A UNICEF health expert and “innovative manager” is set to join the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the latest in a series of changes meant to maximize the donor’s impact.
Osamu Kunii will join the fund in the coming weeks to head its strategy, investment and impact division, Executive Director Mark Dybul announced Monday, Jan. 21, on his first day in office. Kunii will manage a team of medical experts, strategists, planners and specialists that measure the impact of Global Fund investments. Kunii currently serves as chief of child survival and development in UNICEF’s Somalia Support Center, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kunii’s appointment comes after a tumultuous year or so for the Global Fund that included staffing changes, funding freezes, a new funding model and a modified malaria program. Kunii is expected to play a lead role in Dybul’s “big push” to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“We need to redouble our efforts this year to make sure we’re raising the money we need to get this work done,” Dybul wrote in a blog post on Monday. He listed six “moves” to make it happen:
Show value for money.
Focus on impact.
“Combine every evidence-based approach that works.”
Boost accountability and transparency.
“Work together” with civil society, public health advocates, bilateral organizations and the private sector.
Continue learning.
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About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
