ZIMBABWE: Global Fund woes more than meets the eye

Johannesburg, 13 November 2006 (PlusNews) - Zimbabwe's request for US$33 million from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has been rejected on technical grounds, with the country advised to resubmit its proposals next year.

The government and its Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), made up of several nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), applied in July for round six funding to expand anti-AIDS projects over two years, but reportedly failed to meet the standards of the Fund's Technical Review Panel (TRP).

Although the sixth round rejection was viewed by local NGOs as a set-back, of even greater concern was that Zimbabwe could also lose US$105 million from round five due to a yawning gap between the official exchange rate and the parallel market value.

"The country's almost non-existent currency has been a point of worry for the Fund. So while round five monies might have been approved in July last year, we are yet to receive the cash," Lynde Francis, of The Centre, an NGO, and also a CCM board member, told IRIN/PlusNews.

Zimbabwe was already behind on three disbursements as a result of the Fund "always moving its goal posts and introducing new and sometimes unreasonable requirements" for nations to meet, according to Francis.

She also charged that political bias might also be part of the Fund's agenda. Aid to Zimbabwe has been frozen by western donors in response to its controversial land reform programme, and as a result of reports of violence and intimidation during the 2000 and 2002 elections.

However, officials at the Fund denied the allegation, and noted that the independent TRP, which considered the grants and referred them to the board of the Global Fund for approval, did not find Zimbabwe's proposal on AIDS "to be of sound technical quality".

"And as far as round five goes, the Zimbabwean government and the Fund have reached an agreement, with the government offering us a flexible exchange rate. We are already in the paper-work phase of finalising the disbursement of the fifth round monies," Nicolas Demey, communications officer at the Fund, confirmed.

Demey said members of Zimbabwe's CCM were in the process of being notified by the TRP as to what the shortcomings of their application for round six were, and would be advised to revise their proposals for resubmission in June 2007.

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Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]