Ten years after the creation of the 5% Initiative, the program is still going strong, with a new name and a renewed strategy to keep pace with the Global Fund’s cycles. We take a look back at the major milestones in the development of this unique program.
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
Signing of the agreement between FEI and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The operator France Expertise Internationale (FEI) was tasked to implement the 5% Initiative, an indirect contribution to the Global Fund.
DECEMBER 13, 2011
First steering committee. The committee defined the criteria of eligibility for support, relationships with the French diplomatic network, and the regulations aiming at avoiding conflicts of interest. It approved three requests for technical assistance out of 25 received.
APRIL 27, 2012
Launch of calls for proposals. The selected themes were health system strengthening and operational research. A total of 118 projects were submitted.
APRIL 23-24, 2013
Strategic meeting with the partners. The 5% Initiative held a seminar to discuss the first year’s results, anticipate the needs for technical expertise, and define the next rounds of calls for projects.
DECEMBER 7-11, 2013
The 5% Initiative’s first international event. The 5% Initiative took part in the 17th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Cape Town, South Africa.
DECEMBER 1, 2014
Malaria seminar in Bangkok. Eighty researchers, partners, and civil society representatives discussed “New challenges for malaria control and elimination: the role of operational research for innovation in designing interventions”.
JANUARY 1, 2015
Creation of Expertise France. The French international technical cooperation agency was created from the merging of six operators, including France Expertise Internationale.
JUNE 2-3, 2016
First expert seminars. The 5% Initiative held a seminar in Paris for all the experts in its networks, who are regularly mobilized for technical assistance to our partners.
NOVEMBER 2-7, 2016
Training sessions on sexual and reproductive health. Adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health is a major issue (see pages 10-11). In Saly, Senegal, an education cycle in sexual and reproductive health, gender, and human rights was organized for project leaders.
SEPTEMBER 12-15, 2017
CCM in workshops. In partnership with the Global Fund, a workshop was organized in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for the benefit of country coordinating mechanisms (CCM).
JANUARY 30, 2018
Presentation of the 5% Initiative’s strategic evaluation report to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The document confirmed the relevance and necessity of the mechanism.
FEBRUARY, 2019
Launch of the presidential initiative for health in Africa. This was the first pilot project of the 5% Initiative.
OCTOBER 9-10, 2019
Sixth Global Fund Replenishment Conference in Lyon, France. Under France’s Leadership, the Global Fund raised 14 billion dollars in pledges, an unprecedented amount for a multilateral health organization.
JANUARY 2020
New identity. The 5% Initiative changed its name and became “L’Initiative”.
NOVEMBER 2021
10 years. L’Initiative celebrates its 10th anniversary.
