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Partnership with the Global Fund

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UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund makes a powerful contribution to Agenda 2030 and the commitment to ‘leave no one behind’.

UNDP partners with the Global Fund to support and strengthen national responses to HIV, Tuberculosis and malaria, supporting countries to implement large-scale health programmes — including reaching some of the most hard-to-reach populations and strengthening institutions to deliver essential services in challenging and high-risk country contexts.

The objective is to ensure access to quality health services for all, to and enable all those living or affected by the diseases to live healthy, productive lives. The partnership leverages UNDP’s mandate to strengthen institutions to deliver universal access to basic services and to rebuild resilient health services in crisis and post-crisis settings.

UNDP as the Interim Principal Recipient

UNDP is requested to serve as the Global Fund’s Interim Principal Recipient (PR) in countries facing a wide variety of special challenges. These can include serious capacity constraints, post-crisis or complex emergencies, weak governance and accountability, or other exceptional circumstances.
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UNDP only serves as an Interim PR when the Global Fund has determined that a national entity cannot currently fulfil this role. UNDP helps these countries to access Global Fund resources, to make the money work, to manage the risks, and achieve significant health outcomes, all the while building national capacity to ensure sustainability of Global Fund programmes.

As of March 2018, as interim Principal Recipient of Global Fund grants, UNDP manages 31 grants in 18 countries, and three regional programmes (covering 27 countries), with a total portfolio value of US$ 950 million.

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As of March 2018, as interim Principal Recipient of Global Fund grants, UNDP manages 31 grants in 18 countries, and three regional programmes (covering 27 countries), with a total portfolio value of US$ 950 million.

Results of the Partnership

The results of UNDP’s health implementation support under the Global Fund partnership are impressive, not only in terms of health outcomes but also with clear impact on the ability of and individuals to live full and productive lives, support their family, expand their choices, contribute to their communities, in turn generating broader socio-economic benefits for entire countries and regions.
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UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund has helped save 3.1 million lives to date. Zimbabwe recently reached 1 million people on HIV treatment, a remarkable milestone and achievement in a challenging context, with clear and measurable impact: the decline of life expectancy in Zimbabwe, has been reversed and increased to 60 or 63 years for men and women in 2016. In addressing epidemics of malaria and TB, UNDP in partnership has distributed 57 million bed nets to prevent malaria and tested and treated 850,000 cases of malaria.

View all UNDP Results

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Developing national capacity

Whilst acting as the Interim PR UNDP develops national capacity and strengthens national systems with the aim of transferring the role of PR to national entities when circumstances permit.
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  • UNDP also provides policy and technical support in areas of UNDP expertise and mandate, such as human rights and gender equality, sustainable financing and environmental sustainability, and reaching key populations at higher risk.
  • This includes environmental sustainability, through innovative initiatives that embed sustainability into procurement practices and promote the use of clean energy, while also reducing the carbon footprint of health facilities and enhancing their ability to withstand the effects of climate change.
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The UNDP-Global Fund Partnership Going Forward

Promote country ownership of Global Fund programmes

UNDP supports countries in helping to align their Global Fund applications to national disease and health strategies, but also more broadly in national development and poverty reduction strategies. It also engages countries in a strategic dialogue about sustainable financing of health programmes, especially middle-income countries where Global Fund support will be phasing out.

Critical implementation support in crisis countries and fragile states

Over the years of its partnership with the Global Fund, UNDP has become a leader in implementing health programmes in the most difficult crisis contexts and conflict affected countries.
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As of July 2016 UNDP was managing Global Fund grants in Iraq, Mali, Syria, South Sudan, and other crisis countries. UNDP has recently become the Principal Recipient for new malaria, TB, HIV and health systems strengthening grants in Afghanistan. In Iraq and Syria UNDP is able to reach TB patients in Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)-controlled and other contested areas. Under the Global Fund ‘Development Continuum Working Group’, UNDP chaired a sub-working group focusing on operating in challenging environments. UNDP also supported governments in Ebola-affected countries in adjusting their Global Fund programmes. UNDP connects the Global Fund work with its early recovery mandate in crisis and post-crisis countries.
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Capacity development, resilient systems for health and sustainability

The Global Fund is increasingly paying attention to the importance of building national resilient systems for health to ensure the sustainability of their investments into the three diseases. UNDP contributes experience and expertise developed while developing stronger national systems in multiple countries.

Increased emphasis on human rights, gender, and key populations

In line with its current strategy, the Global Fund is accelerating its efforts to operationalize its commitments on human rights, gender and reaching key populations. UNDP is supporting the Global Fund to translate those commitments at programme level. In addition, UNDP continues to leverage its role as Principal Recipient to advocate for the removal of barriers for Key Populations to access services.

Procurement for Health

UNDP provides procurement services, combined with capacity development support, for countries with Global Fund grants that are not managed by UNDP.