LCM completes membership renewal: elects Cllr. Gongloe as chair, Rev. Gonoe and Mr. Hinneh, 1st and 2nd vice chairs respectively

On Thursday, 12 July 2018, the Liberia Coordinating Mechanism (LCM) of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (TGF) completed its membership renewal. Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) was elected as Chairperson, while Rev. Janice F. Gonoe of the Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) HIV and AIDS Program and Mr. Johnson T. Hinneh of the Ministry of Education (MoH) were elected as 1^st and 2^nd Vice Chairs respectively to serve on the multi-sectorial and multi-disciplinary body for a term of 3 years.

Both Cllr. Gongloe and Mr. Hinneh, who represent private/for profit sector and government constituencies respectively, were re-elected unopposed during the elections; while Rev. Janice Gonoe of LCL HIV and AIDS Program won Sr. Barbara Brillant of Mother Paten College of Health Sciences with a margin of seven votes out of a total of 20 votes cast. Both were nominated from the civil society constituencies. The elections were held at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia with technical and financial support from the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the international cooperation agency of Germany.

The LCM is customized to Liberia from what is known globally as Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM). It is an independent national body that submits funding applications to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria on behalf of Liberia. Members of the LCM include representatives of various sectors including multilateral and bilateral agencies, government, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, faith-based organization, the private sector, key affected population and people living with the disease.

The membership renewal process was in compliance with Global Fund requirement and the Governance and Operational Manual of the LCM.  Membership on the LCM is for three years, the newly elected officials will serve from July 12, 2018 to June 30, 2021.

Earlier on over 75 Civil Society Organization (CSOs) representatives from Local Non-Governmental Organizations (LNGO), People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) and Key Affected Population (KAP) in the country held elections for new representatives to the LCM as per the Global Fund requirement which calls for the election of CSO members through a transparent and inclusive process.

NGOs have two slots on the LCM and those elected to represent these slots were: Joyce L. Kilikpo Jarwolo of the Public Health Institute of Liberia (PHIL) as Member, with T. Edwin Kamara of the Youth Crime Watch (YCW) as Alternate; and Gabriel Starks of the Starks Foundation as Member, with Swaliho Fofana of Youth Aid Liberia as Alternate.

PLHIV also have two slots on the LCM, to which Joejoe Baysah of Light Association was elected as Member, with Josephine Godoe of the Liberia Network of Persons Living with HIV (LIBNEP+) as Alternate; and Cynthia Yah Gonleh of the Liberia Women Empowerment Network (LIWEN) as Member, with Dahn Tyler of ALL+ as Alternate.

Likewise those elected to represent the KAP Community on the LCM were: Stephen McGill of Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL) as Member, with Maxwell Momboe of the Liberia Initiative for the Promotion of Rights, Identity, Diversity and Equality (LIPRIDE) as Alternate; and Charles Richards of TNOL as Member, with Jennifer Henshaw of LEGAL as Alternate.

Meanwhile, the LCM had its Oversight Committee and Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) constituted with their Chairs elected for a three-year term.

Those elected as Oversight Committee members include: Dr. Suleiman Braimoh of UNICEF (Chair), Theodosia Kolee of the National AIDS Commission (Co-Chair), Dr. Moses Jeuronlon of WHO, Dr. Charles Oliver of USAID, Joyce L. Kilikpo Jarwolo of PHIL, Sheikh Idrissa Swaray of the National Muslim Council of Liberia, Charles Richards of TNOL, Rev. Janice Gonoe of LCL-HIV and AIDS Program, and Sr. Barbara Brillant of Mother Paten College of Health Sciences.

Members of the TCC include:  Dr. Moses Jeuronlon of WHO (Chair), Dr. Stephen Kennedy of the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons (Co-Chair), Dr. Maxo Luma of PIH, Maxwell W. Momboe of LIPRIDE, T. Edwin Kamara of Youth Crime Watch, Dr. Charles Oliver of USAID, Dr. Karmul Islam of UNICEF, Dr. Julia Tommey Garbo of National AIDS/STIs Control Program (Program Manager), Oliver Pratt of National Malaria Control Program (Program Manager) and Dr. Roxanne Boker of National Leprosy, Tuberculosis Control Program (Program Manager).