The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria acknowledges the need for full involvement of civil society at all levels; national and international, in program implementation as well as in governance. In terms of establishing innovative models of civil society involvement, the Global Fund presents a unique business model that provides civil society with an opportunity for exploring how to develop and advocate for a comprehensive civil society agenda in the fight against the three diseases.

The Global Fund Board of Directors has three seats assigned to civil society: delegations to the Board are the Communities living with HIV, TB and affected by Malaria, the Developing Country NGOs and the Developed Country NGOs. Other Board seats are assigned to (groups of) donor countries, (groups of) implementing countries, as well as one seat to the Private Foundations and one seat to the Private Sector.

ICSS has been actively working on Global Fund issues as part of the Developed Country NGO delegation. Peter van Rooijen, Executive Director of ICSS, has been serving as Board Member for this delegation from April 2005 until April 2007, representing the Northern NGOs to the Global Fund Board.

In January 2007, ICSS organized, on behalf of the three civil society delegations, a joint meeting in Amsterdam, aimed at developing strategic options to leverage the role of civil society within Global Fund structures and processes, particularly at a country-level.

Currently Jacqueline Wittebrood is serving a two-year term as Communications Focal Point for the Developed Country NGO delegation until July 2009. Board Member for the delegation until April 2009 is Asia Russell from Health GAP, USA (www.healthgap.org).

In February 2008 the three delegations held a joint retreat in Brighton, UK, to identify and prioritize issues for the coming year to develop joint strategies and actions. The report of the Joint Retreat of the Civil Society Delegations to the Board of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria can be found on this webpage.