Global Financing Facility update: January 2016
The GFF learning meeting held in Nairobi from 16-18 November was a chance for a wide range of stake-holders from the national, regional and global level to come together and share ideas and lessons learned relating to the implementation of the GFF (see meeting report and summary).
It was an important step in strengthening understanding of the three key elements of the GFF – reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) country platforms, investment cases and health financing strategies, thus helping to move them from the conceptual to the practical.
The meeting ended with each country committing to follow-up actions (summarised in the meeting report). An update of country progress can also be found in the December update letter from the Investor’s Group chair.
A civil society organisation (CSO) pre-meeting was held on the 14th November to exchange ideas about meaningful civil society (CS) engagement in GFF processes (see meeting summary). The meeting identified the need for a more systematic CS engagement in the GFF. A number of recommendations to address this were taken forward to the GFF learning meeting.
The meeting called for the adoption of minimum standards for improved inclusiveness and transparency in GFF country platforms (adapted from the recommendations developed by Africa Health Budget Network - AHBN - and PAI). The meeting further called for improved access to information on GFF, including through an interactive CS website. There was also a call for the establishment of a CS coordination group to align efforts around GFF at the global, regional and national level.
A debrief webinar was developed by GHC to summarise these two meetings. Speakers include Joanne Carter and Mesfin Teklu as CSO representatives on the GFF investors group as well as Monique Vledder from the World Bank.
On 7th and 8th of December 38 representatives from different CSOs and development agencies gathered in Montreux to work on how to better harmonise advocacy on universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals targets for health at the country level.
A workplan was developed and 15 participants put themselves forward to be part of the steering committee to oversee its implementation (see terms of reference). The group will meet again during the next World Health Assembly in May.
On January 14th USAID hosted a one day workshop in Washington on Civil Society Engagement: A Workshop to Advance a Common Frame of Action (see background note).
The meeting aimed to begin the discussion of how to align the efforts of partners such as GAVI, PMNCH, GFF and FP2020 who all support CS engagement at the country level. A proposed framework for CS engagement was developed emphasising the importance of working collaboratively across these different platforms.
The next day, a smaller group of stakeholders came together for a GFF CSO Coordination Group Meeting.
This meeting took forward some of the civil society asks from November to agree specific action points: PMNCH will draft proposed terms of reference for the CSO coordination group and subject to its approval by meeting participants will set up the group; a small advocacy working group will be set up to advocate for the adoption of the minimum standards; PAI will develop a draft work plan for strengthening civil society engagement at the country level; and to promote enhanced communication on GFF, PMNCH will support the development of a CS specific website on GFF and PMNCH and GHC will host regular webinars with IG civil society representatives.
What to watch out for…
The 2nd Investors Group meeting will be held in London on the 17th and 18th February 2016. Joanne and Mesfin, as CS representatives, will submit the proposed minimum standards with a request that they are formally included as part of the operational documents on GFF. A draft scorecard to track adherence to this, which has been developed by AHBN, will also be shared for approval.
For those of you who are going to ICFP in Bali next week you might want to go along to the panel on Making the Global Financing Facility Work for Family Planning: A Primer. You will hear presentations from the World Bank, USAID as well as country representatives.Finally, you can sign up to the GHC mailing list here to receive details of upcoming webinars. The next one is scheduled for 11th February 2016.
