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Updated August 23, 2011 14:35:32
One of the world's biggest aid providers says the sovereign debt crises across North Atlantic economies are jeopardising fundraising capacity for crucial development and public health work.
The Global Fund is certainly a big player - in 2009, it provided 21 per cent of international public HIV funding and 65 per cent of international funding for both tuberculosis and malaria.
So far this year, donors have pledged almost $US12 billion but the Global Fund says this is not enough to meet millennium development goal targets relating to HIV, TB and malaria.
Presenter: Liam Cochrane
Speaker: Dr Christophe Benn, Geneva-based director of external relations for the Global Fund
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Roll Back Malaria Progress & Impact
Investing in malaria control pays off
Involvement in the fight against malaria helped build these companies' reputations for social responsibility and good corporate citizenship. It also had a significant leveragig effect. These companies used their diverse competencies and infrastructure to attract partners and resources, securing funding from external donors and jumpstarting scale-up interventions that otherwise would not have taken place.
Strong models now exist for the involvement of the private sector in malaria control:
•Three companies in Zambia 3 Mopani Copper Mines, Konkola Copper Mines, and Zambia Sugar—have made dramatic progress in a ten-year period. The number of malaria cases in company clinics dropped 94%, from 27 925 per year to 1631 and the number of malaria-related lost work days also dropped 94%, from 19 392 per year to 1133 (see Figure 1).
•In 2004, in the Ghanaian community of Obuasi, gold producer AngloGold Ashanti was seeing as many as 6800 malaria patients per month at the company's hospital, out of a total workforce of 8000 people. AngloGold partnered with Ghana's National Malaria Control Programme, among others, to implement indoor residual spraying, distribution of bednets, and rapid diagnosis and treatment. By 2009, only 1100 patients were visiting the hospital each month and monthly malaria medication costs at the company had fallen from US$ 550 000 to US$ 9800.
•In Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, Marathon Oil partnered with business partners and the Guinean Government to develop a five-year US$ 15.8 million initiative that increased the percentage of young children protected by bednets or indoor spraying of insecticides from 4% to 95% and reduced malaria parasite prevalence in children by 57% in just four years. The project, which won several high-profile awards for social responsibility and good citizenship, was extended through 2013 to develop local capacity and enable the programme to reach the mainland.
•During the first two years aluminum smelter BHP Billiton was operating in Mozambique, the company reported 6000 malaria cases, 300 medical evacuations, 13 fatalities, and incurred US$ 2.7 million in malaria costs while it was being built. The company partnered with the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative to help reduce malaria infections from 625 cases per 1000 population to fewer than 200 cases per 1000 in the Maputo Province of Mozambique. In addition to savings from absenteeism and health care costs averted, the initiative's success helped secure two grants totalling US$ 47 million from the Global Fund for regional control of malaria.
Malaria control is a cost-effective business investment that offers a rapid rate of return. Both small and large businesses have proven to be critical contributors in the fight against the malaria, whether they work independently or partner with national governments. Supporting malaria control is a contribution that the private sector can and should make; strengthening their businesses while savings lives.
Involvement in the fight against malaria helped build these companies' reputations for social responsibility and good corporate citizenship. It also had a significant leveragig effect. These companies used their diverse competencies and infrastructure to attract partners and resources, securing funding from external donors and jumpstarting scale-up interventions that otherwise would not have taken place.
Strong models now exist for the involvement of the private sector in malaria control:
•Three companies in Zambia 3 Mopani Copper Mines, Konkola Copper Mines, and Zambia Sugar—have made dramatic progress in a ten-year period. The number of malaria cases in company clinics dropped 94%, from 27 925 per year to 1631 and the number of malaria-related lost work days also dropped 94%, from 19 392 per year to 1133 (see Figure 1).
•In 2004, in the Ghanaian community of Obuasi, gold producer AngloGold Ashanti was seeing as many as 6800 malaria patients per month at the company's hospital, out of a total workforce of 8000 people. AngloGold partnered with Ghana's National Malaria Control Programme, among others, to implement indoor residual spraying, distribution of bednets, and rapid diagnosis and treatment. By 2009, only 1100 patients were visiting the hospital each month and monthly malaria medication costs at the company had fallen from US$ 550 000 to US$ 9800.
•In Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, Marathon Oil partnered with business partners and the Guinean Government to develop a five-year US$ 15.8 million initiative that increased the percentage of young children protected by bednets or indoor spraying of insecticides from 4% to 95% and reduced malaria parasite prevalence in children by 57% in just four years. The project, which won several high-profile awards for social responsibility and good citizenship, was extended through 2013 to develop local capacity and enable the programme to reach the mainland.
•During the first two years aluminum smelter BHP Billiton was operating in Mozambique, the company reported 6000 malaria cases, 300 medical evacuations, 13 fatalities, and incurred US$ 2.7 million in malaria costs while it was being built. The company partnered with the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative to help reduce malaria infections from 625 cases per 1000 population to fewer than 200 cases per 1000 in the Maputo Province of Mozambique. In addition to savings from absenteeism and health care costs averted, the initiative's success helped secure two grants totalling US$ 47 million from the Global Fund for regional control of malaria.
Malaria control is a cost-effective business investment that offers a rapid rate of return. Both small and large businesses have proven to be critical contributors in the fight against the malaria, whether they work independently or partner with national governments. Supporting malaria control is a contribution that the private sector can and should make; strengthening their businesses while savings lives.
Innovative low-cost approach to health care service delivery in India
Revolutionising healthcare for the poorAn Indian doctor's mission to deliver low-cost hospitals could revolutionise the provision of healthcare in poorer countries
Rosalind Miller
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 12.00 GMT
Shetty's vision of low-cost healthcare is not confined to his native country. He believes African healthcare systems need new mechanisms to deliver better care. When he has established his model in India, he plans to take both the model and his expertise to Africa.
"In India, we have hope because we produce the largest number of doctors and nurses in the world," he says. "We have a built-in capacity to make medicine for the whole world. Our only missing link is the capacity to pay for the healthcare. With micro-health insurance taking off on a large-scale, that will be addressed. But when we look at African countries, they don't have medical or nursing colleges, so I strongly believe that the western world has to create institutions in Africa rather than giving them money. They should create institutions to train staff and build hospitals... that will be a long-lasting solution to the healthcare issues.'"
Shetty is searching for a local partner and a co-operative government in Africa to undertake a largescale project of this nature. Narayana Hrudayalaya is involved in India's flagship information technology initiative – the Pan-African e-Network Project. This partnership between the Indian and African governments, and private institutions, allows specialists at his hospitals to share their expertise with doctors in Africa through video-conferencing.
Revolutionising healthcare for the poorAn Indian doctor's mission to deliver low-cost hospitals could revolutionise the provision of healthcare in poorer countries
Rosalind Miller
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 12.00 GMT
Shetty's vision of low-cost healthcare is not confined to his native country. He believes African healthcare systems need new mechanisms to deliver better care. When he has established his model in India, he plans to take both the model and his expertise to Africa.
"In India, we have hope because we produce the largest number of doctors and nurses in the world," he says. "We have a built-in capacity to make medicine for the whole world. Our only missing link is the capacity to pay for the healthcare. With micro-health insurance taking off on a large-scale, that will be addressed. But when we look at African countries, they don't have medical or nursing colleges, so I strongly believe that the western world has to create institutions in Africa rather than giving them money. They should create institutions to train staff and build hospitals... that will be a long-lasting solution to the healthcare issues.'"
Shetty is searching for a local partner and a co-operative government in Africa to undertake a largescale project of this nature. Narayana Hrudayalaya is involved in India's flagship information technology initiative – the Pan-African e-Network Project. This partnership between the Indian and African governments, and private institutions, allows specialists at his hospitals to share their expertise with doctors in Africa through video-conferencing.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Fee under assistance instruments
Pursuant to 22 CFR 226.81 it is USAID's policy not to award fee to for profits under assistance instruments, such as grants or cooperative agreements.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Feed the Future Focus Countries
Feed the Future Focus Countries
We are prioritize and concentrating our efforts and resources on Focus Counties where the Feed the Future principles can best be realized in practice. Those principles were first articulated at the G8 summit in L'Aquila and endorsed unanimously as the Rome Principles for Sustainable Food Security. The principles are as follows:
--Invest in country-owned plans that support results-based programs and partnerships, so that assistance is tailored to the needs of individual countries through consultative processes and plans that are developed and led by country governments
--Strengthen strategic coordination to mobilize and align the resources of the diverse partners and stakeholders - including the private sector and civil society - that are needed to achieve our common objectives
--Ensure a comprehensive approach that accelerates inclusive agricultural-led growth and improves nutrition, while also bridging humanitarian relief and sustainable development efforts
--Leverage the benefits of multilateral institutions so that priorities and approaches are aligned, investments are coordinated, and financial and technical assistance gaps are filled
--Deliver on sustained and accountable commitments, phasing-in investments responsibly to ensure returns, using benchmarks and targets to measure progress toward shared goals, and holding ourselves and other stakeholders publicly accountable for achieving results.
Focus Countries are selected based on five factors related to the needs and opportunities for fulfilling the Feed the Future principles: Level of need, opportunity for partnership, potential for agricultural-led growth, opportunity for regional synergies, and resource availability. For a more detailed explanation please see the Feed the Future Guide. Potential and selected focus counties must demonstrate that they will follow the Feed the Future Principles by producing documents detailing how they will implement their programs.
We will continue to provide assistance for agricultural development to some other counties where the overall political and investment environment may not be conducive for a major scale-up in investments, or where other donors are playing a major role in food security. In these counties, we commit to align our programs with our objectives and to invest according to Feed the Future principles to the extent possible.
To read more about Focus Countries in general please read the Country Fact Sheets LINK.
We are prioritize and concentrating our efforts and resources on Focus Counties where the Feed the Future principles can best be realized in practice. Those principles were first articulated at the G8 summit in L'Aquila and endorsed unanimously as the Rome Principles for Sustainable Food Security. The principles are as follows:
--Invest in country-owned plans that support results-based programs and partnerships, so that assistance is tailored to the needs of individual countries through consultative processes and plans that are developed and led by country governments
--Strengthen strategic coordination to mobilize and align the resources of the diverse partners and stakeholders - including the private sector and civil society - that are needed to achieve our common objectives
--Ensure a comprehensive approach that accelerates inclusive agricultural-led growth and improves nutrition, while also bridging humanitarian relief and sustainable development efforts
--Leverage the benefits of multilateral institutions so that priorities and approaches are aligned, investments are coordinated, and financial and technical assistance gaps are filled
--Deliver on sustained and accountable commitments, phasing-in investments responsibly to ensure returns, using benchmarks and targets to measure progress toward shared goals, and holding ourselves and other stakeholders publicly accountable for achieving results.
Focus Countries are selected based on five factors related to the needs and opportunities for fulfilling the Feed the Future principles: Level of need, opportunity for partnership, potential for agricultural-led growth, opportunity for regional synergies, and resource availability. For a more detailed explanation please see the Feed the Future Guide. Potential and selected focus counties must demonstrate that they will follow the Feed the Future Principles by producing documents detailing how they will implement their programs.
We will continue to provide assistance for agricultural development to some other counties where the overall political and investment environment may not be conducive for a major scale-up in investments, or where other donors are playing a major role in food security. In these counties, we commit to align our programs with our objectives and to invest according to Feed the Future principles to the extent possible.
To read more about Focus Countries in general please read the Country Fact Sheets LINK.
Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III RFA
USAID has released a draft for comments for the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III RFA, this draft (enclosed) gives the industry and new partners a chance to comment on how well USAID is including Implementation and Procurement Reform (IPR) objectives.
Please note that this is not a formal Request for Applications and USAID is not accepting applications. Please also note that this posting does not commit the Government to any future RFA.
Please provide comments to Shanon Krause (skrause@usaid.gov) via email only by September 9, 2011. Any comments submitted after that date will not be received.
More information is available at this link to grants.gov
Please note that this is not a formal Request for Applications and USAID is not accepting applications. Please also note that this posting does not commit the Government to any future RFA.
Please provide comments to Shanon Krause (skrause@usaid.gov) via email only by September 9, 2011. Any comments submitted after that date will not be received.
More information is available at this link to grants.gov
OIG Financial Audit Guidelines
Any foreign nonprofit organization or subrecipient that expends $300,000 or more in USAID awards during its fiscal year has an annual audit conducted of those funds in accordance with the Guidelines for Financial Audits Contracted by Foreign Recipients, published by the Office of Inspector General.
Link to OIG
As stipulated by USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 591.3.2.1, subrecipients submit copies of their audits to the prime recipient for review as part of the prime recipient’s annual audit. If the audit firm conducting the annual audit determines that the subrecipient is not performing audits or that the audits are deficient or defective, the firm will include a recommendation in the prime recipient’s audit report to have the defective issues corrected.
Financial Audit Requirement Chart
Link to OIG
As stipulated by USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 591.3.2.1, subrecipients submit copies of their audits to the prime recipient for review as part of the prime recipient’s annual audit. If the audit firm conducting the annual audit determines that the subrecipient is not performing audits or that the audits are deficient or defective, the firm will include a recommendation in the prime recipient’s audit report to have the defective issues corrected.
Financial Audit Requirement Chart
AusAID's revised framework for foreign aid
The revised framework: “An Effective Aid Program for Australia Making a real difference—Delivering real results” was released last month.
Quick highlights include:
5 Strategic goals: saving lives, promoting opportunities for all, sustainable economic development, effective governance, and humanitarian and disaster response.
These goals are supported by 10 more specific objectives, which include public health through watsan; maternal/child access to health services; basic education; empowering women; food security (through ag productivity, infrastructure, social protection and opening markets); improving livelihoods (income, employment, entrepreneurship) of rural and urban poor, climate change, governance to deliver services, improve security, and human rights; and disaster preparedness.
Primary geographic focus: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Also increasing aid to South Asia and Africa and continuing to support international efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rolling 4-year whole-of-aid budgeting process
Involve more Australians in the aid program and improve links with Australian business
More assistance through host government systems and processes
Tailoring assistance to specific country requirements
Quick highlights include:
5 Strategic goals: saving lives, promoting opportunities for all, sustainable economic development, effective governance, and humanitarian and disaster response.
These goals are supported by 10 more specific objectives, which include public health through watsan; maternal/child access to health services; basic education; empowering women; food security (through ag productivity, infrastructure, social protection and opening markets); improving livelihoods (income, employment, entrepreneurship) of rural and urban poor, climate change, governance to deliver services, improve security, and human rights; and disaster preparedness.
Primary geographic focus: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
Also increasing aid to South Asia and Africa and continuing to support international efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rolling 4-year whole-of-aid budgeting process
Involve more Australians in the aid program and improve links with Australian business
More assistance through host government systems and processes
Tailoring assistance to specific country requirements
MyINPUT
MyINPUT®
Get the government market and procurement information you want quickly
MyINPUT allows you to personalize your INPUT experience. Set up your personal profile in just a few minutes to have a customized view of only the government market and procurement information important to you.
Benefits
•Stay on top of your territory with a one-stop view of all the information relevant to you
•Get a weekly e-mail update so you never miss important news
•Cut market research time to allow your team to focus on bringing in business
Get the government market and procurement information you want quickly
MyINPUT allows you to personalize your INPUT experience. Set up your personal profile in just a few minutes to have a customized view of only the government market and procurement information important to you.
Benefits
•Stay on top of your territory with a one-stop view of all the information relevant to you
•Get a weekly e-mail update so you never miss important news
•Cut market research time to allow your team to focus on bringing in business
11th Annual Global Health Mini-University
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) along with the George Washington University Center for Global Health is pleased to announce:
11th Annual Global Health Mini-University
Date: Friday September 30, 2011 Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm Eastern
Venue: Cloyd Heck Marvin Center
800 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
http://www.mini-university.org/
For directions to the Marvin Center click here
The Mini-University is a day-long forum offering over 70 different sessions highlighting evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information from a variety of technical areas across the Global Health field.
The forum is divided into hour-long blocks, each offering a variety of concurrent presentations from technical areas like HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, health systems, and cross-cutting issues. In addition, there are exciting brown bag sessions offered during the lunch break.
This event is free and open to the public. Past participants include students, medical professionals, public health experts, members of the military, NGOs, USG staff, and others interested in learning about what is happening in the global health world.
11th Annual Global Health Mini-University
Date: Friday September 30, 2011 Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm Eastern
Venue: Cloyd Heck Marvin Center
800 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
http://www.mini-university.org/
For directions to the Marvin Center click here
The Mini-University is a day-long forum offering over 70 different sessions highlighting evidence-based best practices and state-of-the-art information from a variety of technical areas across the Global Health field.
The forum is divided into hour-long blocks, each offering a variety of concurrent presentations from technical areas like HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, health systems, and cross-cutting issues. In addition, there are exciting brown bag sessions offered during the lunch break.
This event is free and open to the public. Past participants include students, medical professionals, public health experts, members of the military, NGOs, USG staff, and others interested in learning about what is happening in the global health world.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
DfID’s Top NGO Partners: A Primer
By Eliza Villarino on 24 August 2011
LINK to Full Article
When disaster strikes, British NGOs are usually among the first on the scene. Why? Because of their global reach and their support from one the world’s most generous donors, the U.K. government.
The United Kingdom’s relief and development arm, the Department for International Development, spent more than $12 billion on aid activities in 2010, making it the second-largest bilateral aid agency in the world. DfID is one of only a handful that has opened up all funding opportunities to worldwide competition, although the bulk still goes to domestic groups.
No wonder, then, that the U.K. NGO scene is highly influential with DfID. For smaller institutions looking to subcontract on DfID-sponsored projects, and for consultants and aid workers eying a U.K. government job, it pays to work with one of DfID’s NGO implementing partners first. The reward: crucial networking opportunities and experience in collaborating with a donor that, with the Cameron administration’s focus on aid transparency and value for money, has emerged as a leading global aid reformer.
Here are DfID’s leading NGO partners based on the volume of funding they received from May 12, 2010 — when Mitchell assumed his role as head of the bilateral donor agency — to June 30, 2011. DfID, along with seven of the organizations below, made the list of Devex Top 40 Development Innovators.
LINK to Full Article
When disaster strikes, British NGOs are usually among the first on the scene. Why? Because of their global reach and their support from one the world’s most generous donors, the U.K. government.
The United Kingdom’s relief and development arm, the Department for International Development, spent more than $12 billion on aid activities in 2010, making it the second-largest bilateral aid agency in the world. DfID is one of only a handful that has opened up all funding opportunities to worldwide competition, although the bulk still goes to domestic groups.
No wonder, then, that the U.K. NGO scene is highly influential with DfID. For smaller institutions looking to subcontract on DfID-sponsored projects, and for consultants and aid workers eying a U.K. government job, it pays to work with one of DfID’s NGO implementing partners first. The reward: crucial networking opportunities and experience in collaborating with a donor that, with the Cameron administration’s focus on aid transparency and value for money, has emerged as a leading global aid reformer.
Here are DfID’s leading NGO partners based on the volume of funding they received from May 12, 2010 — when Mitchell assumed his role as head of the bilateral donor agency — to June 30, 2011. DfID, along with seven of the organizations below, made the list of Devex Top 40 Development Innovators.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
USAID Swears-In Assistant Administrator for Global Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez was sworn in as the new Assistant Administrator for the Global Health Bureau at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Dr. Pablos-Méndez shared, “It is an honor to join USAID at such an important time for global health. I look forward to working with USG colleagues and partners to ensure the success of the Global Health Initiative to save lives and foster peace and prosperity throughout the world."
Nominated by President Obama in March, Dr. Pablos-Méndez joins the USAID leadership team with a vision to shape the Bureau for Global Health's programmatic efforts to accomplish sustainable, scalable and measurable impact on the lives of people in developing countries. He hopes to further advance the goals and reformatory recommendations expressed in the Presidential Policy Directives (PPD), Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) and USAID Forward (USAID Forward Overview). By fostering new working relationships and maintaining existing partnerships, Dr. Pablos-Méndez will direct the Bureau's activities and approach toward a standard of technical excellence.
Ariel PPablos-Méndez is an experienced public health physician. Dr. Pablos-Méndez most recently served as Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation where he led the Foundation's global health strategy on the transformation of health systems in Africa and Asia. He first joined the Rockefeller Foundation in 1998, spearheading public-private partnerships in research and development for diseases of poverty, the Foundation's strategy on AIDS care in Africa, and the Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for Health. Dr. Pablos-Méndez also served as Director of Knowledge Management at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where he established WHO's first eHealth unit.
Dr. Pablos-Méndez is a Board-certified internist and until recently was practicing as a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University. He received his M.D. from the University of Guadalajara's School of Medicine and his MPH from Columbia University.
USAID is pleased to welcome Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez to lead the Bureau for Global Health.
For more information about USAID and its programs around the world, please visit www.usaid.gov.
Dr. Pablos-Méndez shared, “It is an honor to join USAID at such an important time for global health. I look forward to working with USG colleagues and partners to ensure the success of the Global Health Initiative to save lives and foster peace and prosperity throughout the world."
Nominated by President Obama in March, Dr. Pablos-Méndez joins the USAID leadership team with a vision to shape the Bureau for Global Health's programmatic efforts to accomplish sustainable, scalable and measurable impact on the lives of people in developing countries. He hopes to further advance the goals and reformatory recommendations expressed in the Presidential Policy Directives (PPD), Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) and USAID Forward (USAID Forward Overview). By fostering new working relationships and maintaining existing partnerships, Dr. Pablos-Méndez will direct the Bureau's activities and approach toward a standard of technical excellence.
Ariel PPablos-Méndez is an experienced public health physician. Dr. Pablos-Méndez most recently served as Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation where he led the Foundation's global health strategy on the transformation of health systems in Africa and Asia. He first joined the Rockefeller Foundation in 1998, spearheading public-private partnerships in research and development for diseases of poverty, the Foundation's strategy on AIDS care in Africa, and the Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for Health. Dr. Pablos-Méndez also served as Director of Knowledge Management at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, where he established WHO's first eHealth unit.
Dr. Pablos-Méndez is a Board-certified internist and until recently was practicing as a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Epidemiology at Columbia University. He received his M.D. from the University of Guadalajara's School of Medicine and his MPH from Columbia University.
USAID is pleased to welcome Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez to lead the Bureau for Global Health.
For more information about USAID and its programs around the world, please visit www.usaid.gov.
House Committee Releases Foreign Operations Spending Bill With State, USAID Funding Cuts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released the FY12 Foreign Relations Authorization Act "that slashes State Department funding and foreign aid," The Hill's "On The Money" blog reports (Wasson, 7/26).
The proposed bill (.pdf) includes funding for the U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI) of $7.1 billion, which is $1.6 billion below the President's FY12 budget request and approximately $700 million below FY11 levels
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released the FY12 Foreign Relations Authorization Act "that slashes State Department funding and foreign aid," The Hill's "On The Money" blog reports (Wasson, 7/26).
The proposed bill (.pdf) includes funding for the U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI) of $7.1 billion, which is $1.6 billion below the President's FY12 budget request and approximately $700 million below FY11 levels
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