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.
Reporting
Reporting
Purpose
Timely, regular and accurate reporting results in better decision-making and improved regulatory compliance.
Reporting allows management to make good decisions based on up-to-date and relevant information. Reporting of expenditure against budget allows remedial action to be taken to address delays, budget overruns and reprogramming of activities.
Reporting to other government entities or donors not only ensures compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, but also provides accurate data that may attract additional funding.
UNDP’s approach
UNDP has assisted health programmes to improve reporting systems by working with ministries of health and civil society organizations to improve existing national systems and procedures and establish a system of timely and accurate reporting within health programmes. In particular, UNDP’s support includes:
- assisting organizations to realize the benefits of timely and accurate reporting, not just to result in increased compliance with reporting deadlines, but to facilitate better decision-making.
- leveraging innovative IT systems and technologies, which interface with existing systems, to provide easy-to-read financial reports.
Automating financial reporting in Sudan
In Sudan, UNDP worked with the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure that the newly implemented financial management system automated the production of reports for internal ministry use and produced quarterly reports for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). The soft ware was procured and installed at key Ministry of Health directorates and configured to pre-set parameters for standard reports. UNDP held a series of training sessions for federal and state finance staff on how to use the soft ware, and this was complemented by further medium-term technical support (six months) for UNDP to work closely with the Ministry of Health to assist with financial reporting, while providing on-the-job support and training to financial staff.
- enhancing systems for real-time reporting to support accountability and transparency, as well as faster and more accurate decision-making.
- working with finance and other senior management to design a chart of accounts (used for data users to better understand and articulate their data needs), as one of the essential pre-requisites for financial accounting and reporting to facilitate fast, flexible data analysis.
- helping to design reports that are readily understood by all, including non-financial managers, exception reports, and detailed financial reports for use mainly by finance managers, as poorly designed financial reports often remain underused, with finance departments investing time in reports that do not fully meet the internal (management) and external (donors) needs.
- assessing the main challenges to timely and accurate reporting, to identify practical solutions and measures to overcome bottlenecks.
Reporting in Global Fund programmes
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) requires each grant to report financial information on income, cash outflow, cash balance and commitments, and to provide information on expenditures, split by module and intervention, cost category/cost input and implementer. UNDP has developed reporting tools that expedite the reporting process and ensure data integrity is maintained. UNDP is able to mobilize a team of strong finance professionals to support development of financial reports meeting the requirements of the Global Fund.
Suggested capacity-development indicators
Suggested indicators to monitor improvements in financial reporting include:
- Policies and procedures manuals are approved and available.
- The Chart of Accounts is available and facilitates fast and flexible data analysis.
- Financial transactions and reporting data are accurate and timely.
- A certain percentage of departments/regions are using accounting and financial software systems.
- A certain percentage of reports are submitted on time.
- A certain percentage of reports are used for decision-making.
- Submitted reports do not contain misstatements.