Hivos’ Global Fund Technical Assistance Workshop

May 26, 2015

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) has selected Hivos as a preferred organisation to provide Technical Assistance (TA) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). TA aims to ensure that all those who are affected by the three diseases play a meaningful role in GFATM processes, and that these barriers are effectively addressed in grants. TA recipients may include civil society organisations; their networks – the Country Coordinating Mechanisms ( CCMs) that coordinate the development and submission of national proposals. Areas of assistance may include country dialogues and development of concept notes with a specific focus on: 1) Community Involvement; 2) Human rights; 3) Gender & Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).

Hivos is involved in the Global Fund processes in many ways: as Principal Recipient (PR) in Bolivia, Guatemala and for the multi-country programme in South East Asia, ISEAN. Recently, a PR contract for the Costa Rica has been signed and activities are planned to start this summer.

In order to meet the expectations of the Global Fund and communities involved, Hivos has constituted a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF), a global team of five staff members with relevant GFATM and TA experience, working from headquarters and regional offices. In order to prepare the TAF team for the tasks ahead, a workshop was organised in The Hague from 21 to 23 April 2015.

The workshop approach built on the collective experience of the TAF team members and emphasised adult learning, sharing of relevant experience and knowledge exchange.  The team met with Lambert Grijns, SRHR and HIV and AIDS Ambassador of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and board member of the Global Fund) to introduce itself and explain the Hivos TAF plans.

Lambert congratulated Hivos as one of the few organisations “that hasn’t left LAC and who is consistently incorporating the LGBT, sexual violence and inequality agendas”. He informed the team that Foreign Minister Koenders and Deputy Director General Reina Buys will both visit Central America this year, which provides an opportunity to share Hivos’ experiences. 

The TAF team will convene again later this year for a follow-up to further discuss and prepare for this new role.