Since 2002, the German BACKUP Initiative has supported 350 bilateral and multilateral measures in 64 countries. The follwing successful examples illustrate what has been achieved so far.

In Niger BACKUP has been working with the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM) since October 2007 to support the National AIDS Council (CISLS) through the provision of a long-term expert. With this expert support, CISLS has succeeded in qualifying as a Principal Recipient (PR) for further financing from the Global Fund. The creation of a national M&E plan ensured that the recommendations of the Global Fund and technical partners were put into practice. The programme is also helping to further strengthen civil society organisations and networks.

In 2007, BACKUP’s cooperating partner ICASO set up six Civil Society Action Teams (CSAT) worldwide. CSAT’s core mandate is to act as a broker, through coordinating, advocating and, most importantly, identifying the technical assistance needs of civil society actors seeking or implementing grants from the Global Fund and matching those needs with the providers of technical support. In Indonesia, CSAT has played a pivotal role in the establishment of two national AIDS control networks for drug users and people living with HIV. The networks were invited to become members of the national coordinating committee for Global Fund work (Country Coordinating Mechanism – CCM). CSAT has also successfully supported an application by 12 Indonesian provinces for Round 8 of the Global Fund.

The regional HIV Knowledge Hub approach developed jointly by BACKUP and the WHO has recently been applied in Morocco, Iran and Lebanon by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), with funding from the Swiss DROSOS Foundation. The WHO is also considering the use of the Knowledge Hub method for tobacco control programmes in Africa. In Zagreb, the regional HIV Knowledge Hub supported by BACKUP has also been formally awarded in 2007 the prestigious status of a WHO Collaborating Centre for Capacity Development in HIV Surveillance. This status allows a greater say in the further development of global responses to HIV in the health sector.

Other organisations have developed models similar to the BACKUP approach, for example the Grant Management Solutions (GMS) programme set up by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). BACKUP is increasingly working with GMS at country level.