Africa, GFF and Minimum Standard

It is time to start widening the discussion regarding Minimum Standards for GFF Country Platforms to enhance participation, transparency and accountability beyond the few African civil societies that have the opportunity to attend meetings where such issue is being discussed. The Kenya Learning Workshop that took place from 15 to 18 November on Mount Kenya, […]

It is time to start widening the discussion regarding Minimum Standards for GFF Country Platforms to enhance participation, transparency and accountability beyond the few African civil societies that have the opportunity to attend meetings where such issue is being discussed.
The Kenya Learning Workshop that took place from 15 to 18 November on Mount Kenya, including more than 100 participants from nine countries, has touched a bit about the Minimum Standard. The workshop was attended by 8 Global Financing Facility countries such as Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda. Each country’s team comprised about 7delegates, including civil societies. Topical issues that were discussed covered investment cases, health financing strategies and country platforms.
Prior to the meeting, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had held pre-meeting in Nairobi on November 14, 2015 and deliberated and finalized on a minimum standard that would enhance participation, transparency and accountability, especially at country level. Many CSOs had shared their apprehension across all the 10 Global Financing Facility (GFF) countries in Africa; from the four-frontrunner countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and DRC), to the second wave countries, including Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Mozambique, Liberia and Senegal. The cause of the concern is fairly the same, civil societies as many reported weren’t fully involved in the GFF process as well as development of the country investment cases.
This article is about providing a summary of the said minimum standard to broaden the discussion and to help country CSOs to engage their government officials meaningfully regarding setting up and the implementation of the GFF.
The minimum standard paper emphasized that, “the GFF requires that all country platforms embody two principles of the business plan: inclusiveness and transparency.  To support countries to operationalise these principles, the GFF has established minimum standards that countries are expected to adhere to.”
To strengthen the minimum standards at the Nairobi meeting, the civil society organisations (CSOs) engaged in the GFF processes proposed expanding on the existing principles of inclusiveness and transparency, and adding principles of independence and accountability. Below are recommendations that emanated from the CSOs pre meeting to the Global Financing Facility Learning meeting.
Inclusiveness and participation
1. Key constituencies for the country platform will include government (both national and decentralised, as relevant); civil society, private sector; affected populations; technical agencies (H4+ and others); multilateral, bilateral agencies and foundations; parliamentarians, and health care professional associations.
2.      Members of the civil society, health care professional associations, private sector (PS), and affected populations constituencies should be selected for membership in the country platform in a participatory and transparent manner.  They should be identified by their own constituencies through existing broad, effective, and inclusive platforms, where possible covering the continuum of care.  Investor Group (IG) representatives for the relevant constituencies should support countries in the identification of existing national platforms within their constituencies.  
3.      Country platforms will include at least two seats for CSOs, representing broad coalitions.  Country platforms should also permit a number of non-member organisations access to meetings and resources through observer status. Participation in the country platform implies full and active involvement of all constituencies, from the beginning of the process, including preparing and implementing the Investment Case and the health financing strategy.
Transparency
Relevant documents will be made publicly available on the Ministry of Health and GFF websites and will be disseminated to a list (with voluntary registration) within the following timeframes; for documents approved by the country platform. They will be made public within a month of approval; for meeting summaries and action points, they will be made available within a month of the meeting;  and for documents that are being tabled for discussion or review, they will be made available at least two weeks before relevant meetings or deadlines.
Independence and accountability
1.      Country platforms should align their accountability and monitoring processes with other national processes in order to strengthen national capacity for monitoring progress and reporting.
1. Annual health sector reviews should be used as a forum to jointly review government and independently-provided reports on GFF results, and should include all constituencies outlined under Inclusiveness and participation above.
2. The country platform will create an accountability working group to develop an accountability strategy for the implementation of the investment plan.  This strategy will take into account centralised and decentralised levels.  It will prioritise national and local community-based accountability through the use of scorecards and citizens’ hearings, and will also include budget analysis and advocacy.  The implementation of this strategy will be funded independently from the GFF.
In conclusion, this only provides a summary of the minimum standard, and for it to be implemented, the discussion and consultation have to move to country level to ensure adherence, synergy and ownership.