Measurement Obstacles to Achieving Value for Money at the Global Fund: A Problem Statement

The Global Fund is currently finalizing design and implementation of its New Funding Model (NFM), which includes a focus on strengthened measurement and an impact-based investment strategy. To help frame the Fund’s reform agenda in this area, we first consider the inherent measurement challenges faced by programs to address HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, including those that arise from the competing demands for data by a broad range of constituencies. Next, we attempt to define a clear problem statement by outlining the Global Fund’s heavy reliance on data and measurement as core components of its business model, while identifying critical deficiencies in the Global Fund’s historical system of measurement. Finally, we situate the Global Fund within different perspectives on how measurement in health financing should operate, including the benefits and limitations of each vision.