Global Fund partners with country experts in public financial management to maximise impact and sustain donor investments in health – press release

The Global Fund works with national experts in public financial management to maximise impact and sustain donor investments in health care

July 09, 2024

– As a part of its efforts to assist countries sustain progress in health, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has integrated using its Public Financial Management (PFM) strategy within the health sector as an enabler to drive sustainable development and improve health outcomes in countries. PFM is a component of the answer to integrate and strengthen sustainable health systems. This approach ensures that resources are effectively coordinated, managed and used to realize impact and improve health outcomes.

Building a sustainable approach to health is an ongoing endeavor. While the concept is well established, modern strategies to sustain Global Fund investments proceed to emerge as countries develop tailored solutions of their unique contexts, using PFM systems in resource planning, allocation, and oversight mechanisms for health.

This is particularly true in the present context, because the world faces quite a few challenges, including acute threats from climate change and geopolitical tensions in various regions. These developments are having an impact on the Global Fund’s investments, making it much more essential to sustain the progress made within the health sector over the past twenty years.

“As financial institutions, our efforts begin with better alignment, planning and investment across all actors, both domestic and external, to optimise the efficiency of budget allocation and spending. We are working with various institutions in the PFM ecosystem (including the World Bank, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organisation, etc.) to promote collaboration and increase the efficiency of our approach,” said Adda Faye, Chief Financial Officer of the Global Fund.

“Improving budgeting, implementation and control is essential to improving resource allocation, monitoring progress and ensuring value for money on health outcomes. We work with leading audit institutions around the world to ensure how Global Fund grants are invested to ensure maximum impact, transparency and oversight,” Faye added.

A various and expert workforce brings modern perspectives and solutions, strengthens financial oversight and ensures effective management of health resources. By investing in people development, the Global Fund promotes capacity-building approaches for transparent and efficient management of public funds, driving sustainable economic growth, improved public service delivery and public accountability.

To higher embrace PFM as a lever for sustainable development, last week the Global Fund brought together for the primary time leaders from the ministries of finance and health (including health planners, chief budget officers, accounting generals and auditors general) from 14 countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Lesotho, Malawi, the Philippines, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Gambia – to strengthen country engagement and speed up the maturation of PFM.

The discussions, moderated by Alexis Kamuhire, Auditor General of Rwanda, enabled mutual learning and alignment on the ambition for increased use of PFM systems. The countries present demonstrated a high level of commitment to the progressive adoption of PFM, each contributing their very own personal input and knowledge based on their national context. Mr. Kamuhire confirmed through the meeting that “unity of purpose, big thinking and effective country-led accountability are key elements of a functioning PFM system.”

Building on milestones in their very own PFM efforts, countries resembling Rwanda, India and Indonesia have demonstrated significant progress in adopting PFM systems as a part of the healthcare delivery value chain, recognising the necessity to adopt legal, regulatory and tactical digitalisation of presidency financial management systems using tailored technology solutions, ownership and domestic financing transition strategies.

Opening the meeting, Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said: “In the fight to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, every dollar counts. By increasing accountability for public health funds, Global Fund grants can have the greatest impact and save more lives in the long term. The collective expertise and dedication in this room will lead to concrete and actionable steps to strengthen our PFM systems to respond to Lusaka Call Agenda for motion and gradual adoption.”

“For the Global Fund, working with you and understanding the challenges you face as you make progress in your countries is critical to improving the health of your citizens and maximizing the impact of our programs,” Sands added.

Addressing the delegates present, Faye said: “We want to work with you, in your countries, for your countries. We are committed to being with you on your journey to help you achieve sustainable progress. We believe that the responsible adoption of national systems will add value to our aspirations to achieve impact and good health outcomes.”

The meeting highlighted the critical role of PFM in ensuring effective use of donor funds and the importance of joint efforts to strengthen financial management systems within the health sector through an actionable roadmap, including a commitment to motion, a change in mindset and a concentrate on accountability and digitalization. The discussions aimed to pave the way in which for sustainable, transparent and accountable resource management, ultimately improving health outcomes worldwide.