title: Has global fund support for civil society advocacy in the former Soviet Union established meaningful engagement or 'a lot of jabber about nothing'?
abstract: Although civil society advocacy for health issues such as HIV transmission through injecting drug use is higher on the global health agenda than previously, its impact on national policy reform has been limited. In this paper we seek to understand why this is the case through an examination of civil society advocacy efforts to reform HIV/AIDS and drugs-related policies and their implementation in three former Soviet Union countries. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine by national researchers with representatives from a sample of 49 civil society organizations (CSOs) and 22 national key informants. We found that Global Fund support resulted in the professionalization of CSOs, which increased confidence from government and increased CSO influence on policies relating to HIV/AIDS and illicit drugs. Interviewees also reported that the amount of funding for advocacy from the Global Fund was insufficient, indirect and often interrupted. CSOs were often in competition for Global Fund support, which caused resentment and limited collective action, further weakening capacity for effective advocacy.
authors: Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management (CERGAS), Bocconi University, Milano, Italy. andrew.harmer@unibocconi.it
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Harmer
authors: Neil
authors: N
authors: Spicer
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Aleshkina
authors: Daryna
authors: D
authors: Bogdan
authors: Ketevan
authors: K
authors: Chkhatarashvili
authors: Gulgun
authors: G
authors: Murzalieva
authors: Natia
authors: N
authors: Rukhadze
authors: Arnol
authors: A
authors: Samiev
authors: Gill
authors: G
authors: Walt
mesh_terms: D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D005846:Georgia (Republic); D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007707:Kyrgyzstan; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000517:prevention & control; D014455:Ukraine