Ensuring impact and accountability

CDC’s Country Monitoring and Accountability System (CMAS)

(Formerly called Country Management and Support Initiative (CMS))

In the fight against global HIV/AIDS, CDC is committed to saving lives and achieving the goal of an AIDS-free generation. CDC is also committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and accountability in the use of federal funds received through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in pursuing this goal.

In 2011, CDC launched the Country Management and Support (CMS) initiative, now called the Country Monitoring and Accountability System (CMAS), to identify any challenges in countries resulting from the rapid scale-up of complex PEPFAR/CDC programming. CMAS focuses on the following key areas:

• Intramural Resources: Ensuring proper management and stewardship of financial resources, property, and human resources within CDC's overseas offices
• Extramural Funding: Ensuring responsible and accurate management of financial and other resources external to CDC's overseas offices
• Public Health Impact: Ensuring the delivery of consistently high quality interventions and technical assistance that positively impact the populations the program serves

CMAS teams are made up of 7-10 intra-agency multidisciplinary experts, who visit country offices to assess management and operations, program budget and extramural resources, procurements and grants, financial management, science, and key technical program areas as appropriate. Findings are presented to in-country teams. CDC headquarters then works with country offices to create a plan and timeline to address and correct any issues.

The first round of CMAS visits (CMS I) took place in 35 CDC country offices between February 2011 and March 2012. See box above for links to CMS I country report summaries. For the second round of CMAS visits (begun in October 2012), country offices will be assessed every two years. CMAS II will have an increased emphasis on providing supportive technical assistance to ensure continual quality program improvement.