Call to Action on the New Funding Model
In November 2011, the Global Fund Board decided on a new and exciting Strategy for 2012-2016. If fully funded and well implemented, this strategy will fundamentally change the course of the epidemics.
The Board also agreed to introduce a “new funding model” – representing a change in the way countries would apply for Global Fund financing. The new funding model is not designed yet—but the Board agreed that it should be a more streamlined and flexible approach, and should include dialogue between countries and the Global Fund to improve the quality of proposals. The new funding model should also allow countries better preparation for implementation and multiple opportunities in a year to request funding.
Civil society has been lobbying for this new funding model to be designed in the right way—at the same time we have been demanding a pledging opportunity in 2012, in order to reverse the damage to scale up efforts countries are facing as a result of the decision to cancel Round 11.
There are troubling signs that the Global Fund is considering a model that includes pre-determined funding allocations for countries. We believe that this is a mistake and would severely undermine core principles that have distinguished the Global Fund as an innovative donor over the last decade. Country allocations would turn into “caps” that would quash informed demand and unmet need from countries, would undermine proposal quality, would fail to reward ambition and success, and would weaken urgently needed resource mobilization efforts.
Call on the Global Fund Board:
Soon, the Global Fund Board will begin the process of deciding how to shape this new funding model and how it will invest additional funds raised as a result of the new pledging opportunity. This letter calls on the Board to develop a new funding model that:
- Rejects pre-set country funding allocations or ‘funding envelopes’ as they will work as a ceiling or cap and quash well-informed, full expressions of country demand.
- Allows for high quality demand to be identified and aggregated in a queue if funding is temporarily insufficient.
- Develops a more flexible resource mobilization strategy that can provide predictable and sufficient funding opportunities.
- Applies characteristics of the new funding model also to investments for any additional pledging in 2012 or 2013.
The final letter, signed by 56 organizations worldwide, was sent to the Global Fund Board in May 2012.