E-DRUG: Report 19th UNITAID Board meeting, Civil Society delegations to UNITAID Board
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Brief Report on 19th UNITAID Executive Board Meeting
12 to 13 December 2013, Geneva
The Civil Society delegations to the UNITAID Board (representing Communities affected by HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, and NGOs working on the global response to the three diseases) attended the 19th meeting of the UNITAID Executive Board in Geneva on 12 and 13 December 2013.
Key decisions made at the 19th UNITAID Board meeting included:
Funding decisions on:
- Phase 2 of a CHAI-UNICEF project:
- Accelerating Access to Innovative Point-of-Care HIV Diagnostics
- Continued support for CHAI's provision of paediatric anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs), for countries which have not yet transitioned away from UNITAID support.
- An additional CHAI project to continue to coordinate demand in the paediatric ARVs market, and to launch a warehouse of high supply-risk products.
- Ongoing support to the WHO Pre-Qualification Programme, for medicines and diagnostics
- Ongoing support to the Global Drug Facility's Strategic Rotating Stockpile for MDR-TB treatments, ahead of its transition into a broader rapid supply mechanism managed by the Global Fund.
Resolutions from the Board meeting are available at
http://www.unitaid.eu/en/how/gov/resolutions/9-uncategorised/1303-eb19-resolutions
In addition, feedback was given on a UNITAID: civil society consultation held on December 9th, and the multi-agency initiative looking at tiered pricing of medicines in middle-income countries (spearheaded by the Global Fund) was discussed both by the Board, and with the Global Fund's Executive Director.
A full report on the discussions and outcomes at the 19th UNITAID Board meeting is available from the Civil Society delegations' Liaison Officer, to all members of the Civil Society delegations' Contact Group.
Any representative of a Community affected by HIV/AIDS, TB or malaria, or of an NGO working to fight the three diseases, may join the Civil Society delegations' to UNITAID Contact Group. Please contact the delegations' Liaison Officer Jessica Hamer (jhamer@oxfam.org.uk) in order to join the Contact Group, and receive a copy of the full delegations' report.
What is UNITAID?
UNITAID is an innovative global health initiative that uses its long-term sustainable funding to support projects that positively impact the market for medicines, diagnostics and other health products for HIV-related disease, TB and malaria in developing countries. UNITAID raises money through a combination of levies on airline tickets and long-term government funding. UNITAID also encourages innovation to ensure medicines are available in formulations and combinations that are best suited to the target populations and treatment conditions in developing countries.
What are the Civil Society Delegations?
The UNITAID Board has 12 seats, including one seat for communities affected by HIV, TB or malaria, and another seat for NGOs involved in the global fight against these diseases. Each board seat allows for one board and one alternate board member at the table. Together, the Communities and NGOs delegates to the UNITAID Board form the Civil Society Delegations. Communities and NGOs Board Members choose to work together a great deal but constitute two distinct delegations, each with its own voice and strengths.
Jessica Hamer | Liaison Officer, Civil Society Delegations to UNITAID Board
+44 (0)1865 473508 | +44 (0) 7879 474766 | skype: jessica.hamer
www.facebook.com/CSDelegationstoUNITAIDBoard
Jessica Hamer <JHamer@oxfam.org.uk>