Multilateral Aid Review summary - UNITAID

UNITAID’s mission is to scale up access to treatment for poor people by engaging in commodity markets to reduce prices, improve quality and increase and accelerate the supply of key diagnostics and medicines for the poor. It deals only with HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, and is intended to complement other organisations such as the Global Fund through its unique market focus.

	comment
Contribution to UK development objectives	Strong
	+	UNITAID’s focus on malaria and contribution to reproductive, maternal and newborn health (RMNH) means that it has a good fit with DFID’s strategic priorities.
	+	Price reductions have been significant, and should lead to a sustainable benefit for countries, donors and international agencies.
	_	UNITAID must develop guidelines for how countries can secure access to treatment once UNITAID’s interventions cease.
	_	There is little evidence that management actively manages for results.
	+	There is reasonable evidence from monitoring and evaluation at the project level of a good contribution to development results.
	+	UNITAID does not have explicit policies on working in fragile states but nevertheless it has a good focus on fragile states.
Organisational strengths	Weak
	+	UNITAID’s mission is to improve prices for drugs and diagnostics and their availability. As such it is highly focussed on value for money and cost effectiveness.
	_	However, the application of value for money criteria by the Board in funding decisions has been uneven.
	+	The views of partners and intended beneficiaries are built in to UNITAID’s decision making structures.
	_	There has been insufficient attention to sustainability once UNITAID support ends.
	_	Until very recently UNITAID has operated with a clear mandate but without a clear strategy to achieve it. This means that financing choices have not been strategically aligned or necessarily delivered best value for money.
	+	Financial management has improved with the recruitment of high quality senior personnel.
	_	UNITAID does not yet have a credible framework for deciding which proposals are funded and which are not.
	_	UNITAID’s publication of documentation is patchy and often very slow.
Capacity for positive change	Uncertain
	_	Progress on reforms has been rather slow, largely due to insufficient leadership and strategic management.
	+	The Board does appear to have an increasing appetite for higher quality performance management of the Secretariat and an improvement in systems.