Part IV: The Role of the RBM Partnership
3. Resource Mobilization
Since 2003, the financial resources disbursed by major international donors for global implementation activities have increased by about 14-fold, from US$ 51 million in 2003 to US$ 701 million in 2007, and above US$ 1.1 billion in 2008.[3]See Part I – Chapter 4: Funding for Malaria Today.
Click for source Funded activities included global interventions, national monitoring and evaluation and health system strengthening. Financial support for the core Partnership bodies (Secretariat, Working Groups and Sub-Regional Networks) has also increased. Despite this success, a significant increase in financial support and sustained commitment will be required to reach the 2010 and 2015 targets, and the RBM Partnership's longer term vision for eradication.
A strong resource mobilization strategy will ensure that these required financial resources are raised and that global implementation activities go forward. Such a strategy would outline the needs, responsibilities and messages of the RBM Partnership and also define the support required to develop, implement and monitor the resource mobilization activities. Currently, there is no coordinating body for resource mobilization within the RBM Partnership.
Key Challenges
There are many challenges for the RBM Partnership to overcome in resource mobilization.
Resources for global implementation activities. To achieve the 2010 universal coverage targets for all countries, approximately US$ 5.3 billion in 2009 and US$ 6.2 billion in 2010 will be required. Furthermore, to reach the 2015 targets, an average of US$5.1 billion will be needed annually between 2011-2020; significant amounts may need to be sustained beyond 2015 to ensure that the burden of malaria does not re-emerge.
Resources for core Partnership activities. The RBM Partnership bodies must be funded to support implementation in countries. The 2008 Harmonized Work Plan estimates that US$ 32.8 million per year is needed to fund the RBM Secretariat, Sub-Regional Networks and Working Groups.
Coordination of resource mobilization activities. Raising the resources outlined above will require significant coordination. Although many groups are active in resource mobilization, there is no formal body tasked to ensure the coordination of all activities and a focus on the highest priority areas.
Reporting system. The RBM Partnership must strengthen its international reporting system to obtain the investments necessary to meet the 2010 and 2015 targets. A reporting system will enable more accurate interpretation of investment returns, predictions of long-term aid flow, and measurement of performance against fixed performance indicators.
Priorities
The recommended resource mobilization priorities are to:
- Audit the resource need
- Identify target donors
- Outline the approach for each donor
- Develop targeted messages for advocacy
- Track performance of funds and provide accountability
A) Audit the resource need. An audit involves an overview of financial needs and a strategy for filling funding gaps one to two years in advance of when the funds are required. The audit should have a five-year horizon to allow longer-term planning and sustainability. It should also define the channels through which the resources are intended to flow, for example, the RBM Partnership, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the President's Malaria Initiative, the World Bank or Malaria No More.
B) Identify target donors. The strategy should include an overview of all existing and potential donors, along with a review of past donor activities and areas of interest. For sector-wide activities, it will be important to ensure that funding from existing international donors is maintained, but also that new donors are addressed. For example, the sustained control stage may attract different donors than the rapid scale-up for impact (SUFI) stage. The resource mobilization strategy will also involve targeting the countries which require funds to scale-up or to sustain control. These countries should be encouraged to allocate part of their national budget to malaria control, commensurate with the burden and impact of the disease, and ensure that overall spending on health care is 15% of their national budgets.
C) Outline approach for each donor. The funding gaps should be matched to individual donors, based on the knowledge about the donor. The strategy should also outline how best to approach donors and which body from within the RBM Partnership, such as board members or executive directors, should do so.
D) Develop targeted messages for advocacy. Consistent, accurate messages regarding resources and funding must be communicated within the RBM Partnership. These messages will have to be targeted for specific donors and for clearly articulated resource needs. The Malaria Advocacy Working Group will develop general advocacy messages, such as promoting adherence to the RBM Partnership strategy.
E) Performance tracking of funds. To ensure accountability and a sustained interest, it will be important to track the use of funds, monitor the performance and establish clear reporting mechanisms both within the RBM Partnership and to donors within and outside the RBM Partnership. A good tracking mechanism will enable a detailed prioritization of spending of available funds for Partnership activities.
F) Coordination and collaboration within the RBM Partnership. Tracking the funds will require interactions and collaboration between the performance sub-committee and the Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (MERG). Furthermore, a close link with Malaria Advocacy Working Group (MAWG) is essential to develop and implement the advocacy for resource mobilization. Beyond support on different activities within the resource mobilization strategy, there will be ties with all core Partnership structures (Secretariat, Working Groups and Sub-Regional Networks) to ensure that financial needs are captured in the overview and to feed back the results of performance monitoring.
Organizational Implications
Currently a number of bodies within the RBM Partnership provide support to resource mobilization.
- The RBM Board has resource mobilization as a mandate, and also directly contributes financial resources.
- The RBM Partnership Secretariat, especially the Executive Director and the RBM Ambassadors,[4]The Roll Back Malaria Ambassadors are well-known individuals who agree to advocate for the fight against malaria. Currently RBM has two ambassadors who attend events around the world to increase the visibility of malaria. may advocate for increased resources and to ensure malaria remains high on the international agenda. Furthermore, the Secretariat coordinates the budget needs for RBM Partnership bodies' costs.
- The Resources Working Group focuses on providing guidance around effective financing such as AMFm, tracking of funds within countries such as malaria sub-accounts, and the economics of malaria control.[5]Terms of Reference for the Resources Working Group, Geneva, Roll Back Malaria Partnership.
Click for source - The Malaria Advocacy Working Group is strongly engaged in advocacy for resource mobilization and has a "$1.5 billion+" task force which focuses on advocacy to a defined set of new donors to raise funds for SUFI.
- Individual partners play a strong role in raising funds for their organizations, which cover sector-wide malaria activities. This function remains important, and should be reflected in a coordinated RBM Partnership resource mobilization strategy.
Due to the urgency and importance of securing resources to achieve the targets, there must be dedicated institutional support for resource mobilization. In-kind support from the partners, though generous, needs to be augmented by dedicated personnel with the capacity to carry-out the day-to-day tasks. This support could be situated within the RBM Partnership Secretariat or within a Partner organization and have the role of providing coordination support to a taskforce / working group, ensuring close links with other Working Groups, such as the performance sub-committee, MERG and the MAWG, and coordinating activities between RBM partner institutions involved in resource mobilization. Developing a strong resource mobilization strategy for the RBM Partnership must be a Partnership priority, and the institutional support needed to facilitate and coordinate these activities should be identified and put in place immediately.
Additionally, the RBM Partnership would gain a strong core team if the resource mobilization staff was supported by a group convened to coordinate the resource mobilization activities. The RBM Partnership recommends establishing a formal body with the institutional mandate of developing and coordinating the resource mobilization strategy within the RBM Partnership. This body could assist with immediate fund-raising activities and later be disbanded or made permanent as needed.
This formal body could be in the form of a taskforce or working group and would coordinate resource mobilization for both the core Partnership activities as well as sector-wide activities. The body could be appointed by the RBM Partnership Board and report to the Executive Committee. Members for the body could be drawn from donors (e.g. President's Malaria Initiative, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and other groups with a strong mandate for resource mobilization (e.g. the UN Special Envoy for Malaria, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), as well as the RBM Partnership Secretariat.
Table IV.3: Summary of Resource Mobilization Activities
| Reference to priority | Major actions | Completed by | Coordinator (bold) / Sub-coordinatorsa |
| Organizational Priority | Establish formal body with the mandate to develop and coordinate the resource mobilization strategy | 2009 | RBM partnership Board |
| A, E, F | Develop and regularly review the resource mobilization strategy for sector-wide activities and RBM partnership bodies | 2009 | Resource Mobilization Task Force * |
| B, C, D | Raise funds annually to support country strategies | Ongoing | Resource Mobilization Task Force * |
| B, C, D | Raise funds annual to support RBM partnership body activities | Ongoing | Resource Mobilization Task Force * |
* Assuming a Resource Mobilization Task Force is established
a) Main coordinating group / body in the RBM partnership indicated in bold. Closely linked contributors within the RBM partnership are also listed. RBM partners are not listed explicitly as their involvement occurs through the Working Group.
