Ensuring impact and accountability

CDC/DGHA’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 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 approximately seven to ten intra-agency multidisciplinary experts who visit country offices to conduct a standardized assessment of these key areas. CMAS team members present findings to in-country teams, provide recommendations for quality improvement, and note best practices observed during the visit to share with other DGHA country offices. After the visit, CDC headquarters works with country offices to provide targeted assistance to improve overall program performance and prevent suboptimal results.

The first round of CMAS (CMAS I) took place between February 2011 and March 2012. The second round of CMAS (CMAS II) took place between June 2012 and June 2014. CMAS II placed an increased emphasis on providing supportive technical assistance to ensure continual quality program improvement. Refer to the boxes below for links to CMAS I and CMAS II country report summaries.