Utilisation of funds for HIV: Donor agency seeks diplomatic status for revoking policy sanctions

ISLAMABAD: An international donor agency – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has sought privileges and immunities or diplomatic status in Pakistan in exchange for revoking additional safeguard policy (ASP), which would allow the federal health ministry to utilize millions of dollars for prevention and control of HIV and AIDS.

The principal recipient of the Global Fund’s grant for HIV and AIDS is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) instead of the National Aids Control Programme (NACP) since 2020 when the donor organization invoked the Additional Safeguard Policy citing ‘unsatisfactory performance’ of its public sector institutions. In addition to UNDP, another non-governmental organization ‘Nai Zindagi’ is the second principal recipient of the Global Fund’s grant and it mainly works in the area of injectable drug users.

Confirming that the Global Fund had asked for the diplomatic status in return for allowing the government institutions to utilize millions of dollars for the prevention and Control of HIV and Aids in Pakistan, Caretaker Federal Health Minister Dr. Nadeem Jan said some other countries had also given diplomatic status to the Global Fund but so far no decision had been taken by the government. “We are assessing the global situation in this regard and trying to know which countries have granted privileges and immunities demanded by the Global Fund. If we feel a requirement to grant the privileges and immunities as demanded by the Global Fund, we would request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), which can present this matter before the federal cabinet”, Dr Nadeeem Jan told The News. When his attention was drawn towards similar requests by the Global Fund in 2013 which was rejected by the elected government, the health minister said any decision would be taken in view of national interest as he believes in a ‘national-driven agenda instead of donor-driven agenda’.

Nadeem Jan said he would not compromise on the ‘dignity of Pakistan’, adding that he had asked the visiting Global Fund to provide funds to the national institutions instead of ‘contracting out’ the task to the organizations which had no interest and experience in infectious disease prevention and control.

Earlier, the Global Fund in its communication to the chair of Country Communication Mechanism (CCM), who is Federal Secretary Health Iftikhar Shallwani and Caretaker Federal Health Minister Dr. Nadeem Jan expressed its willingness to remove ASP from Pakistan if it is granted privileges and immunities like many other countries. The Global Fund has also sought assurances that full, timely and consistent disbursement against provincial PC-1 on HIV and AIDS and Tuberculosis would be made, assurance on the adequate performance of provincial AIDS control programme, a full refund of all existing recoverable amounts, government’s political assurance and support to the global fund’s investments, implementation of OIG services and audits of the grants.

Commenting on the Global Fund’s demands, a member of the Country Communication Mechanism (CCM) said the Global Fund has invested US$697 million in Pakistan since 2003 and is the country’s biggest donor for HIV/AIDS and TB but currently neither NACP nor Common Management Unit (CMU) is the principal recipient of the grant. “In 2020, the ASP policy was agreed upon by a former health secretary, against the advice of experts, which gave GF all the rights to decide about programme interventions and implementation. It was opposed by the provinces of Punjab and Sindh and KPK and Balochistan in general. Communities in CCM also opposed the move besides CCM Pakistan, but it went unheard”, the official claimed.

Through this policy, the National AIDS Control Programme, a subunit of CMU was deprived of its status and role as the principal recipient of the HIV grant and UNDP was selected by the Global Fund to utilize the HIV grant. UNDP took over the grant implementation in July 2021. “In addition to UNDP, Nai Zindagi is a private sector principal recipient however since 2010, there has been a drastic increase in HIV infections among people using injectible drugs. There was no third-party evaluation done for funds received by NZ”, the CCM member claimed.