BURMA: MONITORING THE 3D FUND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 RANGOON 000309 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID:CJENNINGS PACOM FOR FPA BANGKOK FOR USAID HEALTH OFFICE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2018 TAGS: SOCI EAID PHUM KHIV PGOV SENV BM SUBJECT: BURMA: MONITORING THE 3D FUND REF: RANGOON 308 AND PREVIOUS RANGOON 00000309 001.6 OF 004 Classified By: Economic Officer Samantha A. Carl-Yoder for Reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The 3 Diseases Fund (3DF),the largest and newest donor in Burma's health sector, has taken steps during the past year to improve the administration of its programs. Aware that monitoring and evaluation (M/E) of its programs are key to securing future funding from donors, the 3DF has improved M/E capabilities, encouraging implementing partners to focus first on ensuring the success of existing programs before expanding to new areas. The World Health Organization, a technical agency that does not typically manage funds, has stepped in to manage the 3DF's fund flow mechanism, which includes carefully scrutinizing how implementing partners and GOB national programs spend their money. The 3DF, which faced initial problems procuring vital drugs, has improved its procurement mechanism, carefully reviewing which agencies receive the drugs and how they administer them. 3DF officials recognize that the system is not perfect, but note with pride the success that their program has had during the first year. End Summary. Ensuring Funds Go to the Right People -------------- ¶2. (C) The 3DF, a consortium of six donors (Australia, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) who have pledged $104 million over five years to reduce the burden of communicable disease mortality and morbidity for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB, recently completed its first year of work in Burma (Reftel). Getting the 3DF off the ground took a lot of time and coordination, 3DF Manager Mikko Lainejoki admitted to us. The 3DF, a new organization created to fill the gap after the pull out of the Global Fund in 2005, needed to establish mechanisms for obligating and providing funds to implementing partners, creating mechanisms for proper monitoring and evaluation of grants, and enhancing coordination between the implementing partners and the national health programs (the National HIV/AIDS Program, the National TB Program, and the National Malaria Program). After much coordination between the 3DF donors and various UN agencies, UNOPS became the overseer of the 3DF, relying heavily on assistance from the WHO and UNAIDS, Lainejoki explained. ¶3. (C) UNOPS could not directly manage the flow of the 3DF's money due to potential conflicts of interest, so the WHO took over as fund flow manager in 2006, managing the bridge funds to cover the Global Fund gap, Lainejoki acknowledged. Many people questioned whether the WHO, a technical agency that provides assistance and training to the national programs, could manage the funds properly. There were problems initially, WHO TB Officer Hans Kluge told participants during the 3DF Annual Review Meeting. The WHO, which had little experience doling out funds but had to act quickly to obligate the bridge fund money in 2006, ran into problems with Burmese banks and faced challenges getting money to all 324 townships and hard-to-reach areas. Learning from the 2006 experience, the WHO in 2007 established a Fund Flow Office, working with implementing partners and the GOB to improve the disbursement of funds. ¶4. (C) The 3DF does not provide money directly to the GOB, even though it funds national programs at the township level, Lainejoki emphasized. UN agencies, such as WHO, UNAIDS, RANGOON 00000309 002.4 OF 004 UNFPA, and UNODC, work with specific national programs to provide funding for specific trainings, outreach activities, and other programs. 3DF provides money on both a direct disbursement and reimbursement basis. Direct Disbursements cover trainings, meetings, workshops, mobile team activities, and public-private coordination, while the WHO provides reimbursements for M/E programs, initial home visits, sputum collection, and transport of drugs to patients and medical centers. Any program involving a direct disbursement must be pre-approved, with clear documentation depicting how the funds will be spent. Kluge emphasized that the WHO is not a bank, and when it administers funds, it also assumes liability for those technical programs and trainings. WHO officials conduct spot checks on the documentation, verifying the information before the funds are administered to ensure that the amounts are accurate. ¶5. (C) Dr. Kluge explained that the WHO carefully scrutinized all reimbursement requests, ensuring that money was used for legitimate activities rather than lining the pockets of the government. With eight field offices around the country, WHO officials can accurately monitor how GOB implementing partners use the money. Because the 3DF works with township level health officials, who best understand the health needs of the people, there is little risk of the central government trying to take the funds, Kluge noted. Fund flow operational guidelines are clearly stated in the 3DF MOU with the Ministry of Health, and the MOH has been supportive of the 3DF and WHO's decisions to reject reimbursement requests, Lainejoki told us. Providing Small Grants to Civil Society -------------- ¶6. (C) The 3DF plans to expand its small grants program in 2008, providing a total of $1 million to local NGOs for their health programs. While the 3DF had planned to administer these funds by March, it ran into problems identifying viable NGOs, Lainejoki stated. For the 3DF, all NGO partners must be registered with the government and funds must be transferred to a bank account in the NGO's name. GOB regulations prevent non-registered local NGOs to open bank accounts. 3DF received many excellent proposals from non-registered NGOs, but could not fund them because the 3DF could not legally transfer funds to those groups. Recognizing that many non-registered NGOS successfully worked in Burma, the 3DF called on its implementing partners to collaborate with local NGOs so they could conduct their activities. Lainejoki explained that several larger INGOs saw this as a capacity building exercise, and were willing to transfer funds and conduct monitoring and evaluation of local NGOs' programs. The second round of small grants will close in June, and the 3DF hopes to administer funds by July. At that time, the Fund will determine whether to continue its small grants program or work with the Board to establish new criteria for fund disbursement. Improving Monitoring and Evaluation -------------- ¶7. (C) Monitoring and evaluation of 3DF programs has been a challenge, 3DF Officer Attila Molnar admitted. Following its national M/E guidelines, the 3DF holds quarterly meetings with its implementing partners to coordinate on programs. Fund officers also meet frequently with individual NGOs to discuss developments in their specific programs as well as in the national programs and to evaluate their partnerships with RANGOON 00000309 003.4 OF 004 the GOB. However, due to the GOB's cumbersome and lengthy travel request process and subsequent limitations on travel, many implementing partners are unable to conduct M/E operations in a timely manner, Molnar continued. ¶8. (C) 3DF partners raised this issue with the MOH during the annual review (Reftel),only to be told that the MOH had approved 303 travel permits through March 2008, compared to 444 trips in 2007. The MOH will only approve travel to regions covered by each NGO's MOU - if the location is not listed in the MOU, NGO officials cannot travel there, Dr. Kyaw Nyunt Sein, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, emphasized repeatedly during the 3DF Annual Review. There is no reason why only foreigners should conduct monitoring and evaluation, MOH officials said, encouraging NGOs to utilize their local staff more for M/E operations. The MOH believes that NGOs and UN agencies travel too much, and is under pressure from the senior generals to limit travel, Dr. Kluge told us. ¶9. (C) The 3DF Board raised this issue with the Minister of Health after the annual review, Molnar told us. While the Minster of Health remained non-committal, he acknowledged that travel around Burma should be easier after the May 10 referendum. Procurement Issues -------------- ¶10. (C) We heard from several NGOs that the 3DF struggled initially with procurement of drugs. Peter Follen, 3DF Procurement Officer, explained that the GOB took a long time to establish and approve standard operating procedures within the MOU so the Fund could buy drugs. In order to procure drugs, the 3DF must establish a procurement and distribution plan, estimating how many drugs would be needed over a long period of time - this requires intense consultations with the implementing partners and national programs, Follen stated. Due to its lack of experience procuring drugs internationally, the 3DF office faced challenges, including dealing with discrepancies in the prices of some commodities, working with companies would not sell drugs to Burma, difficulties finding affordable drugs that adhered to the standard National Treatment Protocols, as well as difficulties securing the necessary import licenses from the GOB. To resolve the issue, the 3DF in 2007 worked closely with the WHO to establish procurement protocols. In 2007, the 3DF procured $4.5 million worth of commodities, of which $500,000 was purchased locally. ¶11. (C) Having since resolved many of these issues, the 3DF is now looking to strengthen its monitoring of procured drugs, accurately inventorying all drugs received and ensuring that implementing partners are using them appropriately. The 3DF continues to work with implementing partners, encouraging them to order generic drugs that are part of the National Treatment Protocols rather than more expensive brand names. Currently, the 3DF has an order for $500,000 worth of drugs for nine implementing partners, which should arrive in the next three months. Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) During its first year in operation, the 3DF has gone through many growing pains, identifying the areas for improvement and acting to rectify any problems. While many RANGOON 00000309 004.4 OF 004 of the initial problems, such as fund flow and drug procurement, were internal issues that only the 3DF could resolve, problems with monitoring and evaluation require more cooperation from the Burmese regime. Implementing partners are using 3DF money to provide health services, treatment, and education to Burma's needy, but the only way to measure success is through accurate monitoring and evaluation. Although the MOH understands that additional donor assistance requires better access for monitors, it remains subject to the decisions of the military. The international community in general is waiting to see if access will be improved after the referendum. VILLAROSA