The PCB recognized the value to UNAIDS’s work of partnerships with the public sector, NGOs and people living with HIV/AIDS, and the business community, and encouraged the Programme to continue its partnership building efforts.

While leaving the final decision regarding timing and location in the hands of the Secretariat, the PCB expressed the desire that the meeting be held outside Geneva. The PCB thanked the representative of Uganda for offering to host the meeting, while noting that the last thematic meeting had taken place in the Africa Region.

The PCB took note of the proposal to hold a thematic PCB meeting later this year. After some discussion it was agreed that:

26.1 The meeting would discuss thematic issues to be confirmed in consultation with the PCB members.

26.2 The meeting would also discuss the monitoring and evaluation plan of UNAIDS.

The PCB recommended that:

25.1 Donors be requested to inform the Secretariat in writing, as early as possible in the calendar year, what the considered level of their contribution will be to the UNAIDS core budget.

25.2 Continued efforts by the donors and UNAIDS Secretariat and PCB Working Group on Resource Mobilization to find ways and means to increase the sustainability and predictability of funding.

The PCB further noted that the level of the Fund will be reviewed at the next regular annual session of the PCB.

The PCB endorsed the recommendations by the PCB Working Group on Resource Mobilization (UNAIDS/(PCB(6)/98.10 of 29 April 1998).

The PCB, taking into account the need for UNAIDS to use its resources effectively and taking into account also the administrative agreements between UNAIDS and WHO:

22.1 Requests the UNAIDS Secretariat to continue to discuss with WHO’s administration, mechanisms for the efficient use of scarce resources with regard to the Operating Reserve Fund, and in particular, the specific requirement to obligate salaries for the calendar year, and to report to the PCB at its next regular session in 1999.

The PCB noted the concerns raised by some delegates concerning the level of the Operating Reserve Fund which in particular was dictated by the need to obligate salaries for UNAIDS staff for a calendar year, under the WHO rules and procedures which govern the administration in support of the Programme.

Based on the recommendations of the PCB Working Group on Resource Mobilization, and information contained in document UNAIDS/PCB(6)/98.9 (7 May 1998), the PCB approved the rules and procedures guiding the use of the Operating Reserve Fund (set out in paragraph 11 of the above-mentioned document), and endorsed the proposal that the optimal size of the Fund should be at the level of US$33 million for the reasons explained in the document.

In the light of the above the PCB approved the following:

19.1. The PCB authorizes the Executive Director to make transfers between the 21 Programme Components set out in Table II of the UNAIDS Programme Budget and Workplan, up to a level not exceeding 25% of the amount budgeted for each component, on the condition that such transfers do not exceed 5% of the respective amounts of the two major categories of expenditure mentioned above.

The PCB approved, in its regular annual April 1997 meeting, the UNAIDS Budget and Workplan for the 1998-1999 biennium in an amount of US$ 120 million, with a breakdown that corresponds to the following major categories of expenditure:

18.1 Substantive programme expenditure (US$95,590,000)

18.2 Programme management and administrative expenditure (US$24,410,000)

The PCB recognizes the need to adapt to the new structure of the 1998-1999 biennium budget and workplan the authority it had given in November 1995 to the Executive Director to make transfers between programme areas within the 1996-1997 budget.