HIV/AIDS on the part of our

Unfortunately, the involvement of NGOs in the CCM process in Argentina cannot be
cited as a “best practice.” The lack of leadership and commitment on HIV/AIDS on the part of our
government has always been a problem in Argentina (and in most other Latin American countries). A
CCM was established only after NGOs and people living with HIV/AIDS, working with the UNAIDS
Inter-Country Program Advisor, put pressure on the government. The situation was complicated by
the fact that at the very moment that the call for proposals was issued, Argentina was facing a deep
political and economic crisis. Ironically, it was this crisis that made Argentina eligible to receive
monies from the Global Fund.
The CCM asked the Foro de ONGs de la República de Argentina (the national network of NGOs) to
nominate members. However, when it came to representation from persons living with HIV/AIDS,
either the Ministry of Health or the Chair of the National AIDS Program (or both) directly appointed
an HIV-positive person, thus ignoring the legitimacy of the Red de Personas que Viven con VIH (the
Argentina network of persons living with HIV/AIDS) and denying it the right to participate. It appears
that the network’s advocacy profile is perceived as a threat by other members of the CCM.
The Argentina CCM is made up mainly of representatives from the government ministries,
international agencies, scientific societies and the private sector. The involvement of HIV/AIDS NGOs
was minimal, and the involvement of persons living with HIV/AIDS ended up being quite tokenistic.
Only limited information was circulated among NGOs and organizations representing persons living
with HIV/AIDS.
The Argentina proposal was developed by a group of consultants hired by UNAIDS. It did not reflect
the reality of NGOs and persons living with HIV/AIDS in Argentina. As well, no reference was made to
issues concerning tuberculosis and malaria. The Argentina proposal was one of those funded in the
first round. Given the shortcomings of the proposal, the lack of transparency in the process, and the
lack of participation by our community, it will be difficult to monitor the way the project is
implemented and to ensure that the resources are used properly and effectively. We are not
optimistic, especially given Argentina’s past experience with external funding (such as World Bank
loans). A better scenario would be that of a national government, recovered and legitimized, that
ensures that these resources actually go to where they can make a difference regarding these three
diseases. However, that is not the current reality in Argentina.
– Javier L. Hourcade Bellocq, Red de Personas que Viven con VIH
Chile NGOs participated actively in the preparation of Chile’s proposal to the Global Fund. At
first, NGOs were only asked to review the government’s proposal. However, we took the position that
a joint national proposal should be developed and, after some discussion, the government agreed and
invited NGOs to participate on the CCM.
The CCM was composed of the following partners: the National Commission on AIDS (two members);
the Pan American Health Organization, representing Grupo Tematico ONUSIDA (GTO), the UNAIDS
Thematic Group (one member); VIVO POSITIVO, a national organization of persons living with
HIV/AIDS (two members); the Asamblea de ONGs con trabajo en VIH/SIDA, representing NGOs working
on HIV/AIDS (two members); and an epidemiologist from the Universidad de Chile. The CCM met for