APCASO is a regional civil society network organisation that serves as a catalytic platform for advocacy and community stems strengthening for health, social justice, and human rights for the most marginalised and vulnerable population in Asia and the Pacific. It is registered as a Thai Foundation, with its secretariat based in Bangkok, Thailand, with member organisations in 14 countries across the region. Since 2016, APCASO has been host to the Asia Pacific Community Rights and Gender (APCRG) Platform, which is part of the Community Engagement Strategic Initiative (CE SI) of the Global Fund for the Fight Against Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. It is one of six regional platforms around the world. As APCASO nears the end of its third three-year cycle of hosting the Platform, it is taking this opportunity to pause and reflect on what it has achieved and learned.
To do this, a desk review was completed, and key informant interviews were conducted with twelve people who have participated in at least one of the Platform’s activities in recent years. The APCRG Platform consists of three key activity areas:
1. Increase access to information and communication to enhance community engagement in Global Fund processes;
2. Linking communities and civil society organisations and networks to short-term technical assistance; and
3. Providing strategic funding to help facilitate community engagement in Global Fund processes.
Overall, feedback and findings have been extremely positive, with clear examples of how the Platform has contributed to advancing community engagement in Global Fund processes. This includes making more organisations feel connected to the Platform, and their needs heard. There are also opportunities to improve aspects of the effectiveness of the Platform going forward, particularly as it evolves into a Learning Hub in the next cycle. APCASO has been recognised by its partners and the Global Fund secretariat for the effectiveness of its information and communication, particularly as a result of its attractive and informative website and newsletters, in addition to an active Facebook page. Some partner organisations also appreciate the regular informal communication, and efforts that APCASO makes to ensure that organisations are kept in the loop and have timely access to information. The webinars and in-person meetings are also valued opportunities to connect, and many organisations cited these as inspiring. The Platform has been less successful in generating demand for short-term technical assistance (TA). There are various reasons for this, yet there are opportunities to be seized. And while TA has not been a big part of the Platform’s activities, it has invested more in strategic funding, which has yielded some powerful results.