ERC/02/02

I. INTRODUCTION

II. CHAPTER 2: TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRAMMES
MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.1: AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS
MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT
MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.3: FISHERIES
MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.4: FORESTRY
MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.5: CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL PROGRAMME THRUSTS

III CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TO MEMBER NATIONS
MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.1: POLICY ASSISTANCE
MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.2: SUPPORT TO INVESTMENT
MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.3: FIELD OPERATIONS
MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.5: COOPERATION WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS

1. The present document provides a brief report on major activities undertaken by FAO in the European Region during the biennium 2000-2001. It will be recalled that the long-term priorities identified within the Strategic Framework 2000-2015 were endorsed by the 22^nd FAO Regional Conference in 2000. In drawing up these priorities, account was taken of the agricultural policies of Western European countries, including such issues as EU enlargement and WTO accession, and of the special requirements of Central and Easter European and CIS countries as they move towards market economies and attempt to revitalise their rural sectors.

2. A report on action taken by FAO in response to the 22nd Regional Conference Recommendations and on the activities of the Statutory Bodies concerning directly the European Region is contained in ERC/02/INF/6.

3. During the biennium, a number of measures were taken to strengthen the Regional Office for Europe (REU). These included the establishment of a post for an agricultural officer and, in line with the recommendations of the Change Management Team (CMT) on the implementaton of the new arrangements for the field programme, the setting up of a core unit for administrative and operational support for projects.

4. Table 1 on page 10 gives a breakdown of the projects implemented during the biennium. Emergency projects operated by the Special Relief Operations Service (TCOR) in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the FYR of Macedonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including the Kosovo Province), Romania and Turkey totalled US$ 34 203 000, of which the TCP provided US$ 2 310 000. The major donors for emergency projects included the World Bank, USAID, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the European Community (EC). Thus, in the 2000-2001, technical cooperation projects executed by FAO in the region for both emergency purposes and normal development support totalled US$ 61 941 000. It should be noted that this figure also includes four large regional/interregional projects that have a duration of 5 years totalling US$ 15 077 000 (i.e. ADRIAMED financed by Italy, COPEMED financed by Spain, Food Security financed by the EC, and EASTFISH financed by Denmark). In addition, seven investment projects were approved for the region during the biennium with major inputs by FAO Investment Centre. Total investments mobilised for these projects amounted to approximately US$ 350 000 000 .

5. For each major programme under Chapter 2 of the PWB 2000-01, only the more significant areas in which FAO activities were carried out in the European Region are highlighted.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.1: AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS

6. Programme 2.1.1: Natural Resources: activities focussed on assistance in dealing with land resources and land management for sustainable agriculture, and ranged from mapping soil and terrain vulnerability in Central and Eastern Europe to training activities for improved land and water resources management, particularly in some of the Central Eastern European and Mediterranean countries. The latter activities have been carried out in collaboration with important partner organizations such as the International Centre for High Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) and the International Programme for Technology and Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID). Technical assistance was specifically provided to: (i) Azerbaijan and Bulgaria for strengthening capacity in agricultural development through remote sensing and GIS; (ii) Bosnia and Herzegovina in strengthening the capacity for land resources management at country, entity and pilot area level (a second phase of the project has been ensured); and (iii) Cyprus to conduct an assessment of the island's water resources and demand.

7. Programme 2.1.2: Crops: this programme includes work in plant genetic resources and Secretariat support to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). Other activities aimed at improving crop production and reduce losses due to pests, and included support to European Cooperative Research Networks. Technical assistance was provided in a range of areas: low-input grassland production systems for livestock feeding (Romania), demonstration of techniques and training in greenhouse vegetable production (Lithuania), viticulture and local fruit production (Georgia), walnut and sericulture production (Bulgaria), strengthening the national phytosanitary services (Estonia) and support to the programme on plant genetic resources (Romania). Assistance was also provided in the field of Western Corn Rootworm (WCR) by supporting the regional network established for the monitoring and research of WCR in the sub-region and to promote integrated pest management (IPM) participatory research and training. A technical meeting on "Seed Policy and Programmes for CEECs and CIS countries” was convened in Hungary (March 2001) to facilitate the development of seed policies and programmes for the region as part of the FAO strategy for implementing the recommendations of the World Food Summit Plan of Action and the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Utilisation of Plant Genetic Resources for food and agriculture.

8. Programme 2.1.3: Livestock: the technical assistance provided included; controling of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Turkey; establishing a buffer zone for FMD control in the Caucasian region; and capacity building in emergency control of transboundary diseases, meat inspection and meat technology. Major partners included the European Association for Animal Production , the International Committee for Animal Recording , the European Commission on Foot and Mouth Disease and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). Activities have broadened to include support to updating of National Animal Genetic Resources Databanks in all European countries and to upgrading of laboratory diagnosis and veterinary standards for full compatibility with OIE and EU requirements. In addition, they have also included programmes for cooperation on animal genetic resources management, capacity building of advisory services on animal production and of disease contingency planning and preparedness, including modern veterinary epidemiology. During the biennium, special efforts were deployed to formulate project proposals for countries in the region at risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which would assist them to take the necessary precautions and implement effective surveillance for BSE in cattle and control measures on the animal feed and meat industries. A regional training workshop in the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for trainees from Central and Southern Europe was organized in Hungary in October 2001, which was attended by 34 participants from 18 countries. Within the context of a project implemented in Armenia, a livestock subsector report was prepared containing a strategy for the development of the sector.

9. Programme 2.1.4: Agricultural Support Systems: technical guidance was provided to Croatia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania in the preparation of country briefs on the role of farm management in extension programmes. A number of national workshops and studies were organized on the specific issue of land fragmentation of farming structures as a result of the process of privatization and restitution in the region leading to significant constraints in the development of private family farms (countries covered: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania). Assistance ranged from agro-processing and marketing to market information systems development in a number of countries. With European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) financing, a regional project on the establishment of a CEI (Central European Initiative)¹ Wholesale Market Foundation became operational in 2001. The overall objective of the project is to enhance the efficiency and services provided by the newly constructed CEI wholesale markets so as to increase their incomes and their financial sustainability. The specific objectives of the CEI Foundation supported by the project are: (i) improvement of market operations, (ii) improvement of services to attract large-scale, modern retailers; and (iii) improvement of exchanges of information and experience.

10. Programme 2.1.5: Agricultural Applications of Isotopes and Biotechnology: in line with the Regional Conference recommendations, a number of FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research projects addressed a variety of constraints to sustainable food security within the region, including water efficiency through fertilization, industrial crops improvement; marker assisted selection methods; improvement of AI services and diagnostic methods for EMPRES diseases; and methods of analysis for residues and contaminants covered by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY
AND DEVELOPMENT

11. Programme 2.2.1: Nutrition and Food Quality Control and Consumer Protection: following the International Conference on Nutrition recommendations, work continued with implementation of Plans of Action for improving nutrition in the countries in the region, including technical support for the production of a national food composition data base (two WHO/FAO Workshops on Intersectoral Development of Food and Nutrition Action Plans in South East Europe were organized: one in Slovenia in June 2000 and the second in Bulgaria in October 2001). The work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission continued to have a major impact in assisting several countries in improving consumer protection and enhancing their access to international markets for food exports, with capacity building in food quality control at national level (Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia). With partner organizations, in particular WHO, the National Codex Committees and national food control institutions, work has been extended to provide training in a variety of food quality control aspects. A regional workshop on Codex was organized in Romania in November 2001. A household food consumption and anthropometric survey was carried out in Poland.

12. Programme 2.2.2: Food and Agricultural Information: focus has been on improving the quality of agricultural information, including collection, analysis and dissemination in Central and Eastern European countries. Most activities have been carried out in partnership with Eastern European universities and national agricultural information institutions as well as UN/ECE, OECD and Eurostat. They have generally centred on (i) training, including production of guidelines, to improve analysis of specific types of data such as food balance sheets or economic accounts systems for food and agriculture adapted to the needs of countries in transition;
(ii) methodological issues, such as “how to integrate economic aspects of agriculture with other economic activities of households”or “measurement of instability of agricultural production and the associated risk of insecurity”; and (iii) dissemination of information based on establishment and extension of an agricultural information network for Central and Eastern European countries (Agro-Web), with 22 countries currently participating.

13. Activities under sub-programme 2.2.2.5: Food Information and Early Warning Systems merit a separate mention: GIEWS monitoring of near term food supply and outlook in the Balkan region in 2000-01 continued. Special Reports issued by GIEWS were based on the findings of Joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions to the Kosovo Province (in January and July 2000 and in August 2001) and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (in August 2000 and 2001). Special Alerts were also issued for Armenia (July and October 2000), Georgia (September 2000) and Romania (November 2000). Monitoring of the cropping and food supply situation in CIS countries was also intensified in response to a prolonged drought.

14. Programme 2.2.4: Agriculture, Food Security and Trade Policy: the role of agriculture in transition economies was studied with a view to contribute to enhancing Member countries’ capacity to adjust policies in response to rapidly changing conditions (Regional Workshop organized in Budapest in September 2001).

15. Technical backstopping was provided in the following The food security surveillance project implemented in the Kosovo Province. The objective of this project was originally to assist in targeting and coordinating donor aid to the province, and assisting all by providing information on the particular needs of various regions of the province. With the formation and development of the Kosovo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the project changed its activities toward capacity building, training and transferring information to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. A food security surveillance project implemented in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the objective of which was to work with international institutions such as the World Food Programme and the World Bank as well as with existing national institutions to assist in targeting food aid, poverty relief and other such interventions. An information and capacity building regional project on food insecurity in five countries of the former Soviet Union, the objective of which is to provide sufficient training to enable participating governments to monitor and respond to food security crises. This 2-year project is still ongoing and training for participants is planned in agricultural survey methodology, food security analysis; household budget survey methodology and analysis; food balance and production projection analysis; and capacity building on how to assemble food security bulletins for each participating country.

16. In addition, an assessment of food security in the Russian Federation was carried out (under a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID)). The assessment involved a special food security survey in 11 oblasts of the Russian Federation, as well as a thorough study of available information on food security from both Russian and other sources. The project made policy recommendations to the government, raised awareness in the country of the importance of undernutrition and trained a small cadre of professionals in techniques of conducting socio-economic interviews as well as how to plan and carry out surveys, the latter being an important factor for further monitoring of food insecurity problems in the Russian Federation.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.3: FISHERIES

17. To give effect to the Code of Conduct of Responsible Fisheries and other recent international fishery instruments, a number of activities were focussed on supporting responsible fisheries in the Adriatic Seas (ADRIAMED project financed by Italy) and on the creation of cooperation networks in the management of fisheries resources in the Mediterranean so that resources are more accurately evaluated and socio-economic and environmental aspects taken into account (COPEMED project financed by Spain).

18. Other activities were more specifically addressed to the needs of countries in transition, with one large project to facilitate the structural adjustment of the fishery sector in seventeen Central Eastern European and CIS countries (EASTFISH financed by the Danish Ministry of Agriculture) and smaller ones to address more specific issues, such as support to monitoring of marine fisheries in Croatia, restoration of the migration routes of Baltic Sea salmon in Lithuania.

19. With Eurostat and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), work continued on improving fishery statistics, particularly statistics on international trade of fishery products, and their dissemination, including electronic publication of North Atlantic catch statistics.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.4: FORESTRY

20. Activities addressed a broad range of issues from enhancing institutional capabilities, including regulatory aspects, with a view to harmonise forestry policy and legislation with those of the EU to privatization of forestry sector management, with the emphasis broadly placed on sustainable management of forestry resources (Albania, Hungary, Slovenia²), or on more specific aspects such as the preparation of the national forestry programme (Turkey), modern forest fire prevention, monitoring and control strategies (Cyprus, Turkey), and emergency control of pests affecting forests (Slovakia). At the request of the UNDP, a fact finding mission on the problems affecting the forestry sector in Armenia was carried out (May 2001) which will lead to the formulation of two TCP project proposals.

21. The Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2000 was brought to a conclusion. It compiled and analysed all available information on the area, composition, protection and utilisation of forests for each country. Special attention was also given to estimating the rate of change of forest resources and to documenting the various factors implicated in these changes. Within the framework of FRA, a Special Study on Forest Fires was carried out. Reinforced coordination for the International Year of Mountains (IYM) was achieved and the programme team significantly strengthened which has allowed the acceleration of activities on the preparation of the IYM (inter alia: collecting national information through a questionnaire to all countries, attendance at meetings, i.e. the Alpine Forum in Bergamo, establishment of an IYM-contacts database, etc.).

22. During the period under review, a number of meetings were organized and conducted: (i) Seminar on Harvesting of Non-Wood Forest Products (Turkey) under the auspices of the FAO/ECE/ILO Joint Committee on Forest Technology, Management and Training which was attended by 80 participants from 32 countries in the region; (ii) FAO/Austria Expert Meeting on Environmentally Sound Forest Operations for Countries in Transition (Austria); (iii) Workshop on the "Changing Role of State Forests" (Estonia); (iv) International Workshop on Sustainable Development of Marketing of Non-Wood Forest Products in Countries in Transition (Moldova); and (v) International Workshop on Forests and Forestry in Central and Eastern European Countries - The transition process and challenges ahead (Poland).

MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.5: CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL PROGRAMME THRUSTS

23. Programme 2.5.1: Research, Natural Resources Management and Technology Transfer: under this programme, support continued to be provided to the European System of Cooperative Research Networks in Agriculture (ESCORENA). In 2000-01, over 2000 researchers, predominantly from Europe and the Near East but also from other regions, participated in 30 courses, workshops and conferences organized by the Networks. European-wide institutional support made possible the publication of 16 newsletters in three languages, 19 co-publications and five issues of REU technical Series. An interactive ESCORENA website has been developed and a website link has been included in information pages of other important organizations like the European Initiative for Agricultural Research for Development and the Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM).

24. Project formulation missions were fielded in the fall of 2001 to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on "Enabling the agricultural research system of Yugoslavia to meet the research demands of a changing national agriculture" and to the Kosovo Province to assist in developing a "Strategy on Education and Training for Agriculture and Rural Development". Both project documents have been finalized and submitted for approval.

25. Two studies were prepared on the status of biotechnology and biosafety in the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the FYR of Macedonia) and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova). The objectives of the studies were to: (i) survey the state-of-the-art of biotechnology applications in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and forestry in non-EU pre-accession countries; (ii) appraise the state of biosafety regulations and their implementation in these countries; (iii) identify gaps and needs for technical assistance; and (iv) explore potentials for international collaboration and networking.

26. During the period under review, a number of case studies on agricultural knowledge and information system for rural development have been carried out in the region (Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland).

27. Activities on the Global Territorial Observing Systems (GTOS) have continued to support participation of a number of CEE countries in the international conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification.

28. Programme 2.5.2: Women and Population: the incorporation of gender issues into policies, programmes and projects was further advanced with a series of training events, using the methodology developed by the FAO Socio-economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) (Kosovo Province, Poland, Italy). Progress was also made to develop a cost-effective methodology that will allow for collection and analysis of gender disaggregated data (workshops held in Bulgaria and Romania). Within the framework of the Working Party on Women and the Family in Rural Development, a number of meetings and workshops were organized in the region on issues such as the challenges and opportunities for youth in rural areas; promoting networking and partnership building for rural development; and reviewing the situation on the National Action Plan for Rural Development in the region. Technical backstopping was provided for projects implemented in the Kosovo Province.

29. Programme 2.5.3: Rural Development: land consolidation/land management issues and the relevance of land management for sustainable rural development in the region are of crucial importance and of direct concern to FAO, the World Bank, the European Union and UN/ECE. Therefore, activities in this sector are carried out in close cooperation by the experts of the four institutions. During the period under review, (i) a comparative study on "land fragmentation and its economic and social impact on rural society in four EU accession countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania)" was finalized and discussed at national workshops organized in Hungary (July 2000), Romania (October 2000) and Bulgaria (November 2000); and (ii) land fragmentation and agrarian structure studies were prepared for Armenia and Georgia which were reviewed by the joint FAO and UN/ECE missions to these countries (Armenia, 2000 and Georgia, 2001) and which will serve as a basis for drawing up strategies for land consolidation and improved land management in both countries. Technical backstopping was provided for projects implemented in Armenia, Hungary and Romania.

30. Other activities focussed on institutional strengthening, including one project aimed at establishing institutional development patterns in selected pilot countries and development over the long term of institutional models of rural development for the specific conditions of transition economies. Another project (CEESA – Central and Eastern Sustainable Agriculture) carried out in collaboration with the Humboldt University (Berlin) serves as a forum for exchange of views, knowledge and results on sustainable agricultural development among specialists from the EU and Central Eastern European countries as well as decision and policy makers of the Central Eastern European sub-region.

31. Programme 2.5.6: Food Production in Support of Food Security in LIFDCs: The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) - Phase I reached completion in Albania and Georgia. Based on the successful results of both projects and on requests from both governments, formulation missions for Phase II in both countries are scheduled to take place during the first semester of 2002. Donor funding for both programmes has been ensured.

32. This Chapter covers a range of services in direct support to Member Nations’ development efforts, including policy advice and support to programme and project formulation, with special emphasis on those with investment potential, as well as operational services for the execution of country programmes.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.1: POLICY ASSISTANCE

33. Focussed on the provision of policy services to Member Nations. This major programme covers primarily the work of the Policy Assistance Division’s decentralized units, with a Branch in the Regional Office and a Unit in the Sub-regional Office. Both Branch and Unit are fully staffed with a total of six professionals (including one Associate Professional Officer).
34. Support and advice in the formulation of national sectoral strategies and programmes and in related institutional capacity building has been provided to six countries in the region. The work, supported by TCP funding for a total of US$1 276 000 addressed agriculture and rural development issues in the framework of rural sector development, some focused more on capacity building in rural development analysis (Slovakia) and others more broadly on support off-farm employment and poverty alleviation (Armenia). All project outputs were accepted and appropriated by the beneficiary governments. Eleven countries participated in the one-day National Workshops – Strategies for National Agriculture Development Horizon 2010.
35. Other activities, aside from continuous collaboration with such partners such as OECD, the World Bank and the EU on various policy assistance activities supported by donor funding for a total of US$2 554 500 in the region included:
(a) capacity building support to the Department of Agriculture of the UN Administration in Kosovo Province to support the day-to-day function of the DOA and strengthening its capacity in sector analysis and administrative organization;
(b) support to agriculture rehabilitation in Kosovo Province to strengthen the UNMIK’s capacity in agriculture policy formulation and to identify and respond to the needs of dynamic groups in the rural sector;
(c) formulation missions to prepare rural development strategies were undertaken to Bulgaria, Kosovo Province, the FR of Yugoslavia and Croatia to cover issues like agriculture education and rural development. In addition, regional projects were formulated for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation targeted to improve interregional trade and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. In this framework, three project proposals were submitted for TCP funding and one for external donor funding.
(d) contribution to the Kosovo Common Assessment and participation in the draft elaboration of a UN Development Assistance Framework for Kosovo Province; and
(e) within a trust fund project of the Czech Republic a workshop was conducted in order to re- engineer agricultural policies in selected CIS and South-eastern European countries in the context of accession to WTO. Seven countries of the region participated in this workshop.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.2: SUPPORT TO INVESTMENT

36. The programme covers primarily the work carried out by the Investment Centre Division in cooperation with the technical divisions and units. In the region, the Centre has played a key role in partnership with the World Bank and the EBRD, particularly in assisting the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the rural sector (Kosovo Province). In partnership with the EBRD, the Centre has also been active in the emerging market economies of Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), helping countries to identify investment opportunities and promote private enterprise growth in rural areas, with special focus on the agribusiness sector.

37. During the period under review, the Centre has identified an agricultural competitiveness project in Poland (WB) and prepared a desk study on agribusiness strategies for Eastern Europe (EBRD). A fisheries project in Albania (WB) and a rural finance project in Poland (EBRD) were identified. Project formulation work was undertaken for agricultural services and fisheries in Albania, rural finance in Bulgaria, forestry in Georgia, agricultural pollution control in Romania and an economic reform loan in Turkey (all WB). The Centre participated in the appraisal of an irrigation project in Georgia and rural services project in Moldova (WB), in a land reform survey in Moldova, carried out a forestry sector review in Turkey (WB), a survey of the dairy sector in Lithuania (EBRD) and an agricultural sector study in FRY Serbia (WB). It supervised WB projects in Albania, Armenia, the FRY Kosovo, the FYR Macedonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

38. During the 2000-01 biennium, seven investment projects in Europe prepared with major Investment Centre input were approved for financing by cooperating financing institutions. Total investments mobilised for these projects amount to approximately US$ 350 000 000.

39. Cooperation between FAO and the EBRD was further strengthened during the period under review. As a direct follow-up to the recommendations of the High-Level Panel on Resource Mobilization for Food Security and Agricultural and Rural Development convened by FAO in June 2001, agreement was reached between the Investment Centre and the EBRD to jointly organize a Workshop dedicated to the specific resource mobilization needs of the agribusiness and agricultural sectors in the in-transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS.

MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.3: FIELD OPERATIONS

40. Programme 3.3.1: Field Operations: The period under review was characterized by a further decentralization of operational responsibilities for projects to the FAO Representatives and to the Regional Offices. In the case of Europe, in view of the absence of FAO Representations in the region (except Turkey), the operational responsibilities for projects previously operated by the Field Operations Division (TCO) were gradually transferred to the Regional Office for Europe (REU). Thus, of the 81 projects enumerated in Table 1 below, 35 were operated by REU. Emergency projects continued to be operated by TCOR, while operational responsibility for regional/inter-regional and projects classified as “normative” was placed with the concerned technical units.

41. Programme 3.3.3 Emergency Response Operations: this programme covers FAO’s response to emergency situations through its Special Relief Operations Service (TCOR)³ the activities of which involve: (i) immediate relief, through the provision of agricultural essentials such as seeds, tools, fertilizers, fishing gear, livestock and veterinary supplies to permit immediate resumption of basic food production; (ii) early rehabilitation, through projects directed at seed multiplication, tools production, income-generating projects, vegetable production for local markets, etc; and (iii) technical advice and coordination, particularly with regard to NGOs and other UN system organizations involved in agricultural assistance.

42. During the 2000-01 biennium, in response to the crisis which unfolded in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (including the Kosovo Province) and the FYR of Macedonia and to natural calamities (e.g. prolonged drought in the Caucasian countries), TCOR implemented emergency assistance projects in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Kosovo Province and Serbia), the FYR of Macedonia, Romania and Turkey totalling US$34 203 000, of which TCP provided US$2 310 000 and the remaining provided by external donors. In addition, during the same period, TCOR participated in the preparation and issuance of six UN Consolidated Appeals concerning the region.

Table 1: Emergency and Technical Cooperation Projects – 2000-2001 (budget)

MAJOR PROGRAMME: 3.5 COOPERATION WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS

43. This programme seeks to meet the evolving needs of Members and to employ innovative approaches and modalities to achieve an enhanced impact of technical and economic cooperation among developing countries and countries in transition. Since the launching of the Partnership Programmes; TCDC/TCCT agreements have been signed with 20 countries in the Region; Agreements on the Use of Retired National Experts with 10 countries; while cooperation/agreements for the programme of Visiting Experts from Academic and Research Institutions have been concluded with 17 countries and 3 Regional Centres.

¹ The CEI is a regional forum for cooperation and consultation among and between its members. The CEI has seventeen member countries (mostly Central and Eastern European) including Italy and Austria. Italy is the main contributor to the organization's budget.

² TCP project "Capacity building for support to private forest owners and public participation" was successfully completed in December 2001. To expand on good results obtained, a regional project with a 4-year duration has been prepared to cover other countries in Central and Eastern Europe and has been submitted to donors for funding.

³ As of 2002, TCOR has become a division (TCE)