Sustainability, Transition and Co-Financing
The Global Fund’s Sustainability, Transition and Co-Financing (STC) policy was approved in April 2016 and implemented during the 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 funding cycles. The policy formalized the Global Fund’s approach to strengthening sustainability, enhancing domestic financing and co-financing, and supporting countries to better prepare for transition away from Global Fund financing while maintaining and scaling their service coverage. The 2023-2028 Global Fund Strategy also highlights the need to support comprehensive domestic resource mobilization and health financing. The STC policy outlines ways for countries to better invest in external financing and to catalyze domestic resources to strengthen health systems and to address critical sustainability and transition challenges.
Sustainability
The Global Fund’s sustainability approach focuses on the ability of a health program - or country - to both maintain and scale up service coverage to a level that will enable continued containment of a public health problem and support efforts for elimination of the three diseases, even after funding from the Global Fund or other major external donors comes to an end. The Global Fund’s approach to sustainability recognizes its many dimensions, including financial, programmatic, epidemiological, equity, systems-related, governance, human rights, and political dimensions.
Transition
For the Global Fund, transition is the process of a country (or a country component) moving towards fully funding and implementing its health programs independent of the Global Fund support.
The Global Fund considers a transition to have been successful when national responses and health systems are able to at least maintain (and preferably improve) equitable coverage and uptake of services even after Global Fund support has ended.
Co-financing
Enhancing and increasing domestic financing is an integral aspect of strengthening sustainability and fostering successful transitions. The Global Fund co-financing requirements encourage improved domestic financing for health and the three diseases, as well as more equitable and efficient use of existing resources.