13 August 2025

We, the undersigned regional networks of people living with HIV and key populations collectively known as the “Seven Alliance”, are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the ongoing mid-cycle reprioritization process under GC7 in the Asia-Pacific region.

As part of our mandate, we have been closely working with national community and civil society networks and organizations, and actively monitoring the pause/deferral and reprioritization process at the country level. While we have observed good practices of meaningful engagement of CCM, community, and civil society representatives in a few Asian countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, serious concerns have been reported to the Seven Alliance by communities and civil societies in many countries. Given the political sensitivities and in-country risks, regional networks play a critical role in amplifying voices that are otherwise silenced or sidelined.

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are in different stages of the reprioritization process. Among those that have already started (or are at early stages of) the process, we are gravely concerned about the following practices:

• In Bangladesh, the principal recipient has terminated contracts with three community networks. The reprioritization process at the CCM level did not engage communities meaningfully. The government and principal recipients made decisions on the reprioritization without consulting community needs and priorities.
• In Indonesia, the engagement of CCM and technical working groups was limited to high-level discussions only, and decisions on the details of reprioritization were made by principal recipients, with limited opportunities for communities and civil society to engage.
• In Pakistan, the suspension and deferral of key activities were implemented unilaterally, without any prior consultation with affected communities or civil society organizations. Upon receiving notification of the reduced budget allocation, the national network of people living with HIV (APLHIV) swiftly convened a joint meeting comprising community representatives, civil society stakeholders, and CCM members from both constituencies.
• The purpose of this national-level assembly was to provide a comprehensive orientation on the reprioritization process and its implications. During the meeting, participants unanimously endorsed and issued a formal advocacy statement, strongly urging Principal Recipients to adhere to the established reprioritization guidelines by ensuring meaningful engagement with communities throughout the process. The statement unequivocally rejected the non-consultative, blanket approach to budget cuts and activity deprioritization, emphasizing that such actions undermine the principles of transparency, inclusion, and rights-based programming.
• In Nepal, the reprioritization process has been inclusive and transparent, compared to many other countries. However, community and civil society organizations/networks have expressed concerns about the country team’s lack of support and rigidity in working together to find the best way forward based on the country’s context and needs.
• In India, all communications are taking place between the Global Fund country team, CCM, and the principal recipients. There has been no dialogue or consultation with the community and civil society organizations/networks. While minimal budget reductions on prevention and treatment services are ensured, community and civil society organizations expressed their concerns on the cuts on 5% annual increment of remuneration of frontline community workers.

In most countries, the Global Fund country teams appear to prioritize meeting deadlines over ensuring an inclusive and transparent process. In some cases, the country teams, reportedly, are exerting pressure on a country-led process by telling them that failure to meet the deadline may result in the country losing the Global Fund grant support for GC7. This has resulted in a fear-driven country-led process and has become an easy justification for expediting the process without engaging communities and civil society organizations meaningfully.

Every guidance from the Global Fund on the reprioritization/revision process, including the operational updates and the recent ‘Guidance on GC7 Mid-cycle Reprioritization and Revision’ published on 8 July 2025, explicitly requires an inclusive and transparent CCM engagement, ensuring all relevant stakeholders, especially communities and civil society organizations, are consulted. However, in light of the aforementioned realities at the country level, on behalf of the HIV, TB, and Malaria community and civil society organizations/networks in the Asia-Pacific region, we call for urgent action and intervention from the Global Fund:

• The Global Fund country teams must ensure an inclusive and transparent process, especially through the meaningful engagement of communities and civil society organizations/networks. The country teams are “the last line of defense” in countries where communities are not engaged or their priorities are not considered.
• The country teams must ensure that the reduction is proportionately applied to the management costs of principal recipients before targeting reduction on community-led prevention and treatment services.
• The Global Fund should initiate a donor harmonization (funding alignment) process, both at the country and global levels, to address gaps in the programming for LGBTQ+ and sex worker communities, and the funding gap for essential health products and commodities.
• While we recognize the need for a swift reprioritization process, country teams must avoid exerting pressure on a country-led process. Instead, we encourage country teams to support and guide CCM through the process, including monitoring and verifying the level and quality of community engagement, and ensuring transparency and accountability throughout.
• The Global Fund Secretariat must offer a mechanism to escalate concerns from communities when the reprioritization processes exclude community voices, especially when the country team, CCM, and/or principal recipients undermine the priorities of communities.

The Seven Alliance continues to offer technical support and has been hosting webinars to boost community engagement. We must protect community-led essential and life-saving prevention and treatment interventions, including those that reduce human rights-related barriers to access. We urge the Global Fund to take immediate steps to ensure that the principles of equity, inclusion, and accountability are not compromised in the reprioritization process.

Sincerely,

The Seven Alliance consortium.

1. APCOM;

2. Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV [APN+];

3. Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers [APNSW];

4. Asia Pacific Transgender Network [APTN];

5. International Community of Women living with HIV in the Asia Pacific [ICW-AP];

6. Network of Asian People who Use Drugs [NAPUD];

7. Youth LEAD

And, 32 other endorsers.

 

Please download the full statement to check the full list of endorsers and other details.