Global Fund team in Zim to assess progress

disbursements of money from Geneva to programme areas.
Global Fund co-ordinator Mr Rangarirai Chiteure said the team was expected to attend the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism meeting today where these deliberations would be held.

“The Global Fund introduced additional safeguard measures in 2008 which led to the appointment of the United Nations Development Programme as the principal recipient of Zimbabwe’s grants.
“These measures were meant to ensure that grants are not diverted to other services other than those listed in the country’s proposal, hence UNDP’s appointment as PR,” Mr Chiteure said.

UNDP was given the task to handle grants following reports that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had diverted US$7,5 million meant for HIV and Aids projects to other uses.
Before UNDP’s appointment, approved grants for Zimbabwe were disbursed directly to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, National Aids Council and the

Zimbabwe Aids Network.

Mr Chiteure said the team was also expected to deliberate on human resource issues after Treasury froze posts across all sectors of Government. Other issues expected on the agenda are the treatment gap, nationwide tuberculosis survey, assessment of sub-recipients and visits to some of Global Fund supported districts.
The team will be in Zimbabwe until Friday.

The Global Fund has so far approved five rounds of funding to Zimbabwe since its inception in 2002.
Zimbabwe has benefited from round one of 2002, round five of 2005, round seven of 2008, round eight and 10.
Programmes supported by the fund are HIV and Aids, malaria, tuberculosis and health strengthening systems.