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Available Funding
We start with a piece of very good news: a financial forecast by the Global Fund surprised everyone by finding that about $1.6 billion in additional funding will be available in the 2012-14 period for investment in projects that save lives. There were many factors that piled up on the plus side of the ledger, but most of the reasons grew out of tough choices that the Board made last year. A back-to-basics approach, focusing on the core business of managing grants, with common sense management, has created a situation where good things happen. Many of our friends noticed. Some got more generous. Others found they could speed up existing plans to make a donation. Still others jumped in for the first time. What the new forecast means is that in addition to the $616 million in funding for existing programs, known in Global Fund-speak as the 'Transitional Funding Mechanism,' there is another billion dollars for new grants. This has no effect on the $7 billion in grants that were already approved and scheduled to be disbursed over the next 18 months or so. But it means we can now help fund new projects that are designed to meet the most pressing need for service. Our mission statement sums it up best: We are investing the world's money, to save lives.
Transformation in 90 Days
Gabriel Jaramillo, who became General Manager in February, 2012, reported to the Board of the Global Fund at its meeting today about the transformation he has led in his 90 days on the job. The place is not really the same as it was before he arrived. A full 245 jobs were eliminated. And 189 new positions were created, almost all in grant management. Net-net, it's only an 8 percent drop. But inside the building, it felt like an earthquake. Now that the aftershocks have died down, the change is evident. It's all about grant management. The division reset its priorities, with three 'High Impact' teams that concentrate on the countries with most of the disease burden, meaning the ones that require the most intensive work. Two other teams concentrate on smaller countries so every region gets the attention it needs. A reorganization like this can create more cohesion, by breaking down internal barriers. Plus, new executive committees make for better oversight and course correction. Jaramillo's approach is that common sense rules.
Monitoring & Evaluation System Country Profile Tool
About a year ago, Monitoring & Evaluation Country Profiles were approved as a mechanism for reviewing M&E capacities at the time of grant negotiation to identify M&E risks, and to follow-up on risk mitigation measures. The Tool is designed to provide comprehensive and strategic information and has three parts: National M&E System - Health Sector; National M&E System - Disease program; and Principal Recipient M&E processes and capacity. M&E country profiles are completed by the Local Fund Agent (LFA) based on a review of relevant M&E documents, in consultation with in country partners.
Still reading this far? You must need to know more. A complete set of information about the M&E System Country Profile Tool is available on our website at: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/me/documents/countryprofiletool/
Profile: Cees Klumper
One of the newest staff members at the Global Fund is Cees Klumper, who became Chief Risk Officer on 16 April 2012. This is a newly-created position that will achieve one of the new goals at the organization, to more fully embed the risk management function at the organization. Unexpected things happen every day, and anticipating potential problems and taking quick action when they appear on the horizon is essential. Cees, whose first name is pronounced 'CASE,' is a financial expert who trained as an auditor and has seen and taken part in transforming financial controls in particularly challenging conditions. "I've been impressed with the speed and quality of the changes being implemented," Cees said when we asked him about his first weeks at the Global Fund. Cees is a problem solver by nature. It's not a hard prediction to say that he will likely have plenty to keep him busy in his new job. Cees's last position was Director of Internal Audit at the GAVI Alliance. Cees is a native of the Netherlands. He is a Dutch Chartered Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor, and also holds a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University.
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