OF NOTE THIS WEEK

It would be difficult for those in the global health and development world to have missed the recent release of two articles (see here and here) that reported "large-scale" fraud of Global Fund grants and the rapid response that followed. The Global Fund immediately responded with a statement condemning corruption and outlining steps the Global Fund already takes to closely monitor all grants in its portfolio, responding urgently to any instances of corruption. "The news report that has caused concerns refers to well-known incidents that have been reported by the Global Fund and acted on last year. There are no new revelations in [the] media reports", the statement read. With that said, some donors are reconsidering pledges already committed to the Fund amid these reports. The AP reported that Germany has decided to suspend its $250 million pledge pending a full investigation into the corruption; Sweden is also stalling on its commitment the AFP reports.

In defense of the Global Fund, CGD colleagues Nandini Oomman and Bill Savedoff argue (see here and here) that perhaps the immediate reaction is a bit blown out of proportion. Bill notes that with the information coming out of the reports, it is difficult to assess the actual scale of corruption (much less than reported, Bill argues). Acknowledging that the Global Fund is not perfect and any report of corruption is a concern, Nandini points out that when compared to other donors, the Global Fund is actually the most transparent in reporting instances of corruption and acting on them. "The Global Fund deserves some credit for seeking out perpetrators and holding them accountable publicly. Other donors need to be more upfront about corruption in their programs and how they address it", Nandini argues.

Amid the flurry of responses still coming in from the initial reports, the Global Fund released a second statement on how it actively works to protect its grant money.

NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DONORS

• Global Fund statement on abuse of funds in some countries
• UNAIDS and IOM sign agreement to improve access to HIV services for migrants

OTHER NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

• Uganda Health News: MPs Urged Not to Pass HIV Bill (UGPulse)
• Mozambique: HIV/AIDS - New Training Manual for Traditional Healers (All Africa)
• The Global Fund Won't Stand for Any Corruption (Huffingon Post)
• Zambia: Better health comes in containers (PlusNews)
• Mylan's Matrix Receives Tentative FDA Approval Under PEPFAR for Lamivudine and Zidovudine Tablets (PR-USA.net)

RECENT CGD HEALTH POLICY BLOGS

• What Can We Learn from the Global Fund's "Massive Fraud"? By Nandini Oomman
• MASSIVE CORRUPTION! (...in Small Global Health Grants?) By William Savedoff
• A Practical Turn to Writing about Corruption and Health By William Savedoff
• Ten Years On, America has Dropped the Ball on the Global Tobacco Epidemic By Tom Bollyky

HIV/AIDS MONITOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY IMPACT

• The HIV/AIDS Monitor has been tracking the policy changes among PEPFAR, the Global Fund and the World Bank MAP related to the recommendations that have come out of our research. Explore these changes using our interactive flash tool.