MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.1: POLICY ASSISTANCE

96. This major programme assists countries in the formulation of strategies, policies and programmes aimed at creating a favourable socio-economic environment for sustainable agriculture, rural development and food security. It addresses policy advice activities including related institutional capacity-building and analysis/formulation of specific policy issues, as well as rehabilitation programmes in the aftermath of complex emergencies. Programme 3.1.1, Coordination of Policy Assistance and Related Capacity Building, is implemented by Headquarters staff; Programme 3.1.2, Policy Assistance to Various Regions, is implemented by the decentralized staff of the Policy Assistance Division (TCA), while the Legal Office is responsible for the complementary Programme 3.1.3, Legal Assistance to Member Nations.

97. The scope of work implies that this major programme makes a significant contribution to the fulfilment of Strategic Objective C1, Policy options and institutional measures to improve efficiency and adaptability in production, processing and marketing systems and meeting the changing needs of producers and consumers, whereas it also contributes to Strategic Objectives A1, A3, B2 and E1.

98. The structure of component entities remains broadly similar to that shown in the Programme of Work and Budget 2000-2001, albeit with some consolidation. A new "technical project" aims at the development of FAO's capacity to provide on-line training in food, agriculture and rural development policy and planning by using the Internet, building on pilot experiments in Latin America. This project would only allow for a modest start in the use of advanced on-line technologies for the provision of training on a global scale. For FAO to place itself in a prominent position in this rapidly expanding field, the allocation of significant additional resources would be required.

99. A new technical project is also introduced under Programme 3.1.3 to support the development of a regulatory framework for food and agriculture. However, the indicated tentative allocation of resources is not likely to be sufficient and more resources would be required.

Programme 3.1.1: Coordination of Policy Assistance and Related Capacity Building

Code

Type

Title

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

311A1

TP

Development of FAO's Capacity to Provide On-line Training in Food, Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Planning

311P1

CP

Coordination of and Support to Policy Assistance and Advice

311P2

CP

Coordination of Field Programme Development Activities

311P3

CP

Development of Training Materials and Methods in Food and Agriculture Policy Analysis

311P4

CP

Coordination of Country Focus

311S2

TS

Technical Support to Capacity Building in Food, Agriculture and Rural Policy Development Planning and Policy Analysis

Legend
	Greater than zero, less than US$ 1.5 million	US$ 1.5 million to 3 million	US$ 3 million to 5 million	More than US$ 5 million

Rationale

• Trends in adult education favour cost-effective distance learning approaches based on the use of the Internet, while the growing availability of Internet facilities in developing countries and the type of audience to which FAO policy training programmes are oriented (professionals in government, civil society organizations and NGOs, as well as FAO's own staff) facilitate the use of on-line training methods.
• Capacity in this innovative and promising field will increase the geographic coverage and the number of participants in FAO training activities and reduce their cost, while enabling them to formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate food, agriculture and rural development policies. A multiplier effect can be achieved by assisting trainers from academic institutions in countries to design and manage distance learning programmes on food and agriculture policy issues.

Objective

To provide a broad range of public and private sector development agents with knowledge and skills, through distance learning.

Major Outputs

1. Development of courseware for distance-learning (based on re-conversion of existing training materials and design of new ones - will include modules for direct training and modules for trainers for multiplier effects).
2. Operation of on-line training programmes.

Indicators

• Adaptation of materials suitable for on-line learning.
• Outreach of courses designed/adapted for on-line delivery.

Rationale

• The policy advisory function is largely decentralized and requires strong inter-departmental cooperation. FAO advice on policy for agricultural development and food security and in rehabilitation and reconstruction must be coordinated, effectively delivered by the decentralized units and adequately supported by all relevant departments.

Objective

To ensure a coherent approach for FAO policy advisory services.

Major Outputs

1. Review of analyses and policy options formulated by the outposted units for coherence, sharing of experiences across regions, and feedback from global normative policy work to these units.
2. Coordination of support in preparation of plans/strategies for rehabilitation and development, following emergencies.
3. Policy advisory missions to countries.

Indicators

• Quantitative indicators of activity (briefings of policy advisory missions, number of policy documents reviewed, etc.).
• Evidence of effective coordination among regional policy units and of active participation of technical departments in policy work.

Rationale

• In a context of substantial decentralization of field operations, it is imperative that outposted policy units pay due attention to the impact of projects on the core issues of agricultural development and food security and to a coherent programme approach, drawing on contributions from normative units and the units responsible for contact with donors.

Objective

To ensure efficient field programme development to meet country needs.

Major Outputs

1. Review of programmes and projects to assess consistency with overall development objectives of countries.
2. Support to participation in country-level programming exercises (either national, or under the aegis of UN system partners).

Indicators

• Evidence of improved coherence of FAO field projects.

Rationale

• There are substantial requirements for capacity-building in many countries to improve decision-making in the various fields of agriculture and rural development policy, and for materials which can present and update concepts, appropriate information, analytical methods and policy tools.
• Materials must be targeted at an audience of working professionals engaged in planning and policy-making processes rather than at an academic public, and kept in line with most recent policy developments and analytical thinking.

Objective

To disseminate adequate training tools for courses, workshops and in-service training and to support capacity-building.

Major Outputs

1. Training materials in policy and sector analysis (e.g. the overall characteristics, potential, constraints and performance of the agricultural sector, the design of sector plans and strategies, and the formulation of major food, agriculture and rural development policies).
2. Training materials in sub-sector policy and analysis.
3. Training materials in investment planning and local level development.

Indicators

• Uptake of methodologies, as documented through surveys.
• Demand from countries.

Rationale

• Country policy work, as well as field programme development, requires up-to-date knowledge of the country concerned and information on recent trends in agricultural production, food security and technical cooperation activities. Also close liaison with country authorities and dynamic monitoring of socio-economic and political changes are required. Such diffuse activities in the regions must be coordinated and harmonised.

Objective

To provide for effective country focus arrangements in FAO.

Major Outputs

1. Monitoring of country-level data collections in various regions.
2. Continuing guidance to outposted units and harmonisation of information collection and related formats.

Indicators

• Evidence of solid country knowledge in outposted units.

This entity supports capacity-building activities in policy analysis areas in countries, like training courses, seminars, workshops and in-service training. Most activities are carried out in collaboration with other Headquarters units and the Regional Offices, with regional associations or with national training centres. The entity complements extra-budgetary or TCP resources in the framework of field projects.

Programme 3.1.2 Policy Assistance to Various Regions

Code

Type

Title

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

312P1

CP

Enhancement of Country Focus

312P2

CP

Field Programme Development

312P3

CP

Advice, Support and Training in Agricultural Policies

312S3

TS

Technical Support to Field Programmes

Legend
	Greater than zero, less than US$ 1.5 million	US$ 1.5 million to 3 million	US$ 3 million to 5 million	More than US$ 5 million

Rationale

• As explained under the preceding entity 311P4, country policy work, as well as field programme development, requires up-to-date knowledge of the country concerned and information must be assembled on recent trends in agricultural production, food security and technical cooperation activities drawing on all potential sources, so that the outposted policy units can support the formulation of well-tailored technical assistance.
• While presented separately for the sake of transparency, this entity together with the following ones - 312P2 and 312P3 - must be conceived as a "continuum", the finality of which is to meet effective demands from countries.

Objective

To provide for effective country focus to support FAO's country level activities.

Major Outputs

1. Systematic reviews of existing literature and national documents on the socio-economic and agricultural situation.
2. Assessments of development potentials and options of countries, as well as identification of constraints faced for agricultural development.
3. Collection of relevant information and preparation of briefs on the status of agriculture.
4. Assessment and identification of areas requiring external assistance to attain national objectives.

Indicators

• Up-to-date assessment of countries' technical assistance needs for sustainable food security, agriculture and rural development.
• Evidence that FAO's programme and projects are consistent with countries' priority needs.

Rationale

• FAO's field programmes should in the first instance be responsive to demands of recipient countries. This, however, requires concerted and proactive efforts to identify the critical constraints affecting agricultural development and attainment of the goals of the World Food Summit (WFS), and attention to the design of coherent programme and projects.
• FAO also needs to participate actively in country-level programming exercises, e.g. United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) to ensure the full reflection of agricultural development concerns and interests.

Objective

To develop field programmes fully attuned to country needs.

Major Outputs

1. Programming missions and reports.
2. Draft projects and programme agreements.
3. Appraisal of project ideas.
4. Country task forces to review development needs.
5. Contributions to country-driven programming exercises from the perspective of food and agriculture.

Indicators

• Relevance of the portfolio of field activities entrusted to FAO.

Rationale

• This entity regroups important contributions from the TCA outposted units to country policy formulation work.
• In the first instance, it covers direct assistance and support to policy formulation to meet specific requests, mostly in the form of discussion of options with national teams or through national workshops, thereby also contributing to strengthening of country capacities.
• Increasingly dominant concerns in this work are the impact of globalisation and the implications of evolving trade agreements on food and agricultural development.
• As necessary, recourse is made to facilities for policy formulation work, such as UNDP/Support for Policy and Programme Development (SPPD) resources.
• The entity also covers more direct forms of capacity-building support, such as the provision of resource persons for training activities or lectures to national staff on specific aspects of food and agricultural policy design, as well as feedback to global normative outputs.

Objective

To provide sound policy advice and to improve policy formulation capacities at national level.

Major Outputs

1. Policy advisory missions and technical reports on sectoral policy issues of interest to recipient countries.
2. Workshop reports and related technical documents.
3. Sector reviews and strategies.
4. Feedback from country-level policy advisory work to normative activities, through case studies and regional syntheses.

Indicators

• Evidence of uptake of advice in policy formulation, as assessed through surveys.
• Demands for direct assistance.
• Effective contributions to capacity-building.

This entity will deal primarily with backstopping of field projects with policy dimensions.

Programme 3.1.3: Legal Assistance to Member Nations

Code

Type

Title

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

313A1

TP

Support to the Development of a Regulatory Framework for Food and Agriculture

313P1

CP

Collection and Dissemination of Legal Information

313S1

TS

Provision of Technical Advice

Legend
	Greater than zero, less than US$ 1.5 million	US$ 1.5 million to 3 million	US$ 3 million to 5 million	More than US$ 5 million

Rationale

• Regulation of agriculture is increasingly subject to principles of international law and non-binding instruments for which governments request guidelines and sometimes further development of principles for national implementation. FAO is engaged in developing and supporting regulatory frameworks in all areas of its mandate, with foreseeable emphasis in the medium term on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, genetic resources, pest control, animal health, biosecurity and food security. It is necessary to place these sectoral efforts into a coherent whole

Objective

To develop an overall conceptual framework for international agreements, to supplement work of information dissemination (313P1) and technical assistance (313S1).

Major Outputs

1. In cooperation with the pertinent technical units, an ongoing inventory of requirements for national regulation and in priority thematic areas, including appropriate guidelines, manuals, codes of conduct and action plans produced to provide the basis for national regulation.

Indicators

• Demands for information for national regulation in priority areas.
• Evidence of national regulations adopted on the basis of guidelines, manuals, codes of conduct and action plans.

Rationale

• FAO's legal database, which is continuously updated and augmented, and publications on topical legal aspects of food and agriculture development, are essential tools for countries to improve their legal and institutional framework for agricultural development and natural resources management.

Objective

To collect and disseminate pertinent information on food and agricultural legislation.

Major Outputs

1. FAOLEX (comprehensive database of food and agricultural legislation providing on-line legal texts and summaries with key-word index, and special-interest sub-databases, e.g. foreign fishing conditions, international water basins).
2. Food and Agricultural Law Publications.

Indicators

• Effective use of information in drafting national legislation and demand for publications.
• Access to comparative information by legal profession.

Although at a somewhat reduced level to free up resources for the above technical project 313A1, this entity will cover legal services to countries, including project support and execution, backstopping of legal components of other field projects, training and direct advisory services.