International funding of the HIV responses in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) has been experiencing significant constraints over the last couple of years. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has revisited eligibility criteria for countries to access funding, which has also affected a number of countries. Many of these countries are still heavily dependent on external funding for their national HIV and TB responses. The new eligibility criteria puts higher demands on domestic financing sources and some countries will fully cease to be eligible for further Global Fund support.

UNDP identifies NGOs as key players in the transition process towards domestic financing of national HIV responses.
After carrying out analysis of legal frameworks related to social contracting of NGOs as providers of HIV-related services, recommendations to countries are provided on legal frameworks and current practice of social contracting between governments and NGOs.

UNDP works with national stakeholders to let NGOs be explicitly recognized as partners and service providers in HIV/public health legislation and policies.

These fact sheets provide overviews of the HIV epidemiology and responses, the role of NGO social contracting in the national HIV response, and recommendations to national stakeholders on increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing social contracting mechanisms.

In addition, the NGO social contracting case Reports for Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia focus on the experiences of these NGO with accessing funding for HIV projects from domestic funding sources. Specific recommendations and lessons learned are presented in order to facilitate smooth transition processes to more domestic funding sources for NGOs, which can be replicated in the context of other countries.