OUTCOMES, EFFECTS AND IMPACT

60. Forty-seven percent of interventions were found to have had moderate effect and 35 percent high outcomes and effects. There was more likely to be high effect in middle-income countries and this contributes to the relatively high scores in Latin America and to some extent the Near East. Many of the middle-income countries have a greater absorption capacity for policy advice and also greater independent capability to act upon it. In the case of Latin America, work was also often on the policy aspects of ongoing national programmes and the countries paid for the FAO input themselves. This facilitated national ownership. Such countries also had a relatively well-developed national capacity both for policy and implementation In the less developed countries and low-income transition countries, there was less national capacity to absorb policy. In such cases, follow-up was greater where work fed into a process also assisted by donors, especially the IFIs. In addition, in all countries the process used for development of policy was particularly important in assuring national ownership and thus policy implementation.

Quality of Process

61. Missions found that although there was room for improvement in consultation in FAO policy interventions, FAO performance was comparatively good in this respect compared with others, including the IFIs. Indeed one of the primary roles World Bank staff see for FAO in national policy work is facilitating the national consultation process. Missions found that 38% of interventions had a high quality of process, 44% were adequate, and 18% were unsatisfactory (see Table 3).

62. The ideal is for policy work to be undertaken primarily by national teams, where FAO and other international agencies have a supporting role. Genuine national teams are not always practical due to very limited capacity and pressures for rapid progress, but it is always possible to involve nationals from the key government departments and this also furthers the aim of capacity building. In the countries visited, participatory democracy and civil society organizations were often weak, and obtaining a wide input was not therefore easy, but a national consultancy input from outside government as well as the clear substantial involvement of government counterparts as consultants facilitates this national process. By building workshops into projects, FAO has assisted in ensuring greater consultation with civil society. Good examples of this were found in all the regions visited by missions. The capacity of the civil service to encourage and support a more consultative approach can be instilled through example in the policy assistance interventions.

63. There is often some resistance by the civil service to discussions across departmental and ministerial boundaries, as well as with civil society. This resistance can be better countered if inter-ministerial and civil society processes are specified in the original project document. One of the best examples of success in this regard occurred in Estonia, where national conditions were relatively conducive but also where the project document specified work through a series of cross-institutional task forces which were supported by national consultants. The selection of a project team leader determined to further this process, rather than rapidly deliver policy papers, was also significant. As well as consultation across central ministries, there is often a need to involve local authorities, who may be responsible for activities such as extension ¹⁹. Where there was no national process, the validity of the policy was markedly reduced and there was negligible national ownership. Such interventions therefore had little or no impact ²⁰.

64. There were only a very few examples in the projects reviewed of rapid appraisal techniques being applied to assist policy development ²¹. Application of structured rapid appraisal techniques to primary stakeholders can form a valuable input to policy processes at all levels. In the worst cases a lack of such processes and of consultation contributed to overt resistance to the policy proposals ²².

Joint Action with Development Partners and the UN Country Process

65. Individual policy interventions flow into a national policy process, which is very much influenced by IFIs and donors. The coordination of development assistance programming by the international community has become an important interface, lever and support for implementation in the policy processes ²³. Particularly in the less developed countries, it is as a member of the UN country team and through work in association with the IFIs that FAO can mainstream its concerns with WFS follow-up, including food security and the importance of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in sustainable rural livelihoods. In the Near East and Africa, the missions received generally favourable comments on FAO as a supportive member of the UN country team with the potential to provide, or actually providing, a valuable lead coordinating role for food and agriculture ²⁴. This was less the case in Asia. In Latin America, the UN system was less important generally and FAO's cooperation with IIACA had been sporadic. However, both UNDP and the World Bank staff commented that FAO had difficulty in seeing how its policy input would fit into the wider issues currently on the international agenda, such as governance and privatisation. They also felt that an important potential role for FAO could be as a facilitator of dialogue between agricultural line ministries, IFIs and central finance and planning ministries.

66. Importance of the FAOR: The FAO Representatives (FAORs) and their national professional staff were found to be central to FAO's work in policy support. Countries, in particular the former Soviet Bloc countries, where FAO was not present through an FAOR, were found to be seriously disadvantaged ²⁵. FAORs filled three distinct roles which were very much dependent on their individual capacities:

1. timely point of contact with FAO Regional Offices and Headquarters on national policy assistance needs. This role was generally fulfilled to a satisfactory, or more than satisfactory, degree;
   
   
2. member of the UN country team and cooperative partner with the national representatives of the international community. All development agencies are becoming increasingly decentralised and the role of the FAOR is essential. National governments and the international community very much regretted those situations in which FAOR posts had been vacant for extended periods ²⁶. This was especially the case in countries where the FAOR had been chairing the development assistance groups for agriculture or forestry;
   
   
3. source of ongoing advice to government. In Turkey, the FAOR was found to be a source of advice at the highest levels. In Bangladesh, the FAOR's office was looked to for drafts of policy papers for the Ministry of Agriculture, an opportunity to support policy development that was not fully used. Both these cases were due to somewhat exceptional circumstances, but were important to build upon.

67. Work in close association with IFIs: As already noted, many of the decisions taken for the agricultural sector are taken outside the line ministry, especially by Finance and Planning for whom the partner of choice is the IFIs. In working on the implications of more macro-policy for the agricultural sector, FAO can thus often be most effective if it works to develop the viability of policies developed in this process. FAO's input can serve to improve the understanding of micro-issues by the IFIs and Ministries of Finance, etc. (e.g. Egypt and Mozambique) and also to increase understanding in the Ministry of Agriculture of the wider policy agenda (e.g. Turkey). A major issue in ensuring participation and consultation remains the institutional location for the FAO part of the intervention, which may serve to reinforce the line ministry role in the dialogue or to have direct impact on the Finance/Planning team. FAO and the UN system may also be required to provide an alternative view from that of the IFIs to assist the government in making choices. FAO's role in each case should be clear.

68. Particular examples of work on policy in close association with IFIs were reviewed in:

1. Egypt, where the FAO Regional Policy Assistance Branch, which is based in the country, worked closely with the World Bank in assisting the government to develop its overall agricultural sector policy. In recent years there has been far-reaching reform in the agricultural sector and FAO has made inputs for this, particularly in providing detailed analysis of the potential for various crops. In the case of Egypt, the Ministry of Agriculture remains a powerful force in the policy process, which is atypical;
   
   
2. Laos, where a traditional sector mission took place but where all are agreed that a series of problems with the traditional process followed, which when combined with a lack of coordination with other agencies, led to very limited effects;
   
   
3. Turkey, where FAO has worked closely with the World Bank over the years in reform of the horticulture and livestock sub-sectors, the privatisation of marketing through commodity exchanges and the overall liberalisation of the agricultural sector, including agricultural trade. Although it would be difficult to gauge the extent to which developments supported by World Bank credits were dependent upon the FAO input, there can be little doubt that significant contributions were made. FAO's input served first and foremost to involve the Ministry of Agriculture in the process and reinforce its policy analysis capability;
   
   
4. Moldova, where FAO worked on grain policy, but where the general view is that insistence on a comprehensive sector approach, lack of urgency and isolation of the project in a technical institute prevented timely focus on issues requiring decision at a time of rapid transition, with the result that the World Bank brought in expertise from elsewhere to supply the needed input for a fast moving political process;
   
   
5. Estonia, where the FAO project was able to assist the country in defining an overall irrigation and drainage policy, even though decisions on investment with a World Bank project had already been taken and required some modification in consequence; and
   
   
6. Mozambique where FAO cooperated closely with the World Bank and other development partners in the development of coordinated policies, strategies and programmes for agricultural development (PROAGRI). This is generally regarded very positively by development partners although the Ministry of Agriculture feels that FAO could have better represented its interests.

Cost-Effectiveness of FAO's Work

69. Within the evaluation there was no basis for examining in absolute terms the cost-benefit of FAO contributions to national policy development. In comparison with other agencies, FAO had held down the cost of the international input and had also tended to follow a process at the national level, which was less expensive in proportion to outcomes than the reliance on expatriate teams which characterises some policy assistance work. On the other hand, as will be evident from the discussion above, it is considered that FAO could capitalise to a greater extent on the synergies between units at both Headquarters and decentralized units and on FAORs. Greater decentralisation and flexibility in operations would also reduce costs and this was a concern of both countries and international partners. FAO could also concentrate more in areas of country need and the Organization's relative strength. Recommendations address these issues.

Sustainable Impact

70. Although these were not the subjects of review, the most striking examples of impact at policy level were not from policy-oriented projects but from projects which demonstrated an approach. Examples included IPM in Asia, smallholder agricultural reform in Brazil and work in uplands management in much of Latin America. It is probable that demonstration is not only the most effective influence for policy change but also the best way of assuring that the approach is viable when dealing with institutional matters. In Latin America, projects addressing land management policy included planning of pilot activity and exposing staff to experience in other countries ²⁷. It may also be noted that country questionnaires found the integration of FAO's policy cooperation with other project work one of the less satisfactory aspects. However, pilot testing of policies is not generally a genuine option for policies that are not area-specific. What is needed is a flexible process of adaptation and demonstration. It is also clear that policy makers frequently do not have the possibility, and nor would it be desirable, to await the results of a pilot test.

71. The missions found that 68% of interventions had identifiable impact in terms of implemented policy changes and in 21% of cases the impact was high (see Table 3). FAO policy work at the national level generally fed into a broader policy dialogue and process. The number of interventions in which a specific government policy document resulted from FAO assistance were high, especially in the less developed countries with weaker national drafting capacities, and at least eleven clear instances of this occurring were documented. The fact that many of these agreed government policy papers did not result immediately in significant shifts in policy application illustrates that such papers often only document the status quo and where they do not, they are a necessary but not sufficient precursor to the actual implementation of policy change.

72. Impact is thus generally in a greater or lesser contribution to a process in which other development partners and of course the national authorities are active. When a policy support intervention takes place, there is likely to be a lapse of time before this is translated into a policy instrument which can deliver development impact. Capacity building is generally even more diffuse in its final results but absolutely essential to the future of policy making. Notwithstanding the process for attaining impacts, there were an impressive number of occasions on which it could be said that a clear policy impact in terms of a definitive decision or policy instrument were very evidently accelerated by FAO policy work. Examples included:

1. in the Slovak Republic, the "Concept of Forest Policy and Strategy" considered by the parliament in June 2000 (after the mission) which is intended to lay the foundation for the overall new approach in the forestry sector. Accompanying this is a draft law;
   
   
2. in Estonia a revised forest law has been implemented. Also in Estonia almost all the institutional, legislative and procedural recommendations putting forward irrigation and drainage have been implemented;
   
   
3. the policies and strategies for developing a rural employment programme in Brazil have been completely revised;
   
   
4. in Zanzibar, Tanzania a revised forest policy, legislation and the enabling regulations were enacted; and
   
   
5. work in Yemen to develop the country's position on international trade contributed to an early decision to seek entry to the WTO.

73. Capacity building was a by-product of significance in several projects, for example, that referred to for Estonia above. Further particular examples of capacity building impact include:

1. in Tanzania, relatively large-scale cooperation took place over nearly 20 years and a series of projects utilising IDA and bilateral resources. As a result the Policy and Planning Department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has a staff of 70 professionals most of whom are trained to masters level. There was a similar experience of capacity building in Tunisia. It is, however, not likely that resources for partnerships of this scale and duration will be available in many situations;
   
   
2. in Latin America with assistance through FAO from Spain and the Netherlands, a distance learning and information network for policy and planning (REDCAPA) has been established;
   
   
3. PROAGRI in Mozambique has represented a different approach to capacity generation where a continuing partnership for a coordinated policy, strategy and programme has been established between the government and the major donors to which FAO has contributed.

IV. Recommendations

PREAMBLE

74. The evaluation was looking only at FAO's policy work and had no basis for proposing resource shifts between FAO's strategic priorities. This having been said, the evaluation found that policy development is an area of continued high priority for all member countries, while as development progresses, normative work purely on technology becomes something countries can increasingly readily access. FAO needs to increase its capacity to respond to this need. The External Peer Review emphasised that policy work should be expanded. The recommendations are thus not budget neutral and the summary table in Annex 3 provides a qualitative summary of the cost implication of recommendations ²⁸, indicating where efficiency savings could be made and where it is considered that Regular Programme or extra-budgetary resources may be appropriate.

75. Also evident is that if FAO is to meet challenges, it must become a more closely networked learning organization and recommendations are designed to support this.

76. Many of the recommendations below indicate areas where, in the view of the evaluation, there could be improvement. In examining these recommendations, there are also types of reaction that should be avoided. These include the introduction of increased clearances, checks, procedures and committees, which can only further slow responses and reduce time available for other work.

UNITY OF CONCEPT AND PURPOSE IN POLICY WORK

77. FAO needs to develop clearer priorities for those areas in which it will be a centre of excellence for policy support to member countries in line with country needs, FAO's Strategic Objectives and the policy support available to countries from sources other than FAO. The Organization then needs to further enhance its capacity in these selected priority areas, including the normative underpinning and build strong links between the concerned policy and technical units (see also paras. 53-54).

78. While by no means excluding general sector policy work, where it is required, greater relative weight could usefully be given to the more specific issues which must be resolved if the aims of sector policy are to be achieved. For the fisheries and forestry sectors, the position is clearly different and FAO is the one agency with extensive capacity. Livestock policy is an area of comparative neglect. Resource shifts should be considered in line with these priorities.

79. There is a priority for the Organization to strengthen its capacity in what is perceived as an area of comparative advantage, i.e. sub-sector policy work and work at the technology-policy interface, integrating costs and benefits of choices. This requires adjustment of priorities not only in policy-oriented programmes, but also in technical programmes (see also paras. 22-27).

80. It is clear, that there needs to be differentiation in terms of country needs. Priorities should be defined overall and at regional levels (see also para. 28). It is recommended that:

1. FAO give greatest priority in policy support work to the poorest and most food-insecure countries. This relative importance should be reflected in the numbers of staff stationed in the decentralized offices serving those countries and priority in use of funds including TCP. This support must, however, be linked to need and will take account of absorptive capacity, assisting LIFDCs not only to develop policy but also to translate policy into action in a few priority areas;
   
   
2. for middle-income countries (which have greater absorptive capacity for policy development and can work on a wider range of issues and apply more sophisticated solutions), policy support can concentrate on awareness raising on policy considerations and issues and on facilitating national policy processes. Arrangements should also be developed for cost-sharing through unilateral trust funds for more continuing and in-depth support; and
   
   
3. capacity building suited to the stage of development in each country will remain very important for both less and more developed countries (see below).

CAPACITY BUILDING

Purpose

81. Capacity-building to enable the agricultural ministries to better participate in the policy process is a clear priority. In almost all situations, this needs to concentrate on raising the capacity to identify and resolve policy issues, including their costs and benefits, rather than on sophisticated analytical techniques. Capacity building also needs to recognise that many of the least developed countries and some of the transition countries are not at the stage where they can develop separate policy units, especially in line ministries. The emphasis in these situations needs to be on developing the capacity of line managers and senior civil servants to provide sound input to the policy process and developing a consultative and networked culture for policy development. Even in many of the more developed countries, this aspect will be important, as well as enhancing the extent to which policy is made on the basis of in-depth analysis by both government units and groups like university think tanks.

82. It is also necessary to support the development of capabilities for agricultural ministries to analyse the cost-benefits of their own programmes. This is important both to make them more effective and to better defend them against cuts.

Advocacy and Awareness-Raising on Policy Issues

83. The Organization has developed clear normative positions in some policy areas. These should receive greater attention in policy assistance work. FAO should further develop positions in a few carefully selected areas, in which the Organization campaigns for policy change. Such campaigns need to be selectively targeted on countries and situations where there is a priority need. The Policy Task Force discussed below could have a major role in developing those areas in which FAO could be more active in advocacy and the Department of General Affairs and Information would be an important partner.

84. In addition to advocating policy positions, more systematic attention can be given to raising awareness of emerging policy issues and their implications.

85. Greater attention needs to be given to how the Organization communicates considerations on policy issues to a wider group of policy makers. This includes:

1. greater emphasis on synthesis, presentation and communication, including the continued use of workshops, internet publications and popular leaflets. Occasions such as World Food Day also present the opportunity for reaching a wider audience;
   
   
2. reinforcing the moves to utilise the FAO Conference, Regional Conferences and Commissions as a means of communication, either in the meetings themselves or in parallel sessions.

86. The Organization has a unique point of contact with the sector ministries for agriculture and it can usefully cooperate with other organizations such as the World Bank and IFPRI to utilise FAO fora for consultation on policy documents and for dissemination of current considerations in policy arising from research and experience (for example, the World Bank global rural development strategy document could be considered by COAG or the CFS and the regional documents by the FAO Regional Conferences. IFPRI could partner to present with FAO a joint half-day seminar on emerging policy issues in parallel with FAO meetings).

Training

87. In training, FAO should regard itself as much as a training resource for others as an executor of training (see also paras. 46-48):

1. target audiences should be clear for each intervention (including training materials) and the scope and methods of the intervention designed accordingly;
   
   
2. where training projects are undertaken at national level, a hands-on approach which links these to actual policy work is recommended;
   
   
3. the Regional Policy Assistance staff, with support from TCAS, can usefully become more involved in training, as has occurred in the Near East;
   
   
4. the Policy Assistance Division (TCAS) was found to have developed a number of very useful training materials in cooperation with other units, for example on trade. More products should be developed in collaboration;
   
   
5. for training materials, TCAS has also fully accepted that the Organization needs to move much more towards a modular approach to training material development, relying on materials from elsewhere when available and regarding the materials as work in progress which are subject to continuous improvement. There is also a need to reduce the use of academic language and separate out theory into annexes.

Capacity Building within Policy Fevelopment Interventions

88. In designing policy development interventions it is often possible to integrate capacity building, even though the main purpose of the project (to develop a policy) remains paramount. A consultative approach to policy development facilitates capacity building drawing analysts and decision makers into the process.

PARTNERSHIPS

The UN and Donor Group Country Processes

89. FAO can often be most effective in impacting on the overall policy agenda and capacities in countries when it works as part of the UN country team and in working in association with the IFIs and other development partners (see paras. 65-66). It may take a leadership role, where appropriate, in sector panels and round tables, and:

1. encourage adequate attention to agriculture, the rural sector and food security;
   
   
2. deepen and modify policy prescriptions to the needs of the rural sector and assurance of adequate food and nutrition;
   
   
3. assure consideration to alternative view points on sector development;
   
   
4. support national workshops and dialogue for policy development; and
   
   
5. assist line ministries to develop their positions and facilitate dialogue with the Finance and Planning ministries (which relate most directly to IFIs and the donor community).

90. These latter two roles should be enhanced particularly when policy development is underway with the IFIs and other development partners.

91. In this context the Organization needs to examine how its policy input fits into the wider issues current on the international agenda, such as governance and privatisation. It is also necessary that, without delaying the process, the Organization support the development of the poverty reduction strategies for the highly-indebted low-income countries to ensure that not only the priorities of health and education are addressed, but also food security and the development of income-earning opportunities in rural areas. In some countries, the ACC Task Force on Rural Development may provide a framework for this and in other countries FAO chairs donor round-table groups. However, in many countries the Organization will need to make increased efforts in providing policy inputs to the consultation process to ensure that food security and the interests of the rural sector are given adequate attention. It is very evident that in many situations the representatives of the UN system and the IFIs are not seeking partnership and the initiative for overcoming barriers will have to be taken by FAO, without seeking to assume a leadership role. At the same time, FAO can sometimes be most useful in providing an alternative point of view.

Collaboration with IFIs

92. Collaboration at country level can be reinforced on an ongoing basis by the FAOR, who should also identify with the IFI resident missions the needs for FAO technical inputs on policy as well as investment. In addition, discussions with IFI Headquarters need to be widened from the current discussion of Investment Centre inputs. Priority for such a widened discussion would be with the World Bank and IFAD. In working with IFIs, FAO's role should be clear. The Organization's purpose is to assist in reinforcing national development of sound policy, not the pursuit of a particular reform agenda (see also paras. 67-68).

Development of a Networked, Electronic, Paper and Personal Policy Resource for the Rural Sector

93. In cooperation with other agencies such as the World Bank, IFPRI and IFAD, FAO should seek extra-budgetary funding to develop a networked resource for policy which could grow in an incremental way, flexibly involving other partners and where there would be a degree of quality control. The intention would be to provide such products as:

1. an internet gateway to a very well-indexed and categorised set of resources on policy for agriculture, the rural sector, etc.;
   
   
2. web-based training;
   
   
3. hard copies of newsletters and summaries; and
   
   
4. a set of resource persons for consultation.

94. Such a resource would not only directly benefit developing countries but would increase capacities in FAO and the development agencies, providing a resource to their staff.

INSTITUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Technical Cooperation

95. Arrangements for technical assistance: Within the very limited resources available, FAO has to determine ways of improving its flexible input to the ongoing process of policy development and reform at country level. (This process shifts in emphasis and areas of concern and sometimes accelerates for a period in response to changes of government, programmes such as debt relief, or accession to WTO or regional groupings.)

96. Improved availability of flexible resources: In addition to efforts to develop local funding for policy assistance work from UNDP-SPPD, the World Bank, etc., more funds need to be flexibly available for policy support of all types to countries. It is proposed that:

1. the ratio of staff to non-staff resources be adjusted to increase the proportion of non-staff resources in the Policy Assistance Branches and in the Policy Assistance Division (TCA) at FAO Headquarters. There is a danger, in times of budget stringency, that if this is a simple shift from staff to non-staff resources, the resources will be gradually reduced. It is thus essential to find a mechanism that prevents this, either through establishment of a policy development fund or the fixing of the ratio between staff and non-staff resources. The resources released in this way would be available for all types of policy input under the leadership of the Policy Assistance Branches, not only economic or sector policy work;
   
   
2. opportunities should be explored with donors to establish and support policy assistance funds. Regional donors could be prepared to support regional or sub-regional funds. Where such funds can be established, there should be the option of making a Regular Programme input from the funds released to non staff resources under a) above;
   
   
3. some strengthening of the FAO-TCP modality (see below).

97. Strengthening the responsiveness of FAO-TCP: TCP has been the instrument through which FAO has carried out the majority of its recent policy support work; however, it could be made a more effective modality for this purpose as suggested below.

1. The present intention to create a fast-track approval authority for FAORs for a limited amount of work under national consultancy per year, in addition to the small-scale facility in their regular budgets, is welcomed. A higher figure should be considered under the fast-track modality for policy and possibly certain other categories of assistance, where an FAO staff input is required;
   
   
2. The advance authorisation procedure should be re-introduced for policy assistance TCPs, whereby a preliminary mission or consultancy can be fielded to define the project in detail; and
   
   
3. As noted above, the requirements for equipment in policy work are minimal, whereas a high level of quality and appropriate quantities of international input are vital, as are adequate budgetary provision for national consultancy and national process. Criteria on limits for international consultancy components and inclusion of consultants recruited on TCDC terms should be thus be modified for policy assistance projects (eliminating application of the standard TCDC arrangements) (see also paras. 35-36).

Decentralized Offices

98. Interdisciplinary policy work and assurance of flexible resources to support activities: A common entry point is needed for FAORs and for countries in approaching the Organization for policy support. This means that Policy Assistance Branches need to be a window on the total policy assistance resources of the Regional Office and well connected into the various policy resources at Headquarters, including those in the technical divisions. Policy assistance, especially at the sub-sectoral level, can be most effective if it integrates inputs from the Regional Office Technical Department Groups (TDGs) and the Policy Assistance Branches (PABs) (see also paras. 55-56).

99. Clearer definition of regional priorities and joint activities for policy work: An increased emphasis on joint undertakings between the PABs and TDGs could offer the prospect of enhancing work on concrete policy options, thus providing more specific content to policy work while making technical work more effective in promoting policy reform. An element in a possible solution could include creation of a common inter-divisional MTP Programme Entity in the Regional Office for policy work. Such a programme entity would draw all technical officers together to define the most important policy issues for the countries of the region, and then explore the issues identified in greater depth with partners and publicise them through training, meetings and at the Regional Conferences and Commissions.

100. Clarification of the Field Programme development function performed by the Policy Assistance Branches: There is no necessity for a uniform approach between Regional Offices but mechanisms need to be explored to strengthen the Field Programme development function while ensuring that this does not affect the integrity of policy work. Working closely with FAORs, the strengthened function of Field Programme development would include: mobilising the technical resources of the Regional Office as a whole, drawing on technical resources from Headquarters as necessary and liaising with donors especially at the regional level (see also para. 58).

101. Clarification of first lines of responsibility between decentralised offices in policy work: Although there have been de facto demarcation of lines of responsibility for policy work, efficiency can be enhanced if the current pragmatic arrangements are demarcated, always bearing in mind the need for flexible use of resources, while avoiding duplication and bureaucracy:

1. countries should be in one region and one sub-region for policy work, i.e. they should have a direct line of call on only one Regional/Sub-regional Office;
   
   
2. sub-regional policy assistance officers, although having a high degree of autonomy, should have a clear line of reporting to the Chief of the Policy Assistance Branch in the Regional Office;
   
   
3. for efficiency, physical geography should not be the only factor in assigning country responsibilities for policy work, language should be another major factor. For example in Latin America and the Caribbean, Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries might be handled from RLC, while English-speaking mainland countries are dealt with from SLAC in the Caribbean.

102. Importance of the FAOR: Inadequate attention has been given to the importance of the FAOR as a source of ongoing policy advice and as an interface with policy resources available from FAO. If FAORs are to more adequately fill this role (see also para. 66):

1. further efforts should be made aimed at keeping posts filled in key countries;
   
   
2. improved information support and training should be provided to FAORs on policy-related matters;
   
   
3. FAORs should meet at the Regional Offices once a year (this is important not only for policy work); and
   
   
4. the present practice should be reinforced of profiling countries to indicate the relative importance of policy work (project operations, etc.) and this should continue to be used as a major criterion in the selection of FAORs and national staff for those countries where the policy role is important.

Better Serving the CIS and Similar Countries

103. To improve services to the CIS and similar countries, rather than diluting staff impact by placing individual policy advisory officers in different countries, one FAO office could be established in a location where the host government is prepared to offer a substantial contribution in host facilities and where there are communication facilities with most of the countries concerned in Europe, the Near East and Asia. It could be staffed with two suitably-qualified policy officers and could also usefully include one officer for Field Programme development. If the size of the Field Programme eventually justified it, a project operations officer could also be added. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the mandate for all these countries be assigned to one Sub-regional Office and possibly a number of outposted policy officers each dealing with several countries.

SUPPORTING THE QUALITY OF FAO WORK

Guidelines

104. The Organization should develop a leaflet/guidance note on how to effectively relate to and facilitate the policy process for all policy work at the country level to be used by the Policy Assistance Branches, technical divisions and as guidance for FAORs and TCP. A note will be prepared by the Evaluation Service as an output from this evaluation. This may form a useful input for a guidance note to be developed by the task force referred to below. Technical units and IDWGs concerned with policy should also be required to develop very short notes on policy considerations in their areas of work. Such notes should be made widely available, including on the FAO Intranet.

Project Design

105. Recognition of the longer-term nature of the policy process and the stages within it, means that individual interventions may not be able to address all stages of the process. The emphasis on communication and process also has major implications for the design of policy assistance, away from a short intervention by an expert team, towards smaller teams making recurrent visits in the country. A larger proportion of budgets will need to be available for national participation and for translation, printing, meetings, etc. In addition to current requirements in project design for policy work (including in FAO-TCP), the design should incorporate a logical framework chart, and state (see also paras. 32-34):

1. the policy outcome which it is intended to achieve (for example that the country will revise its policies in a certain area);
   
   
2. how the work will fit into and where the project lies, on the policy process continuum;
   
   
3. the consultative process to be followed (see para. 63); and
   
   
4. how follow-up will be assured for subsequent stages of the policy process and/or implementation.

106. Project designs should also recognise that the nature of the consultative process will generally call for a relatively high proportion of funds to be committed to national consultancy, translation, meetings and civil society processes.

107. Both in the design and execution of policy support it is essential to examine with realism the potential for follow-up, both in terms of the extent to which any further necessary collaboration will be available for the remainder of the policy to implementation continuum and to avoid unrealistic policy initiatives which will call for human or financial resources which are unlikely to be available.

Country Intelligence

108. The Technical Cooperation Department could usefully take the lead in developing a web-based system of country intelligence which will integrate inputs from throughout the Organization, especially the FAORs and steadily improve quality and analytical content.

Task Force

109. An inter-departmental task force of limited duration to examine all aspects of policy work could be helpful, fed into by similar working groups in the Regional Offices and with sub-groups as required. If experience and a concrete work programme then justified it, the work of the task force could be extended to become an inter-departmental working group and/or policy network in FAO. The chairperson of the task force would provide the focal point for coordination of policy. The External Peer Reviewers stated that in their view the focal point should be allocated resources for this purpose.

110. Primary initial work for the task force could include:

1. establishment of clear priorities including:

1. subject matter and regional priorities for policy work; and
2. an agenda for policy outreach including awareness raising and advocacy;

2. development of an internal knowledge management framework including priorities for normative underpinning in policy work and identification of areas where inter-departmental and inter-divisional cooperation is urgent in developing normative support for the policy process; and
   
   
3. developing support for strengthening the Organization's capacity for cooperation with countries in policy development, including:

1. general guidelines on the approach and process for cooperation with countries in policy development;
2. information resources, including the networked resource and the country intelligence system referred to above; and
3. training for staff, in particular FAORs and technical staff.

Annex 1 Summary of FAO Policy-TCP Interventions

Table 1 Total Number of FAO-TCP Policy Projects by Region and Sector 1994-99

Table 2 FAO-TCP Policy Projects Reviewed by Missions by Region and Sector

Table 3 Missions' Assessment of Individual FAO-TCP Projects by Region

Table 4 Missions' Assessment of Individual FAO-TCP Projects by Sector

Table 5 FAO-TCP Projects Reviewed by Missions

Annex 2 Other Interventions Reviewed by Missions

(in addition to the FAO-TCP projects listed in Annex 1)

Annex 3 Resource Implications of Recommendations

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19 e.g. TCP/BRA/4456 Support to the formulation of the national agricultural extension system and programme of implementation.

20 e.g. TCP/EGY/4459 Re-use of wastewater in agriculture; Laos FAO-WB Cooperative Programme - Promoting sustainable rural development.

21 e.g. BGD/94/01T Support for national plan of action strengthening food and agriculture strategies; TCP/MEX/4554/7821 Soil conservation; TCP/MEX/6713 Definition of strategies and policies for the sustainable development of mountain zones.

22 e.g. TCP/PER/4451 Management of fisheries.

23 UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)/Common Country Assessment (CCA), World Bank Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF)/Country Assistance Strategy (CAS). The ACC Task Force on Rural Development which is decentralized in its action to country level is also potentially important.

24 e.g. Agriculture - Mozambique and Yemen; Forestry - Cambodia; Rural Development - Senegal; Natural Resource Development - Mali.

25 It may be noted that in November 2000 the FAO Council approved a scheme to extend FAO's presence at country level by outposting senior technical officers.

26 This was often due to delays in clearance of candidates by the countries themselves and FAO is seeking to improve the situation by interim postings.

27 e.g. TCP/MEX/4554/7821 Support to the promotion of soil conservation.

28 The cost will naturally be directly proportional to the extent of additional effort devoted in any one area.