France Expertise International (FEI) has announced the results of two calls for proposals under France’s 5% initiative. France sets aside 5% of its contribution to the Global Fund for the provision of technical support for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes financed by the Fund. (The US does something similar.) Fifty-one countries are eligible. The 5% initiative has a budget of € 18 million each year for the period 2011–2013. From the latest calls for proposals, 14 projects have been “pre-selected.” Eight of the projects are related to governance; the other six are related to procurement and supply management (PSM). “Pre-selected” means that final decisions on funding for these projects will be made only after negotiations with the applicants. The total budget for the two calls is up to € 11 million. One of the governance projects selected will involve, among other things, strengthening and expanding community-based monitoring and advocacy for the implementation of Global Fund grants to Benin and Niger. Technical support will be provided to CeRADIS (Centre for Reflection on Actions for Joint Development and Solidarity), MVS (Mieux Vivre avec le Sida) and Lasdel (Laboratoire d'Etudes et de Recherche sur les Dynamiques Sociales et le Développement Local). Another governance project will involve supporting the implementation of a treatment access watch initiative to monitor access to health care in Cameroon, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo. Technical support will be provided to Positive-Generation, Fondation Femmes Plus and ANJFAS (National Association of Active Young Women for Solidarity). One of the PSM projects will involve strengthening the quality assurance systems of eleven procurement agencies to ensure compliance with the Global Fund’s quality assurance policy. The agencies are all members of the Association of African Central Procurement Agencies for Essential Medicines (ACAME). The countries involved are Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, Senegal and Chad. Another PSM project will focus on strengthening mechanisms to secure the medicine supply chain in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea. This is part of the fight against fake medicines. Technical support will be provided to PAH (Pharmacy & Humanitarian Aid), UEMOA (Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine), ReMeD (Réseau Medicaments de Développement) and CIOPF (Conférence International des Ordres de Pharmaciens Francophones).
A full list of the selected projects is available on the website of the 5% initiative here. GFO reported on the launch of the 5% initiative here.