What is the CCM and why do we need to engage?

The CCM is a multistakeholder body that performs oversight functions to the Global Fund grants in countries. This ranges from country dialogues, to funding request development, to overall grant management and grant reprogramming, to evaluation. The CCM also provides the platform for linking broader national health and development programs of the country in relation to Global Fund grants. It observes and makes decisions on the Global Fund investment of the country. It is independent of the government, not selected by The Global Fund, and are not responsible to the Local Fund Agent (LFA), who serves as the eyes and ears of the Global Fund monitors and evaluates activities.

The CCM is composed of representatives from different stakeholders in the disease responses. This includes government agencies – such as the Ministry of Health, private sector, civil society, academia, international or multilateral development institutions, and communities affected by or living with the diseases.

Read more about the importance of engaging in CCMs in our related FAQs here.

CCM Eligibility and Membership Requirement

In its New Funding Model, The Global Fund requires CCMs to comply with a set of requirements that the Global Fund monitors every year and with every grant application. Two requirements, Requirement 4 and 5, fall under membership. These requirements must be met to become eligible for funding:

  1. CCM members must include people who are living with AND representing people living with HIV, TB, and/or malaria, to include people from key populations.
  2. CCM members for nongovernment constituencies must be selected based on transparent process developed and documented by their constituency.
  3. Government and development partner members select their representatives based on their policies and procedures.
  4. At least 30% of CCM members are women and at least 40% are from NGOs and communities.
What are CCM’s key functions?

A CCM needs to be established for a country to become eligible for funding by the Global Fund. It has five core functions:

  1. Coordinate the development and submission of a national funding request. For communities, this means ensuring that the fund request includes and engaged with key populations and affected communities in the country dialogues, as well as taking part in the country’s writing teams.
  2. Nominate the Principal Recipient (PR). This includes ensuring that the PR understands and has a potentially good working relationship with communities by assessing the capacity of the potential PRs.
  3. Oversee implementation of the approved grant. This may involve participating in the oversight committee and engages in the PR during the management of the grant.
  4. Approve any reprogramming requests. This requires understanding of the broader epidemiological context and priority needs to the communities and key populations affected by any of the three diseases to make sure that targets of the country grant is achieved.
  5. Ensure linkages and consistency between the Global Fund’s grants and other national health and development programs. This requires a broader understanding of the national health systems and community systems that are in place, its needs and priorities, and the sustainability and transition plans of the country. In ensuring transition, communities should advocate inclusion of a transition plan within the grant either by exploring domestic resources should The Global Fund cease to support the country.
How long does a CCM member serve?

A CCM member is composed of an official member and an alternate. Members and their alternates serve a term of two to three years in up to two consecutive terms. For example, a person can serve two consecutive terms as a member and a succeeding two consecutive terms as an alternate.

How does the CCM exercise its governance function?

Governance is one of the primary role of the CCM towards making strategic, wise, and ethical decisions. These decisions must respond addresses the gaps in achieving the targets of the three diseases. It should also be driven by a collective mission and centered on people, especially key populations and those who are either affected of living with the three diseases.

Governance of the CCM is aligned with the Global Fund Principles, which are (a) partnership, (b) inclusiveness, (c) transparency, (d) accountability, (e) oversight, (f) conflict of interest management, and (g) equality in decision-making.

CCM’s governance are summarized into four key practices. and communities must know how to employ these areas to allow broader and more effective participation on behalf of the broader constituency.

  1. Cultivating accountability. The Codes of Conduct within the CCM must be established, practiced, and enforced. Different reports (ie. finances, activities, plans, and outcomes) must also be made available publicly, and should be shared to wider constituencies.
  2. Engaging stakeholders. As community representatives to the CCM, there is a need to ensure that key populations are empowered to participate more effectively by providing a space for key populations to consult with their constituencies and building their capacities to become more effective CCM members.
  3. Setting shared direction. Being central to the CCM, communities must engage in shaping and implementing shared action plans with proper consultations from constituencies.
  4. Stewarding resources. Key populations and communities play a critical role in making sure that the budget allocation and management are aimed to achieve key result areas and realize the outcomes of the grant, to include impacting those most affected by the three diseases, and strengthening community systems.

Governance functions of the CCM are shaped during the development of the CCM’s Framework documents, which establishes the policies, rules, and regulations of the CCM.

While not required by The Global Fund, a smaller group of CCM members is formed, and this is called the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee monitors the implementation of and proposes recommendations for improvements on the following documents:

  1. CCM By-laws or Constitution, which details the functions of CCM, its composition and structure, and responsibilities;
  2. CCM Governance Manual, which includes how decisions will be undertaken and made;
  3. Risk management Guidelines, which includes approaches to manage potential risks during the management of the grant; and
  4. CCM Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy, which contains guidelines in making decisions to ensure that conflicts of interests that might affect grant management of PRs and SRs are documented, managed, and mitigated.
How does the CCM exercise its oversight functions?

Oversight is a core function of CCMs to cultivate accountability and steward resources. Contrary to an Executive Committee, an Oversight Committee is required by The Global Fund to be formed within the CCM. It is usually composed of five to nine members and may include non-CCM members with technical set of skills. Some of the specific functions of the oversight function of the CCM are as follows:

  1. Oversee PRs to ensure achievement of agreed grant targets based on Oversight Plan. It is important for community representatives at the CCM to be familiar with the oversight plan and provide advise to the PR to ensure that the grant targets are achieved, and implementation gaps, especially in reaching out communities, are addressed.
  2. Engages with the PR throughout the funding cycle. Communities must maintain a close relationship with the PR and helps guide the PR through regular updates and site visits.
  3. Reviews dashboards and progress reports. Communities need to be capacitated on the usage of and analysis of dashboards and of progress reports and provide advise on how the grant management and implementation can be improved.
  4. Participate in site visits. More than anyone else, key populations and communities understand more the dynamics and the context of and how their constituencies are affected by the three diseases. Participating in site visits is crucial for key populations and community representatives to the CCM to observe the grant implementation and provide insights to address the gaps in reaching the grant targets.
How can CCM become effective in the CCM meetings?
  1. Preparation and Attendance. CCM meetings usually happens every quarter, or once every three months. Prior to these meetings, CCM members need to be knowledgeable about the different agenda items to be discussed, including analysis of agenda and information, and ensuring that the key points for deliberation are reflective of the issues and priorities of your constituency.
  2. Constituency engagement. A critical aspect in CCM participation is constituency engagement. While the representation is usually a person, he or she is accountable more than to his or her organization but to a wider constituency of key populations and communities, which means speaking and making decisions on their behalf. This requires regular meetings and consultations with their constituencies.
  3. Willingness to serve. A community’s role as a CCM member is guided by the CCM’s Terms of Reference (ToR). A CCM member must be familiar with this ToR and identify any conflicts of interest that might arise. It is also ideal that the CCM member works with fellows and colleagues that represent other communities and build and bridge partnerships among other CCM members.
  4. Strategic and honest conversations. Communities are key populations that not only bring the voices but also bring the heart and humanity into the CCM conversations. Community CCM members must exercise conversations that will speak truth to power.
  5. Adherence, compliance, respect. As CCM members, communities must adhere to the Global Fund principles and expectations as well as be familiar with the CCM governance policies and by-laws. This includes complying with decisions and declaring conflicts of interests where possible, as well as respect opinions of others

“It is important for communities and civil society to know the results of CCM meetings and feedback these into their respective constituencies. On the other hand, communities need to ensure that feedback are incorporated into the agenda of the succeeding CCM meeting. This way, the CCM becomes accountable and transparent to its members.”

Choub Sok Chamreun

Executive Director, KHANA

“It is important for key population communities to engage in the CCM because they are affected directly by the intervention so they need to be involved in the whole process of CCM work.”

Nguyen Thi Kim Dung

Community Network Advisor & Project Coordinator, Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives

References

APCASO, (2016). FAQ: Engaging the CCM. Retrieved from https://apcaso.org/apcrg/faqs-engaging-the-ccm/

The Global Fund, (2017). The Global Fund Eligibility Requirement. Retrieved from https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/country-coordinating-mechanism/eligibility/#eligibility-requirements

The Global Fund, (2017). The Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism Overview. Retrieved from https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/country-coordinating-mechanism/

The Global Fund, (2017). The Global Fund CCM Orientation Program. Retrieved from https://theglobalfund.csod.com/catalog/CustomPage.aspx?id=20000495

The Global Fund, (2012). Code of Conduct for Recipients of Global Fund Resources. Retrieved from https://www.theglobalfund.org/media/6011/corporate_codeofconductforrecipients_policy_en.pdf

Photo credit: http://www.philippine-transgender-movement.com/news/transgender-woman-gets-elected-in-the-philippine-country-coordinating-mechanism-pccm-of-global-fund/

Engaging in Global Fund processes can be challenging for civil society organisations, community groups, and key population networks. Here are some resources and tools to help you get ready.