Regional Meeting for Southern Africa Region LFA Roles

1
Regional Meeting for Southern Africa RegionLFA
Roles Zimbabwe Experience

• Namibia, 8-10 May 2007

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Roles and Responsibilities

• Attendance at CCM meetings.
• Member?
• Observer?
• Technical Advisor?
• Spy?
• Role in implementation and decision making.
• PR/LFA Relationship
• Assessor/Auditor?
• Programmatic or Financial Assessor
• Procurement and Supply
• PR/SR Assessments

3
In-country Challenges

• There are many challenges but perhaps the three
  that stand out in my experience are
• Delay
• UNDP as PR
• Exchange rate

4
In-country Challenges Delays

• The last or second last country to sign a round 1
  grant.
• Signed Round 5 grants on 18 December 2006. just
  before judgement day.
• Round 1 Phase 2s and Round 5 Phase 1s have not
  yet been implemented as a result of the exchange
  rate issue.
• When, nearly a year ago, we raised the issue of
  exchange rate as a major risk, we could not have
  guessed how long it would take to resolve the
  issue.

5
In-country Challenges UNDP as PR

• The circumstance under which UNDP is PR (of last
  resort).
• Who is the PR, UNDP Harare or New York
• How about the New York/Geneva relationships?

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In-country Challenges The Exchange Rate

• Inflation, at last count was upwards of 2000 per
  annum and 60 per month.
• Net Result is no Global Fund PR/SR can meet
  Program targets using the Bank Rate.

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In-country Challenges The Exchange Rate

• Zimbabwe has a controlled/managed exchange rate
  (ZIM250 to the US).
• There is also a pararrel market rate (say ZIM 20
  000 to the US)
• In between you have the UN rate, other negotiated
  rates and more recently the Drought Mitigation
  Exchange Rate (ZIM15 000 to the US).
• At what rate are the goods priced in the market?

8
In-country Challenges The Exchange Rate

• Inflation, at last count was upwards of 2000 per
  annum and 60 per month.
• Net Result is no Global Fund PR/SR can meet
  Program targets using the Bank Rate.
• Up to May 2005, there was one operative rate
• To mid-January 2006, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
  adjusted the interbank rate upwards to keep track
  of the pararrel market rate.
• The interbank rate has remained static since.

9
In-country Challenges The Exchange Rate
10
LFA Experience The Story

• The story starts in January 2003 when we were
  appointed.
• Four FPM down the line we are still enjoying the
  experience.
• An whose highlights have that has included
• Creative procurement plans, budgets and work
  plans
• Some very interesting meetings and some long
  nights.
• Seen roles and responsibilities understood
  better, relationships improve and the
  partnerships concept take route.

11
LFA Experience The Story)

• Personal note.
• Damana
• Thank you