external financing for health mdgs: overview from european civil society

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

External financing for Health MDGs: overview from European civil society

Simon Wright

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

Action for Global Health

• Growing network of international NGO offices in Brussels, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK

• Very diverse organisations but working together for common goals: funding, prioritising of health systems, equitable access

• Focus on quantity and quality of EU ODA for health.

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

Quantity of ODA

• Need to champion increases in health ODA at the same time as improving its effectiveness

• Targets assumed aid was real and untied

• Innovative financing sources must be additional.

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

Economic crisis and ODA

• Recession cannot be an excuse

• Nor can it mean business-as-usual

• Is the reason for urgent action to finally meet ODA targets.

• Some donors were already retreating from their commitments before the crisis.

• Still need to ensure “real aid”.

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

EU Guidelines for aid effectiveness

• Area 1: Division of labour

• Area 2: Use of country systems

• Area 3: Predictability of aid

• Area 4: Mutual accountability for results

www.actionforglobalhealth.eu

AMR recommendations• The economic crisis must be the reason to act

urgently on meeting ODA commitments for health.• Donor governments must go faster on improving

quality of ODA.• Innovative methods of financing health systems must

be additional to ODA commitments• Country ownership must involve citizens to reduce

inequalities, ensure universal access and prioritise health

• Increased use of sectoral budget support should be considered

• EU MDG contracts should ensure aid orphans are supported

• The IHP+ must also be a vehicle for increasing health ODA to fund national plans.