Short description
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SDC was actively involved in the preparatory discussions and work which led to the founding of the Council On Health Research For Development (COHRED) in 1993 and the Global Forum for Health Research (GFHR) in 1998. SDC supports both organisations through contributions to their core. SDC has been represented in their boards from the beginning.
The rational of SDC's support is based on the report of the Commission on Health Research for Development from 1990 which highlighted the serious lack of funding for health research in developing countries and the enormous gap between health research needs and actual health research spending ("10/90-Gap") (Annex 1). It concluded that research is crucial to improve human health and should support informed decision making for health action.
The Global Forum for Health Research focuses on global research issues and research policy, and specifically on the reduction of the 10/90 gap (less than 10% of the total global amount dedicated for Health Research is devoted to 90% of the world's health problems mostly affecting the countries of the developing world); Activities include e.g. the well-known support to Public-Private-Partnerships, such as the MMV initiative (Annex 1).
The Council on Health Research for Development puts its emphasis on the creation and support of research systems at the country and regional level, in order to foster research for action towards more equitable health systems in LDCs, addressing both health sector specific areas and determinants of health outside the narrow scope of the health sector using the Essential National Health Research (ENHR) approach for the promotion of better and more equitable health systems and thus for development in general (Annex 1).
The MDGs and other global initiatives have placed health at the centre of development and underscored its crucial role in the struggle against poverty. This has opened windows of opportunity to advocate for the unique contribution of health research to achieve equity in health, thus a better health status and a higher level of development in the world's most deprived populations. In this rapidly changing context with a multiplication of partners in health, development, health research, increased competition for scarce funding, and a growing trend of short term global strategies has made the position of small organisations like GFHR and COHRED more difficult to define and maintain.
Hence, both organisations redefined their strategies and visions in 2003 - a process that was reopened and prolonged into this year with the two incoming new directors in January 2004. Whilst an ext. evaluation in 2000 supported this process within GFHR the ongoing 2004-evaluation has an twofold aim: i.) to allow an organisational review of COHRED, ii.) to define and specify the niche for both organisations, their complementarity and distinctive mandates, and iii.) to explore the synergies of working with WHO as the lead global player in this domain.
The delay in the appointment of the two new directors only in Jan 04 extended the elaboration of the evaluation and setup of the evaluation team and led us to the offer the GFHR and COHRED a bridging phase, continuing funding at previous levels for the period January 2004 to June 2005.
A next regular 3-year funding period 2005-7 incorporates the results of the evaluation report and will define the complementary and mutually supportive approaches of the two organisations in supporting coherence in health research governance and implementation.
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Abstract
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The mandate and operations of the two organisations remain unchanged during this bridging phase:
The central objective of the GFHR is to help correct the 10/90 gap at a global and policy level by focusing research efforts on diseases representing the heaviest burden on the world's health, seeking to improve the allocation of research funds, and facilitating collaboration between a wide range of partners in the public and private sector, i.e. policy-makers in governments and multilateral and bilateral development institutions, international foundations, national and international NGOs, research institutions and universities, pharmaceutical companies and the media. Key activities initiatives include analytical work and launch of initiatives such as measurement of resource flows in health research, the applications of the "combined framework" for priority-setting in health research, the preparation of new research initiatives/networks on violence against women, child abuse, child health and nutrition or the initiative for public/private partnerships in health (IPPPH).
COHRED is today working in over 50 countries at the national level and extending further to regional collaborative networks emphasising the need for focusing on the relationship between health and poverty. COHRED assists countries in establishing their own priorities for health research, in building coalitions of stakeholders and in committing themselves to linking research results to action for development and working for equity in health, i.e. to the decision making processes. In some countries the ENHR approach has been formalised through legislation in others, programmes and networks have applied the underlying principles of the ENHR. This focus has always been at the core of COHRED's mission statement of promoting not just "better health" but a more equitable distribution of health in populations in the developing world.
Hence, COHRED and the Global Forum have and will continue to strongly push for a focus on the needs of the most vulnerable and impoverished segments of society. In doing so both organisations will not only address health services, but also health system strengthening, - an approach in line with SDC's core values, the strategy 2010 and SDC's health policy.
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Transfer and application
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With regard to the bridging phase the individual strategic frameworks have been taken as the basis for the annual plans of operation and for monitoring and evaluation. The Board meetings in March (GFHR) and April 2004 (COHRED) allowed SDC to monitor and feedback on updates on work plans, strategies and scope and purpose of the external evaluation. With COHRED the Board has newly been actively involved in contributing its expertise to conceptual and strategic debates through a Board Newsletter.
In general, SDC is exercising its influence in the Global Forum through participation in the Foundation Council consisting of 20 members representing the constituencies and meeting twice yearly, as well as in the Strategic and Technical Advisory Committee on specific work programmes (STRATEC) which meets three times per year. The members of STRATEC are selected from the members of the Foundation Council. Until the next Board meeting in November 2004, SDC is represented by Dr. Martine Berger.
At COHRED, the Board meets twice yearly back-to-back with the GFHR and membership also ensures contribution of critical expertise to the organisation. As mentioned this expertise is sought for between Board meetings to ensure an active involvement in conceptual and strategic debates. The new Research & Development Group will be in charge of the ongoing internal monitoring of COHRED activities and finances. It plans to develop a set of key indicators allowing board members to exert their supervising role in an informed way.
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