Governance and Transparency at PEPFAR

Abstract

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been one of the most effective foreign aid programmes in history. It reached 6.7 million people with antiretroviral therapy in 2013, and has also strengthened country health systems, provided billions of dollars in aid to prevention programmes, and helped to drive substantial declines in morbidity and mortality in many countries. However, transparency within PEPFAR has declined rather than improved with PEPFAR ranked 50th out of 67 aid agencies worldwide. It is time for PEPFAR to become a leader in transparency, to share its data. If published as soon as they are approved for the coming year, with details about the interventions funded, geographic areas of activity, and specific goals and targets, then Country Operational Plans could be important instruments for partner governments and civil society. Knowledge of exactly what PEFPAR-funded non-governmental organisation are doing, what gaps they are filling, and what outcomes they are expected to achieve should be central to the planning of the AIDS response in these countries. Civil society in countries that receive PEPFAR funding could be mobilised to help to monitor the effectiveness of PEPFAR programmes, as well as their own government's efforts alongside donor-funded efforts. Meanwhile, PEPFAR costing studies could be crucial for national programme planners — how much the delivery of antiretroviral therapy costs in a given region should be essential information to be shared with the world.

Keywords: AIDS, PEPFAR