Expanding Local Partnerships (August 2008)

President George W. Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease-- a five-year, $15 billion, comprehensive approach to combating the disease around the world. U.S. Department of State U.S. Agency for International Development U.S. Department of Defense U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Labor U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Peace Corps Mailing address: SA-29, 2nd Floor 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20522-2920 www.PEPFAR.gov

Expanding Local Partnerships   The success of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is firmly rooted in partnerships between the American people and the people of the countries in which the United States is privileged to serve. Coordination with governments, non-governmental organizations including faith- and community-based organizations, the private sector, and groups of people living with HIV/AIDS is essential to PEPFAR’s mission. Working under national strategies and in coordination with host governments, PEPFAR draws upon the capabilities of local organizations in mounting an effective, multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Power of Partnerships Together, the men and women of nations devastated by HIV/AIDS, working in partnership with the American people, are building systems and empowering individuals, communities and nations to tackle the pandemic. In fiscal year 2007, PEPFAR partnered with more than 2,200 local organizations — up from 1,588 in 2004 — and 87 percent of all partners were local. Why are local partners important? The reality is that the fight against HIV/AIDS in hard-hit nations will have to continue for the long term. This fight will be sustainable only if it is owned by the people of each country. In many nations, a sustainable, locally-owned response to HIV/AIDS can only be brought about through transformative change. The primary responsibility for achieving such dramatic change ultimately rests with the leadership and citizens of developing nations themselves, but the American people, through PEPFAR, are committed to supporting them in their efforts. PEPFAR focuses on supporting local organizations, prioritizing funding to develop their capacity. A commitment to local ownership is central to PEPFAR’s focus on working with host nations and supporting their strategies to bring comprehensive national responses to scale. How is PEPFAR growing its support for local organizations? In order to increase long-term sustainability, PEPFAR country programs may devote no more than eight percent of their funding to a single partner (with exceptions made for host government partners, commodity procurement, and “umbrella contractors” for smaller organizations). This requirement is helping to expand and diversify PEPFAR’s base of partners, and to facilitate outreach to new partners, particularly local partners. The exception for umbrella contracts is based on a desire to encourage large organizations to mentor smaller local organizations, supporting capacity-building in challenging areas such as management and reporting. PEPFAR also has worked with its international implementing partners to ensure that they have strategies to hand over programs to local organizations as those groups develop the capacity to work directly with the U.S. Government.