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Jonathan Brown

UNGASS HLM, New York, June 2008

Progress & Lessons Learned

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Why Strategies? Why Action Plans?

National HIV/AIDS Strategies are needed to:• Attract and sustain funding • Align external support to national priorities• Implement the principle of One agreed HIV/AIDS action

framework• Promote Mainstreaming

Annual Action Plans are needed to:• Improve implementation, especially in sectors• Move from project to program support serving as the

foundation for program funding (from GFATM and other donors)

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How ASAP started

• Created in 2005 by the GTT to help countries respond more strategically to the epidemic -- reflected by more evidence-based, prioritized and costed strategies and operational plans

• Division of labor – major partners: ILO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNAIDS Secretariat, WHO, World Bank

• Selection of the World Bank as lead agency

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Early Technical Guidance

• Initial Business Plan developed at Stakeholder Meeting in January 2006 in Pattaya by the ASAP Technical Advisory Group

• Suggested ASAP operate on the following principles:

–Demand driven–Flexible–Timely–Consultative–Coordinated

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• Governance Structures

– UNAIDS ASAP Advisory Group

– ASAP Technical Advisory Group

– ASAP Training Advisory Committee (chaired by UNDP)

• UNAIDS Secretariat and Cosponsors (HQs, regional and country offices)

• UNAIDS Technical Support Facilities

ASAP support structures – the Importance of Partnerships

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• ASAP services include:– Technical support

– Peer reviews

– Capacity building

– Development of tools

What does ASAP do?

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• Requests come from NAC, RST, UCC or WB

• For technical support, ASAP convenes partners by teleconference to:– Ensure ownership of the request by the NAC and

Joint UN Team on HIV/AIDS– Share experience of all partners– Clarify tasks and technical/financing roles that other

partners can play

– Agree on gaps that ASAP can fill

• ASAP provides CVs, often in collaboration with the TSF

How does ASAP Work?

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Global Demand for Support

• Regional breakdown of requests for peer reviews or technical support:

• 20 from SSA

11 from Latin American

5 from the Caribbean

4 from MENA

4 from Central/Eastern

Europe

3 from South Asia

2 from East Asia

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• ASAP has provided support in four areas:

1. Peer Reviews (23)

2. Targeted (35) and Comprehensive Support (13)

3. New Tools and Instruments

4. Capacity Building

Areas of demand for support

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Peer Review Experience

• ASAP has reviewed 23 draft strategies/operational plans

• These plans have reflected the same areas in need of strengthening as those reviewed earlier, including:

– Evidence base– Linkage between the epidemic and the strategy– Results focus– Attention to gender and marginalized groups– Operational and human resource planning

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• In response to country needs, ASAP has produced the following:– Self-Assessment Tool and Guidelines– Roadmap– Strategies Practice Note– Results Checklist for Monitoring and Evaluation – Draft Costing Practice Note and Budgeting/

Costing Spreadsheet– Draft Action Plan Practice Note (in progress)

Tools & Practice Notes

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• INSP of Mexico, with the WB Institute and seven regional institutions, is delivering workshops in every region by the end of 2008– For policymakers and program managers in 50 countries

– Increasing focus on costing and operational planning

• Training conducted/planned for:– the Caribbean (June 2007)

– Anglophone and Francophone Africa (Nov 2007)

– MENA and Europe in 2008

• Training for TSF consultants and UNAIDS partners on– Costing (April 2008)

– M&E (May 2008)

Strengthening Capacity

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Moving forward…• Following an external ASAP evaluation in mid-2007,

we produced a 2008-09 Business Plan of $13.6m to allow us to:

– Respond to growing demand for all services

– Broaden capacity building in terms of both content and clientel

– Give increased attention to quality assurance

– Collaborate more closely with UNAIDS cosponsors

– Increasingly assist countries to prepare costed action plans (based on solid strategies) in preparation for possible program funding from the Global Fund

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Thank you for your suggestions on how to improve

ASAP’s performance

www.worldbank.org/asap

jleno@worldbank.org jbrown3@worldbank.org