Richard Feachem to Leave the Global Fund

Earlier today Richard Feachem announced his decision to not seek a further term as Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.In its four short years, the Global Fund has been a remarkable success. Earlier this week, the Fund passed the $2 billion mark in disbursements. It has so far provided:

384,000 people with treatment for HIV and AIDS

2.5 million people with voluntary HIV testing

1 million people with treatment for tuberculosis

1 million+ people treated for malaria

7 million+ families with insecticide treated mosquito nets

The Global Fund continues to face major challenges as it moves from startup to establishment. The organization struggles to raise enough funds to launch new funding rounds and to become big enough to turn the tide in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria. The private sector and civil society have not been as engaged in program implementation as expected. The Global Fund’s partners have not been able to scale up technical assistance to countries implementing grants quickly enough. Feachem has also been the subject of some controversy, including a recent investigation into allegations of mismanagement that ultimately yielded few answers and failed to silence his critics.But the Global Fund’s model is a good one, and the Fund will continue to improve over time. Performance based funding has created accountability for the funds, and a few poor-performers have been cut off. Most importantly, the Global Fund allows countries to design and implement their own programs, rather than getting programs that interest the donors.Richard Feachem presided over the building of a strong, innovative and successful model for the Fund. He should be congratulated for this achievement.