FC 102/13

Finance Committee

Table of Contents

FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

Basic texts: financial regulations 6.7 (extract)

programme and project review committee (pprc)

Appendix 1
Annex 1

FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

1. The Committee asked to be informed of the means for ensuring that projects funded from voluntary contributions met the Organization’s criteria for acceptance of such contributions. The criteria for acceptance and the means of their enforcement are as follows.

BASIC TEXTS: FINANCIAL REGULATIONS 6.7 (EXTRACT)

2. Financial Regulation 6.7 provides that: “Voluntary contributions may be accepted by the Director-General .... provided that the purposes of such contributions and moneys are consistent with the policies, aims and activities of the Organization.”

3. Compliance with this provision is monitored by the Programme and Project Review Committee (PPRC), to which all programme and project proposals are submitted for review against criteria that are to govern the general orientation of projects implemented by the Organization within the framework of the Field Programme. All projects, with the exception of emergency projects, are submitted to this review. The PPRC only reviews those projects where funding has already been secured through formal or informal contact with the donors concerned. Projects that have not received PPRC endorsement are not approved by the Organization for implementation.

4. The PPRC is composed of the ADGs of the Organization, and chaired by the ADG/AG. All projects are submitted by the ADG/TC to the PPRC. The PPRC process ensures a corporate review of all non-emergency projects, including those funded under the TCP and the SPFS.

5. The terms of reference of the Programme and Project Review Committee are set out in Director-General’s Bulletin 2000/17, a copy of which is attached as Appendix 1. The provisions relating to compliance with Financial Regulation 6.7 are as follows.

PROGRAMME AND PROJECT REVIEW COMMITTEE (PPRC)

6. Terms of Reference

        “The Committee will review programme and project proposals .... to ensure their compliance with the general orientation and policies of the Organization. In particular:

2) The Committee will ensure that proposed programmes and projects are in line with the following six guiding principles:

1. ensure continuing interaction between the Organization’s normative and operational activities so that these are mutually supportive;
2. draw maximum benefit from the Organization’s comparative advantage and intervene where such advantage is known to exist;
3. have a tangible impact in improving the food security of the least privileged populations and contributing to sustainable rural development;
4. build and/or reinforce national capabilities to ensure continuity of action, promote sustained self-reliance and support the sustainable use and management of natural resources;
5. promote gender equality and equity through the systematic compliance with FAO’s stated commitment to and policy on mainstreaming a gender perspective into its normative work and field activities;
6. promote broader partnership, alliance and participation.

3) In addition, the Committee will ensure that all the programmes and projects it endorses:

• contribute to the follow-up to the World Food Summit;
• are coherent with and wherever possible strengthen the Special Programme for Food Security.”

Appendix 1

director-general's bulletin
DATE:  23 February 2000		No. 2000/17

PROGRAMME AND PROJECT REVIEW COMMITTEE

Background

In December 1996, the Special Programme Policy Committee (SPPC) was established to provide policy guidance to the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), and to review all new projects (or extensions of projects) to be submitted to multilateral or bilateral donors to ensure their harmonization with the goals of the SPFS.

The functions of the Committee were gradually extended to cover all programmes and projects of an operational nature to be funded by extra budgetary resources as well as TCP and SPFS projects funded from Regular Programme allocations, with the exception of emergency projects. In June 1999, to reflect the Committee’s expanded functions its title was changed to "Programme and Project Review Committee" (PPRC). In the light of the experience acquired during the last three years and after extensive consultation, the Committee’s Terms of Reference and operating procedure have been reviewed and are formally issued through this Bulletin.

Terms of Reference

The Committee will review programme and project proposals as defined above to ensure their compliance with the general orientation and policies of the Organization. In particular:

1) The Committee will ensure that the various projects implemented by the Organization in a particular country do not translate into ad hoc interventions but, on the contrary, are mutually supportive and possess real synergies in pursuing common objectives.

2) The Committee will ensure that proposed programmes and projects are in line with the following six guiding principles:

i. Ensure continuing interaction between the Organization’s normative and operational activities so that these are mutually supportive;

ii. Draw maximum benefit from the Organization’s comparative advantage and intervene where such advantage is known to exist;

iii. Have a tangible impact in improving the food security of the least privileged populations and contributing to sustainable rural development;

iv. Build and/or reinforce national capabilities to ensure continuity of action, promote sustained self-reliance and support the sustainable use and management of natural resources;

v. Promote gender equality and equity through the systematic compliance with FAO’s stated commitment to and policy on mainstreaming a gender perspective into its normative work and field activities;

vi. Promote broader partnership, alliance and participation.

3) In addition, the Committee will ensure that all the programmes and projects it endorses:

• contribute to the follow-up to the World Food Summit;
   
• are coherent with and wherever possible strengthen the Special Programme for Food Security.

4) The Committee will also review reports submitted by SPFS Field Inspectors along with the SPFS checklist of activities and responsibilities.

5) The Committee will advise the Director-General and make recommendations, as deemed appropriate, within its mandate.

Composition of the Committee

The PPRC is chaired by an Assistant Director-General, designated by the Director-General, and is comprised of the following membership:

• Assistant Directors-General of Agriculture Department (AG), Economic and Social Department (ES), Fisheries Department (FI), Forestry Department (FO), Sustainable Development Department (SD) and Technical Cooperation Department (TC) or their designated representatives;
   
• Chief, SPFS Coordination and Monitoring Service.

The PPRC is served by a Secretariat that is under the responsibility of the Project Review Officer, Office of the Assistant Director-General (AGD).

Procedure

The operating procedure of the Committee is described in Annex I.

Frequency of Meetings

The Chairperson will convene Committee meetings as necessary, but at least twice a year. In addition, the Committee will meet for the review of specific programme or project proposal(s) as required by its operating procedure.

Reporting

The Committee will submit to the Director-General a six-monthly report including recommendations, if any. In addition, the Committee can refer at any time to the Director-General any policy matters requiring his immediate attention.

Jacques Diouf
Director-General

Annex 1

PROCEDURE
FOR
THE REVIEW OF PROGRAMME AND PROJECT PROPOSALS

The review of programme and project proposals is based on a Project Review Sheet, (a sample of which is attached herewith), and follows the following procedure:

1. Section I of the Project Review Sheet (PRS) will be completed by the formulator / technical division and finalized by the Technical Cooperation Department.
    

2. Section II will be completed by the officer-in-charge of the review within 48 hours of receipt of the project document and Section I.
    

3. Section III will be completed by the officer-in-charge of the review within the same time span. Completed Sections I, II and III of the PRS and a copy of the project document will then be sent to the Members of the Committee.
    

4. These will send their comments and conclusions to the Chair of the Committee within 48 hours, after which time they will be assumed to agree with the text in Section III as submitted. Their comments will be communicated in Section IV of the PRS.
    

5. In the case of a favorable consensus, the Chair of the PPRC will transmit the Project Review Sheet to the Technical Cooperation Department.
    

6. In the case of disagreement, the Committee members will meet and jointly examine the project they disagree over, leading to two possible outcomes:

6.1 After deliberation, the group may collectively modify its evaluation and endorse the project. The procedure then reverts to step 5.

6.2 The project is not endorsed and is returned to the Technical Cooperation Department for reformulation with eventual suggestions from the Committee.

7. A project still not endorsed after a second presentation should be referred within 24 hours to the Director-General for decision.

The types and requirement of programme and project proposals submitted to PPRC are listed in the table below: