ABSTRACT
The Global Fund was formed at the turn of the millennium, embodying hope that a unique multistakeholder partnership would be able to curb the epidemic through more efficient and effective aid delivery. Civil society actors were given unprecedented space within the governance of this new institution, positioned as equal and essential partners. The aspirations for inclusive and effective governance, embodied in the Global Fund, continue to be held up as an example of a uniquely participatory governance arrangement (Rittberger et al. 2008). This chapter documents how these aspirations have been put into practice
and to what effect. Structured similarly to the preceding chapter, the focus is on CSO influence in decision-making, and contributions to building institutional legitimacy and accountable relationships. Recognizing that the Global Fund is primarily a resource governance institution, the last section of the chapter analyses how CSOs attempt to influence resource distribution to promote a rightsbased response. While recognizing that the Global Fund provides funding for three diseases
and so includes CSOs from various health backgrounds, the focus of this chapter is on HIV/AIDS CSOs. This is not a particularly limiting factor, as the majority of civil society actors that engage in the Fund come from HIV/ AIDS CSOs (Bartsch 2007). Furthermore, in keeping with the scope of the discussion here, the analysis is of CSO participation at the global level and so regional and national processes (such as CSO participation on CCMs) are addressed only where they overlap with global level processes.
