49th General Assembly of the Global Fund Board: what position for Africa?
From May 8-11, 2023, the 49th General Assembly of the Global Fund Board was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. An international event that brought together representatives from different Boards of Directors to discuss development strategies, governance oversight, commitment of financial resources and many other topics.
Africa, represented by a strong delegation from the African Constituency Bureau (ACB), took advantage of this meeting to make its voice heard and defend its positions. The African delegation was led by Dr. Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda, Chairman of the ACB Board of Directors.
The exchanges began as soon as the African delegation arrived in Hanoi, with an internal meeting to fine-tune the strategies and agree on the terms of reference. The objective was to speak with one voice at this international conference.
On the sidelines of the actual session of the 49th General Assembly, the ACB Board Chair and his team began preliminary discussions with other Boards and constituency offices around the world. They thus exchanged with the delegates of the private sector, the General Inspectorate of the Fund, the Councils of Germany, France and England for specific discussions, as well as with the Commonwealth Development Office.
During these exchanges, Dr. Jean-Jacques Mbungani emphasized the local capacity building policy as well as the involvement of governments and regional and continental structures such as Africa CDC with the support of the African Union. He also advocated for supply by locally produced drugs.
The Global Fund Board comprises 20 voting members, with equal representation from implementers and donors. Non-governmental organizations, communities affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, the private sector, private foundations as well as representatives of partner organizations, including the World Health Organization and the World Bank, are also represented as voting members. Africa has two seats on the Global Fund Board of the 28 available.
In short, this international meeting was an opportunity for Africa to defend its positions and to advocate for greater involvement of governments and regional and continental structures in the fight against the diseases of tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. . It is hoped that the discussions held at these kinds of events will lead to concrete actions on the ground to improve health in Africa and around the world.