1. Early Alert and Response System (EARS): Accelerating implementation through prompt identification of bottlenecks and facilitating technical support to grants Duncan Earle, Team Leader Operational Partnerships and Country Support January 2007

2. Background The Global Fund and its stakeholders recognized the urgent need for an ‘early warning system’ that would provide several functions: –Identify grants facing challenges early in the grant cycle –Facilitate the mobilization of effective technical and managerial support to address challenges –Minimize the potential consequences of poor implementation and performance

3. Purpose & Principles The purpose of EARS: To identify challenges early and address them to improve performance To support the mobilization and coordination of technical support To provide prompt information to countries and partners about challenges Underlying principles Country driven process and response Global Fund finances and does not implement GF Secretariat works with partners (PR, CCM and other partners) to help identify challenges to implementation and to mobilize a response

4. Country/CCM/PR Role PRs have the primary responsibility for grant implementation and should recognize and address issues slowing down implementation CCMs are responsible for oversight of grants and have the secondary responsibility for identifying challenges, technical assistance needs, and for mobilizing efforts to address the situation CCM and PR should work with partners and the GF Secretariat to identify types of technical support needed

5. The Secretariat’s (and LFA) Role Monitor the performance of the portfolio Work with countries and partners to identify challenges facing implementation of grants Assist in the brokerage of support for challenged grants Identify and document best practices for addressing grant challenges Provide information and assistance to countries requesting help

6. Operational Partnerships The role of the partners is to identify available resources, technical and financial, to mobilize a response Work with the Global Fund and countries to identify needs and coordinate a rapid, quality response The Secretariat is further developing its relationships with partners to be able to identify and engage partners, at an earlier stage in the grant

7. EARS at the Country Level M&E Systems need to monitor more than grant indicators and targets Monitoring of progress against workplans and milestones important to ensuring progress in shorter timeframes Using process indicators as proxies for monitoring progress in accomplishing steps towards service delivery Monitoring sub-recipients and sub-sub-recipients progress important to early identification of potential bottlenecks in achieving coverage at district and provincial levels

8. Challenges Unreliable channels of communication Concerns about stigmatization Technical assistance requirements often ill- defined or not recognized in a timely fashion Resourcing the provision of technical and managerial assistance –Limited resources available from partners –Reprogramming GF grants is allowable but challenging due to tight budgets and reluctance of countries to free up grant resources –Identification of resources to pay for TA often delays response.