WHO WE ARE
OUR APPROACH
OUR IMPACT
Overview
UNDP's commitment to addressing HIV and other major health and development challenges is based on the principles that health is a driver for and an indicator and outcome of development.
Strategy
As outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025, UNDP’s support to countries aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformation for sustainable development and supporting governments to build resilience to shocks and crises.
Capacity Development role
UNDP defines capacity development as the process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time.
Partners
Strong partnerships are the cornerstone of UNDP's work to strengthen systems for health. In its support to countries UNDP works closely with other United Nations entities, development organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector, academia and key populations to develop resilient and sustainable systems for health.
UNDP-Global Fund partnership
The effectiveness of UNDP's model of health programme support, with its emphasis on end-to-end capacity development, is evident in the results of its long-standing partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund).
Overview
UNDP works with governments and partners to support the implementation and management of health programmes in challenging operating contexts.
Capacity Development of key partners
Implementing partners of health programmes require support and oversight to execute, manage and monitor their assigned roles effectively.
The Capacity Development plan
Whether in its role as an implementing partner managing large-scale HIV, TB, and malaria programmes funded by the Global Fund or as a technical assistance
Transitioning programmes to government
External donors have historically contributed a significant amount of financing for health programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
Health system components
Investments in resilient and sustainable systems for health lay the foundation for the effective and equitable delivery of HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
Human rights
Human rights barriers include stigma and discrimination, punitive laws, policies and practices, violence, harassment, gender, and social and economic inequalities.
Key populations
People most affected by HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria are often the same people who are marginalised and have limited or no access to health care.
Gender
Gender equality is essential to achieving health and well-being for all, accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets and ensuring that no one is left behind.
Budgeting
Budgeting
Purpose
Budgeting and forecasting enable resources to be allocated and tracked so as to achieve programmatic and financial objectives.
Budgeting is a process usually undertaken before the beginning of the financial year, to create a plan or estimate of the expected incomes and expenditures in the upcoming financial year. The budgeting process is usually collaborative, enabling budget assumptions to be agreed on and stated.
Budgeting processes can also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to agree on resource allocations, identify efficiencies and determine practical methods to manage and prioritize the strategic goals of the organization based on available resources.
Forecasting can assist in preparing forecasts of cash inflows and outflows as well as a “sensitivity analysis”, understanding the areas in which a small percentage change can have significant overall impact.
UNDP’s approach
UNDP has worked with several ministries of health to develop detailed operation and finance manuals and standard operating procedures, which detail the budgeting process and include the processes for approval and subsequent budget monitoring and modification.
UNDP has assisted health programmes to improve budgeting and forecasting systems in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. In particular, UNDP:
- works with ministries of health to improve national budget systems and procedures and support preparation of budgets for health programmes.
- provides technical support to budget and cost national strategic plans, including identifying available resources and critical gaps.
- supports countries to demonstrate a clear linkage between national health strategies, disease programmes and financial resources, budgets and forecasts.
- works with civil society organizations and governments to design and implement robust budgeting systems supported by a systematic approach for cost allocation and cost recoveries.
- develops manuals, guidelines and standard operating procedures to conduct a meaningful variance analysis and where appropriate, feed into remedial actions.
- establishes clear policies for project-specific costs, including: salary scales and entitlements suitable for attracting and retaining critical project staff; travel and subsistence; standardized training costs; vehicle usage and costings; consulting fees and scale rates; and apportionment of overhead costs.
- promotes innovative approaches to tailor existing information technology systems and technologies that interface with existing financial management systems for easy-to-use budget input and forecasting.
- helps to identify areas for strengthening in budgeting and forecasting for health systems, using an established capacity assessment tool.
- works with government health systems and projects and civil society organizations to establish development milestones and indicators, including training needs to measure improvements in effective budgeting and forecasting.
Budgeting considerations for programmes funded by the Global Fund
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) requires each grant to have a detailed budget in a prescribed format. UNDP has a core team with strong familiarity with the templates and which is fully conversant with the Global Fund budgeting guidelines. UNDP is able to mobilize a team of strong finance professionals to support the development of detailed grant budgets with the linkage to the performance framework and health product management template.
Suggested capacity development indicators
Suggested indicators to monitor improvements in budgeting include:
- An approved budget is in place.
- Adequate system controls are in place to prevent budget overruns.
- Planning and budgeting processes are integrated.
- Budgets are integrated with programmatic and financial results.
- Budgeting guidelines and procedures are available in all head offices and in a certain percentage of regional finance departments.
- A percentage of budgets are developed on an activity basis and adopt a bottom-up approach.
Operational procedures for budget revisions are adhered to. - The budgeting cycle for the health system is aligned with wider government or institutional timelines.
- Disbursement requests supported by cash forecasts are completed correctly and submitted timely.
Key Resources
