Promoting and protecting human rights and gender equality an objective of the Global Fund Strategy 2017 – 2022 and should provide robust opportunities for community advocates addressing gender inequality in HIV, TB and malaria to participate and access resources. However, a recent report commissioned by UNAIDS on the Prioritization in Global Fund Grants: revealed that out of 46 funding requests submitted in the 2020-2022 allocation cycle indicated that only 1 had utilized a gender assessment in its funding prioritization process.

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A lack of influence or accountability in the prioritization processes have led to women’s programs and projects being underfunded, or deprioritized once the hurdles for proposals are met which results in minimal funding to women’s networks and the relegation of funding available only to prevention of vertical transmission services. To remedy this ICW proposes to strengthen the engagement of women living with HIV utilizing evidence -based advocacy from networks of women living with HIV to ensure that Global Fund processes including the development of country proposals and funding prioritization as well as Global Fund Adjacent processes such national AIDS planning processes actually achieve adequate resource allocation towards interventions that address gender inequality, promote equality and protect women and girls, including women from key populations.