Subject: Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM)– preparing your 2021 funding requests
From: The Global Fund - Operational Update <[email-masked]>
To: The Global Fund - Operational Update <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2021 17:37:08 +0000

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12 March 2021

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share that, with

the announcement that the United States will provide US$3.5 billion to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 response, the Global Fund is able to continue to support the COVID-19 fight in 2021. We are
delighted that the Global Fund will be able to continue to support you and your national response in efforts to contain COVID-19 and mitigate the impact on HIV, TB and malaria, and we express our appreciation to the United States and other donors for making
this possible.

COVID-19 Response Mechanism

As we finalize the details of the C19RM application modalities and requirements with the Global Fund Board, we would like to give you some information regarding timelines,
to help CCMs start preparing funding requests. The activities to be funded remain the same as in 2020:

·
interventions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on HIV, TB and malaria disease programs,

·
actions to reinforce the response to COVID-19 and

·
initiatives to make urgent improvements in health and community systems, including laboratory networks, supply chains and engagement
with vulnerable communities.

We currently anticipate that there could be two tracks to apply:

·
a fast-track approach for COVID-19 for urgent needs in PPE, diagnostics and therapeutics such as oxygen.

·
two submission windows.

If confirmed, the fast-track approach will start as soon as
1 April, and the two submission windows will be scheduled for
end of May and
end of June 2021.

As in the first phase of C19RM, CCMs need to ensure adequate consultation and inclusive decision-making in the process of developing and submitting funding requests. Effective community and civil society engagement remain crucial for developing a robust response
to the pandemic, including opportunities to support community-led initiatives, both to mitigate the impact on HIV, TB and malaria services, and to strengthen the national COVID-19 response. CCM funding can be used to facilitate inclusive dialogue, particularly
to ensure community engagement and of those institutions leading the national response.

We will publish C19RM revised application materials shortly, including guidance developed in collaboration with partners to inform the design of C19RM funding
requests. We encourage you to bookmark the
Global Fund’s C19RM website
and check for updates.

Together we must act swiftly to reinforce national responses to the pandemic and to mitigate the damage to HIV, TB and malaria services. This crisis is a test of the resilience and flexibility of the Global Fund partnership. We are confident that together we
can meet this test, beat COVID-19 and protect the hard-won gains on HIV, TB and malaria, leaving no-one behind.

Other Updates

Scaling-up Oxygen Demand in COVID-19 Requests

In an effort to rapidly scale-up oxygen provision to countries to treat severe COVID-19 cases, the Global Fund is working with the World Bank and ACT-A partners
to encourage implementing countries to include oxygen in upcoming funding requests.

The Global Fund has funded oxygen requests during 2020 and expects to continue to do so once C19RM is replenished and funding allocated to implementing countries,
including through its fast-track approach.

We encourage applicants to include oxygen in their future C19RM funding requests to the Global Fund, and to continue using World Bank loans for this purpose. Oxygen
requests should be planned holistically and, ideally, be defined through country needs assessments based on WHO guidelines and performed by country implementation partners. Oxygen requests should also be packaged with other COVID-19 treatment needs, particularly
corticosteroids and low-dose anticoagulants.

We will continue working to ensure demonstrated oxygen procurement needs are funded in a coordinated manner with the World Bank, WHO and other donor and technical
partners.

For more information, please visit the Global Fund’s

COVID-19 Treatment and Oxygen Equipment webpage.

Updated Codes of Conduct

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment & Child Protection

The Global Fund has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and child abuse. Our codes of conduct for recipients, suppliers and Country
Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) members have been revised to include new provisions on these issues.

In addition, the codes of conduct for recipients and suppliers include new provisions on prohibiting the worst forms of child labor and on upholding minimum age
standards consistent with the relevant ILO conventions.

Code
of Conduct for Recipients of Global Fund Resources

Code
of Conduct for Suppliers

Code
of Ethical Conduct for Country Coordinating Mechanism Members

Code
of Conduct for Employees

Code
of Conduct for Governance Officials

The Global Fund will reach out to CCMs and Principal Recipients with further information.

For any questions, please contact
[email-masked].

Finance Updates

Update on Staff Salaries under Global Fund Grants

CCMs, PRs and SRs are reminded that according to the

Global Fund Guidelines for Grant Budgeting (2019), the payment of salary kickbacks is prohibited in Global Fund grants. Salary kickbacks include those that require staff working on programs
- in this case supported by Global Fund grants - to contribute their salaries to the operational costs of an organization or pay back a portion of their salaries in cash back to the organization that hired them.

This practice is prohibited as stated in paragraph 196 and paragraph 233 of the above-mentioned guidelines and constitute a non-compliant expenditure. Should any
such clause be part of a contract of staff under a Global Fund grant, the entity issuing the contract must remove such clause immediately.

Please feel free to forward this update to Principal Recipients, sub-recipients
and other relevant in-country partners involved in Global Fund-related processes.