The Asia-Pacific Regional Platform on CRG (APCRG) has developed a Community Starter Kit on the Global Fund and Community, Rights and Gender (CRG).
This tool is designed to support civil society organisations, community groups, and key population networks to engage in Global Fund processes more effectively, and to promote the inclusion of interventions for key populations, human rights, and gender equality in HIV, TB, and malaria programmes. This is accessible here
The Community Starter Kit contains the following:
- An explainer of the different features of the Global Fund as a health-financing institution, from its performance-based mechanism to the new ‘differentiation’ framework;
- A walkthrough of the funding process, which includes the latest evolution in the funding model and a community guide to advocate for programmes for key population, human rights, and gender equality;
- A list of various in-country Global Fund stakeholders that should be engaged to promote programmes for key population, human rights, and gender equality;
- A set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Country Coordinating Mechanism, or CCM, on its mandate as the main in-country governance body for Global Fund grants, composition, and the CCM eligibility requirements and minimum standards to access Global Fund support;
- A “Community, Rights, and Gender (CRG) 101” that explains the importance of programmes for key populations, human rights, and gender equality in HIV, TB, or malaria responses, and how CRG priorities can be supported in Global Fund programmes;
- A CRG Needs Assessment tool that community and key population advocates can use to identify and develop their CRG priorities, which can be used to engage in country dialogues and in other Global Fund processes.
A few urgent reminders for advocates from civil society, communities, key populations:
- Know the dates of your country dialogues. CCMs are expected to organise country dialogues soon to prepare their funding requests. These country dialogues are open and transparent processes where community groups and key population networks can participate in and engage to influence disease programmes. If you want to participate, contact your CCM secretariat (in the Asia Pacific Region).
- Prepare for the country dialogues and other Global Fund engagements. Within your disease priorities, reach out to other community groups and try to develop consensus on your issues and priorities for your Global Fund engagements.
- Coordinate with your CCM secretariat to know how much budget is allocated for each of the diseases, and what kind of application approach is being recommended for your priority disease. This will determine what application materials that will be submitted by the CCM.
- Assess what kind of support you need to be able to engage effectively in Global Fund processes, and check out with your CCM secretariat and/or technical partners like UNAIDS or WHO if they can help support for your technical assistance needs. Note that the Global Fund has its own CRG Technical Assistance Programme – read here to see if your group is eligible to apply for this programme.
Contact APCRG with questions or suggestions. The APCRG, hosted by APCASO is a communications and coordination platform for civil society groups, key population networks, non-governmental and community-based organisations responding to HIV, TB, and malaria.