together on various HIV/AIDS initiatives

The process of preparing a country coordinated proposal was made
much easier by the fact that NGOs, government and international organizations have been working
together on various HIV/AIDS initiatives in recent years. Examples of this collaboration include:
n The GTO was formed in 1997. Since 1998, it has benefited from the full participation of civil society, people
living with HIV/AIDS, government and UN representatives. It has not been easy, but we have nevertheless been able to
build a relationship based on trust.
n VIVO POSITIVO coordinated a national committee of NGOs that worked together with the National Commission
on AIDS and Parliamentarians to develop non-discriminatory legislation on HIV/AIDS prevention. Working together
towards a common objective was a rewarding experience.
It is possible for NGOs and organizations representing persons living with HIV/AIDS to work with
governments and other organizations on specific projects while still maintaining their independence.
The lawsuits that VIVO POSITIVO has launched against the government for failing to provide
treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS is proof of that.
In the past, the lack of access to information by the NGO community has often been a barrier to
effective NGO participation. In this case, NGOs in Chile were able to use available information on the
composition of CCMs and the role of civil society in their negotiations with the government. This
information included statements issued by the Global Fund itself, as well as reports from NGO
representatives in the various Global Fund committees and working groups. NGOs must continue to
ensure that information is widely distributed and that, where required, new instruments of
information are developed and disseminated. – Rodrigo Pascal, VIVO POSITIVO
India The experience of most NGOs with the CCM process in India was quite bitter. A few NGOs
were included in the CCM, but the selection was hasty, arbitrary and not representative of the
majority of NGOs. India has tens of thousands of NGOs, many of whom are doing really good work,
but most of them are neglected by the government. As well, many senior officials in public health and
at the state level who work on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria were not consulted during the
preparation of the country coordinated proposal. – Dr. A.K. Nag, NGOs Forum Against AIDS
Malaysia NGOs played a very significant role in the Malaysian CCM. To understand how this
was possible, it is necessary to look at some of the recent history of how the response to HIV/AIDS has
been co-ordinated in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s National Coordinating Committee on HIV/AIDS (NCCA) was formed in 1992. The NCCA
comprised eight government ministries and was chaired by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of
Health (MoH). In 1995, NGOs were invited to join the NCCA, although their participation was limited
to one seat. This seat was filled by the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC), an umbrella body of the then
28 NGOs working in HIV/AIDS in Malaysia.
The NCCA proved to be highly ineffective. It met irregularly. Although the representatives from the
other Ministries were meant to be at Director-General level, often they were of lower rank. There was
a tendency to pass on problems to the MoH. This reflected the general perspective that HIV/AIDS was
only a health problem and, therefore, the sole responsibility of the MoH. It was largely left to MAC to
raise non-medical issues such as discrimination. Having only one seat on the NCCA, however, put