UNAIDS: The First 10 Years

Chapter 6monitoring and evaluation. In general, they function as mentors to colleagues in national AIDSauthorities to facilitate the implementation of a unified monitoring and evaluation system.173The Evaluation Department’s second main line of activity is to work with a wide range ofpartners to harmonize and reduce the number of global monitoring and evaluation indicators.This is achieved through the UNAIDS-initiated Monitoring and Evaluation ReferenceGroup, made up of about 80 members from many countries and institutions.The Evaluation Department’s third line of activity consists of global reporting, for example,on progress towards the Declaration of Commitment, on global and national resourcetracking, and on specific initiatives such as universal access.De Lay, reflecting on recent progress, said, “the capacity of monitoring and evaluationsystems at country level has been assessed in 2007 and shows steady and dramaticimprovement. Nearly 150 countries have provided national reports on the UNGASSindicator that include not only epidemiologic data but also information on changes inrisk behaviour, the policy environment, national funding for AIDS, and the coverage ofprevention and treatment services. Furthermore, there is much more a sense of countryownership of the collection analysis and reporting of the data. Setting national targets isalso part of a monitoring and evaluation process which will help countries better defi newhat is meant by ‘universal access’ and will provide clear, quantitative guidelines for whatprogress should be expected”.Indeed, UNAIDS monitoring and evaluation information has proved its value and credibilityin that it now serves the needs of new partners, such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR.In a speech he made in Berlin in September 2007, Piot said: “Six years ago there were over300 indicators to measure AIDS programmes by donors. Now we are already at around50. Our ambition is to go below 20 so that every donor uses the same ones. It will savetransaction costs in a huge way for the developing countries”.