Background
The objective of the Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) is to provide an independent review of the implementation of the 2016-30 Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health. To do this, the IAP needs to have a real and perceived independence from current institutional structures, while at the same time avoiding the creation of new and burdensome administrative structures.
External accountability
Positioning the IAP Secretariat within the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (the Partnership) administratively gives the IAP a connection to the 700+ partners and thousands of individuals linked to the Partnership, encouraging a truly multi-stakeholder approach to accountability. The Partnership itself is hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). As described below and presented in Figure 1, administrative arrangements allow for a degree of separation from the WHO Family, Women , Children and adolescents Cluster in which it is housed.
Figure 1: IAP governance structure
The IAP Secretariat budget is ring-fenced within the Partnership Secretariat budget. Clear, costed workplans for the Partnership’s implementation of Strategic Objective 2 Driving Accountability and for the IAP’s implementation of the IAP mandate are important tools to ensure clarity and shared understanding.
Legal Status of the IAP
The IAP is administratively and legally a project within the Partnership, within WHO.
Internal accountability
The IAP has a small standalone Secretariat, firewalled to the extent feasible from the Partnership and from the WHO Cluster and is supporting effective and efficient functioning of the IAP to deliver on its mandate.