Global Fund - a view from an NGO's perspective (3)
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Dear List Colleagues
The Global Fund can be a very important funding mechanism for the
health and HIV-AIDS crisis in Africa, and around the world. But it
may well turn out to be another well intentioned UN initiative that
does very little relative to the potential.
I think Dare Lola got it right in saying "The CCMs are indeed far
away from these primary beneficiaries" and indeed most of the offi-
cial development assistance (ODA) community is far removed from real
results for beneficiaries. Bluntly put, beneficiaries are a good way
of justifying projects..... especially studies and workshops and con-
ferences, and indeed fund raising. Beneficiaries are a real problem
when it comes to using limited money for the best possible purpose.
There just absolutely has to be a new excellence in accounting and
accountability so that money going to beneficiaries is documented....
as well as money NOT GOING TO BENEFICIARIES. My hope and expectation
is that when ordinary people in both the NORTH and the SOUTH realise
just how the money gets spent, they will be a powerful force for
pushing change.
The GFATM is being pushed more and more in the direction of being a
UN process dominated by ineffective procedures that limit perform-
ance. Our organization has a prototype accounting system in develop-
ment that could be used almost universally to bring accountability to
development, and especially in the area of health and HIV-AIDS. The
system can help both the GFATM as a funding agency and the NGOs and
Governments and others who are charged with using the resources and
doing this in the best possible way.
The health and HIV-AIDS crisis will not go away. The best we can do
should be done as fast as possible. Getting accounting and account-
ability into the process is a step, but it should be done to enhance
performance..... not to stop performance.
Enough.
Sincerely,
T. Peter Burgess
VP and CFO ATCnet
New York, USA
Tel: +1-212-772-6918
Fax: +1-707-371-7805
mailto:profitinafrica@aol.com
mailto:hivaidsstories@aol.com
http://www.atcnet.org
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