The Uganda HIV/AIDS Partnership

The 2001 coordination review exercise agreed on a structure that promotes participatory and self coordination. A concept note on the Partnership ( .pdf doc) approach was later developed and the mechanism was agreed on through stakeholder consultations. The Partnership structure ( .pdf doc) started functioning in 2002 and is still being developed.

The Uganda Partnership Coordination mechanism consists of the Partnership Forum, the Partnership Committee, 12 Self-Coordinating Entities and the Partnership Fund.

The Partnership Forum

This is an annual event of all stakeholders at national and lower levels that attracts political/policy and technical representation to share information on the status of the epidemic and response and agree on national priorities for action. The first Forum was held in October 2002 together with the 3rd National AIDS Conference . The second Forum was held in December 2003 and this constituted a relatively smaller membership to discuss findings of the Mid Term Review of the NSF 2003 . Recommendations of the Forum fed into the revision of the NSF. The third Forum was held in November 2004 and it received the first country status report and recommended the compilation of annual status reports through joint review efforts. The 2005 Partnership Forum was held in January 2006. The delay was intended to allow for appropriate conclusion of the Annual Joint Review exercise that culminated a technical workshop in December 2005.

The 5 th Partnership Forum was held in May 2007. Stakeholders received a report of the status of the epidemic and the response over the 5-year period of the National Strategic Framework 2000/1-2005/6. They also received and made input in the priority areas for the National Strategic Plan 2007/8-2011/12

•  The National Status Report 2005

•  The Report on Review of funding mechanisms

 

•  The Public sector synthesis paper and sector papers

•  SCE self-assessment report

•  The JAR 2005 workshop report

The Partnership Fund

This was established in 2002 and has since been the major source of funding for HIV/AIDS coordination and management efforts of UAC, Self-Coordinating entities and other national level stakeholders. The following have over the years contributed to the Fund: DFID, DCI, NORAD, UNAIDS. Some Development Partners including USAID do not provide direct funding to the Fund but provide support to identified coordination and management priorities.

Activities that receive support from the Fund must be approved by the Partnership Committee and financial reports of the Fund account are made on a monthly basis during PC meetings. Independent audit reports are also compiled and shared with PC members and development partners

The Partnership Committee

This is the backbone of the Partnership mechanism. It is constituted of representatives from the 12 SCEs and some agencies have permanent seats on the PC including UAC, UNAIDS, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The PC has been Chaired by a Commission member, Dr Edward Katongole-Mbidde, Director Uganda Virus Research Institute, since the establishment of the coordination system. Prof. Paul E. Mugambi from the Research and Academia SCE serves as the Vice Chair

The PC discusses input from technical working groups (TWGs), PC subcommittees and also from SCEs and key stakeholder organizations. Whereas TWGs are constituted as need arises, Subcommittees are formally established. Currently there are Subcommittees on Monitoring and Evaluation, Information and Advocacy and Research. Observers are allowed to attend PC meetings

Beginning March 2007, the PC assumed the role of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for the Global Fund HIV/AIDS Component. This was in line with the developed country Long term Institutional Arrangements (LTIA) that were agreed to by stakeholders at national level and Global Fund Geneva. The PC has actively taken on this expanded role. It coordinated the development of Round 7 Country proposal and the reprogramming of Round 3 grants.