Multiple donors currently provide aid to low- and middle-income countries on global health issues – in some cases, close to 20 donors are providing aid to address the same global health challenge in the same country. Are they coordinated, and how does coordination impact effectiveness of aid? Do recipient countries know which donors are working in their countries on which issues? Does civil society know?  Are these resources being used in the best way possible? The proliferation of donors has created challenges for negotiating, coordinating and delivering effective programs that strengthen country ownership, support civil society, and uphold other established principles for development assistance.

Building on a recent series of reports examining the current landscape of global health donors and recipient countries on HIV, TB, malaria, and family planning/reproductive health, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a panel of experts to discuss these issues, including the role of the U.S. government in addressing coordination. The panelists included Ariel Pablos-Méndez, assistant administrator for global health at USAID; Shu-Shu Tekle-Haimanot, Geneva-based senior specialist for advocacy and partnerships, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Matthew Kavanagh, senior policy analyst at Health Global Access Project; and Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Jen Kates, the Foundation’s vice president and director of global health and HIV policy, provided opening remarks and moderated the panel discussion.