or additional to, OPEX budget): Incremental OPEX costs directly attributable to the proposed extension of C19RM will amount to around USD 1.5 million, depending to some extent on the quantum of incremental funds deployed over the period. These costs will be included in the OPEX budget submission for 2021. This is on top of approximately USD 2.4 million of incremental costs in 2021 attributable to C19RM and grant flexibility approvals already made.