Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2012 2013 2014 2015

Details for Mechanism ID: 13973
Country/Region: Central Asia Region
Year: 2012
Main Partner: Health Policy Project
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: Private Contractor
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $0

This mechanism supports CARs PEPFAR Strategy Objective 1.The goal of the Health Policy Project (HPP) is to improve the enabling environment for MARPs in Central Asia, focusing on identification and reduction of the legal and policy barriers for MARPs to access services. HPP also supports HIV financing as well as capacity development to address gender and stigma-based inequitable access to health services and to improve measurement of policy impacts on health outcomes.

The project will conduct activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and will work with policymakers, NGOs and most-at-risk populations.The project will provide short-term targeted TA to implement project activities so there is no need for the project to become more cost-efficient over the longer term.Most project activities will be assessments and reviews but any materials that are developed will be incorporated into development partner plans or will be shared with other donors including the GFATM.

The project will develop monitoring and evaluation plans for all project activities, which will be reported to and monitored by USG.

Funding for Prevention: Injecting and Non-Injecting Drug Use (IDUP): $0

This mechanism supports the CARs PEPFAR Strategy Objective 1, with a focus on Sub-objective 1.1 Enabling Environment: Stigma, discrimination, gender, and legal and policy barriers pose significant challenges for HIV prevention, especially for PWID, SW, and MSM. This activity is linked to IDUP BCNs of: (1) PSI/M #12859;(2) Abt Associates/ IM # 12746;(3) Columbia / IM#12872;(4) RAC-KZ/IM #12889; (5) RAC-KG/IM #13217; (6) RNC-KG/IM #12812; (7) TBD Harm Reduction Center/IM #13969;(8) UNODCIM #12772; and HPP/IM #13973. The Ministries of Health (MOHs), USG and other donors currently employ a range of strategies at all levels to help ensure that services are provided for stigmatized and marginalized populations. Through communities, peer outreach approaches are used to efficiently bring HIV services (condoms, information, and referrals) to MARPs. Through service delivery, the USG, GFATM and other donors use vouchers and social escorts, case management teams, training for health providers and salary incentives to improve the quality of services. At the national level, limited policy and advocacy activities have been conducted to improve the legal framework and sensitize policy makers to improve stigma and discrimination.To develop a more strategic and systematic approach to policy development, the Health Policy Project will conduct a rapid review of policy reviews and assessments completed by the USG and other partners during the last several years. The review will identify any gaps and assist in the development of a strategically-focused policy advocacy agenda, including targeted policy interventions, to guide USG inputs in this area. HPP will assist in the development of focused approaches to engage legislature and parliaments to address MAT issues. HPP will look more closely at policy-related stigma and discrimination in Central Asia. To better inform the MOHs, USG and other development partners, a second rapid review will be conducted in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to identify key policy and other barriers constraining MARPs. This review will inform a more strategic approach to addressing stigma and discrimination in all three countries. The project will widely disseminate the findings from the review, and use this information as an advocacy tool for policy makers, NGOs, MARPs and development partners. The project will also identify additional activities that should be conducted by other USG partners to address these barriers. As a result of this review, USG and development partners will be able to more strategically focus limited resources to address these legal and policy barriers.

Strengthening financing of HIV activities is critical to helping to ensure sustainability and country ownership of these programs. The project will provide TA to enable national and local HIV/AIDS stakeholders to analyze, interpret, and utilize costing data, to support policy advocacy efforts, and to assess and promote more effective and efficient resource allocation. The project will introduce a strategic planning model that links national program goals and resource levels to program outcomes and provides information on the cost and effect of different approaches on the achievement of national goals.

The projects activities will be closely coordinated with other USG partners, MOHs, policymakers, development partners and the GFATM to ensure that the findings from the review and HIV financing activities are coordinated and used.

Subpartners Total: $0
Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office: NA
White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood: NA