CCM Meeting Minute, October 22, 2008

Meeting Agenda:

1. Second Phase Financing Procedures; GF evaluation of CCM application; Dead line, frequent questions.
2. Sustainability of GF programs.
3. General overview of the program’s status after five years of GF financing.
4. Mid-term analysis of CCM activity in 2008.
5. Implementing status of CCM activities based on GF indicators present in financing requests from November, 2007.
6. Debate: Improving CCM activity; the efficiency of CCM mechanism. Revising CCM role in connection with GF and national requests.
7. Monitoring Grant Plan implementation; methodology of evaluation visits, selected projects.
8. Recently presented reports: Research Study Report regarding the implication of Civil Society in CCM mechanism; Annual Report of HIV/AIDS Grant- Round 6.

The meeting is led by:

State Secretary-CCM President- Mr. Mircea Manuc

CCM Vice-president- UNOPA Representative- Mr. Iulian Petre

1. PR Round 6 Representative Mrs. Silvia Asandi (RAA) makes a general presentation of the grant extension of Round 6, Phase 2 GF Grant. All the information is to be found on GF website- www.theglobalfund.org .

As a response PMU Round 2 Representative Mrs. Maria Varga specifies that unlike Round 2 extension procedures, in Round 6 one can make procedural changes, with the additional argumentation.

UNAIDS Representative- Mr. Eduard Petrescu encourages the written request for application to structural funds. A viable solution would be to save a part of GF funds as co-financing structural programs. Thus the continuity of GF programs is ensured. Also CCM Secretariat should take over the documentation and all plans schemes of Round 2 programs.

CCM Vice-president Mr. Iulian Petre (UNOPA) replies that his organization tried as well to apply this plan, but it becomes impossible as it can be regarded as a double financing.   

2. PR Round 6 Representative states that achieving performance with penitentiaries programs still represents a problem especially at HIV/AIDS field because of the nine month delay caused by NPA’s retreat and by the selection process of SRs. As for the TB project, this one is on the right recovery track and chances are for it to be updated and accomplished to term in Semester 6.

UNAIDS Representative Mr. Eduard Petrescu suggests organizing several working groups focused exclusively on the application method for structural funds. He feels that the groups must gather on a longer period of time in order to come up and finalize with the necessary documentation. He also mentions that at GF Montenegro Meeting (14-19 December 2008) he will propose using a part of the funds distributed by GF as staring point for structural funds application process.

UNOPA Representative Mr. Iulian Petre replies that the main obstacle is the procurement of necessary sums of money to the project demarche, because of the bureaucracy imposed by National Ministries and not by International Institutions.

Because of the lack of interest of other Ministries beneficiary of GF funds, CCM President Mr. Mircea Manuc proposes establishing a meeting with power representatives of these institutions in order to deal with the issue of their involvement in the projects.

3. CCM Secretary Dr. Mioara Predeescu discusses the absenteeism phenomenon at CCM meetings arguing that it leads to a feebleness of CCM authority and importance. National Anti-Drug Agency didn’t send any representative at this year’s meetings. Dr. Predescu makes a general description of the implementing plan settled for the ongoing year, emphasizing the projects which are still to be accomplished. An equally important subject is connected to the HIV Grant Round 6 SR evaluation by CCM members and PR Round 6 assessment by SRs.

As CCM is already late with this activity it is proposed that to take place in November, 2008, following the Monitoring Plan agreed upon by CCM in July 2006.

ARAS President Mrs. Maria Georgescu suggests that monitoring visits to be made at SRs with low rates of disbursement, as ARAS presents such a problem and would like to resolve it. Thus UNAIDS and MOH have volunteered to evaluate the selected SRs. Round 6 PR’s activity will be assessed by ARAS, UNOPA and Save the Childern Foundation .  The final plan for the visits will be made after having received the complete list of sub recipients from RAA, the day after the present meeting.

The dates for the monitoring visits will be agreed by SRs involved and by CCM Secretariat through e-voting.

4. “Marius Nasta Pneumology” Institute Representative Mrs. Domnica Chiotan   raises the issue concerning TB program finances to MOH representative, mainly whether the budget from the documents will be the same with the distributed one.

State Secretary Mr. Mircea Manuc ensures her that the figure in the documents is the same with the distributed one.

PR Round 6 Representative Mrs. Silvia Asandi suggests that various methodologies concerning GF to be translated into Romanian and posted on the website by CCM Secretariat.

As an already established procedure each SR will make a review of its activities. At the present meeting time RHRN Romania makes a general presentation about its programs in penitentiaries (progress and setbacks). The presentation is available on GF site .

As the representative of Ministry of Education, Mrs. Daniela Calugaru is present at the meeting she is asked to describe the GF activities inside this institution.

Mrs. Calugaru states that several Sanitary Educational programs are to be re-introduced in the pre-academic school environment and that Ministry of Education has managed to apply and receive money from structural funds in order to continue these activities. Ministry of Education has consented to allocate the necessary sum of money for its part in the program. Therefore ME will distribute 5 billion RON for the project’s continuity.

PMU Round 2 Representative Mrs. Maria Varga presents the current situation regarding close-out procedures which is due at the end of 2008, namely that this one extends its dead line until June 2009. This is a consequence of a letter sent to GF by UMP Round 2, explaining that activities for this project haven’t all ended. Therefore Mrs. Varga kindly asks all Round 2 SRs to assess from a financial perspective, (spent money, still unspent money) their activities thus enabling UMP to draw a final line and present a clear situation of all programs. The dead line is December 31^st, 2008.

The session is declared adjourned.