Chapter 4: Technical Cooperation Programme

732. The Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) responds to urgent and unforeseen requests for technical assistance of Members, in close association with other components of the Regular Programme. It will keep to its main characteristics: ability to respond to urgent requests; limited project duration; low costs; practical orientation; and catalytic role and complementarity to national efforts and other sources of assistance.

Statistical Information

733. Updated statistical information is provided below. It may be noted that while distribution among the five FAO regions tends to remain within the same order of magnitude, shifts occur from biennium to biennium, as well as variations in yearly TCP allocations by country, often as a consequence of demand particularly in the emergency category.

Distribution of TCP Allocations by Region (US$ million)

734. The distribution of TCP allocations among categories also varies from biennium to biennium depending on the nature of requests received. Advisory services account for the largest share of TCP assistance. During 2000, the proportional share of training assistance increased, while that of emergencies declined somewhat. The share of TCP-funded assistance related to the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) increased to over 12 percent (Category D).

Distribution of TCP Allocations by Categories (Percentages)

735. The distribution of TCP approvals by major sectors of activity, in the last nine-year period up to 2000, has evolved as shown below:

Approvals by Major Sector of Activity, 1992-93 to 2000 (values in US$ million)

Types of Assistance and Criteria

736. TCP provides technical inputs, in the form of national or international consultants (for a maximum of 12 months); technical services by FAO staff to support short-term and practically-oriented activities; equipment and supplies; and training deemed essential for project activities. TCP projects may also include sub-contracts to institutions for technical services, and cover general and direct operating expenses, and reporting and evaluation costs. In the choice of expertise, preference is given to the use of Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries and Countries in Transition (TCDC/TCCT) experts, as well as nationals.

737. Criteria for TCP assistance, remain those laid down by FAO Governing Bodies, which require that requests:

1. give emphasis to increasing production in food and agriculture, fisheries or forestry, particularly with a view to raising incomes of small-scale producers and rural workers;
2. be accorded high priority by the government, which must also ensure that local support facilities and services are available and that follow-up action will be taken;
3. be directed to an urgent and specific problem or need, limited to a particular sector or area, and involve practical action with well-defined objectives and expected results;
4. complement, without duplicating, other development activities, fill a critical gap, and where possible, serve as a catalyst for a larger-scale activity;
5. be limited in duration, preferably from one to three months; in no case should the overall duration of project activities exceed 24 months;
6. be limited in cost, not exceeding US$ 400,000 per project and preferably much lower, and involve the most-effective and least-costly method of execution; and
7. provide assurance of the fullest possible participation of the government in project execution, through such means as the use of national institutions, personnel and resources.

738. TCP supports projects within the framework of the Special Programme for Food Security, to the extent that TCP criteria are met. In addition, a Facility for FAO Representatives (FAORs) has been established to enable them to meet requests for small-scale assistance directly through recruitment of local expertise.

739. The Technical Cooperation Programme is managed and coordinated by the Technical Cooperation Programme Service (TCOT), previously a unit in the Office of Assistant Director-General (TC), and now part of the Field Operations Division (TCO). The service ensures adherence of approved projects to the TCP criteria, and coordination of the appraisal of, and the Organization's response to, incoming requests for TCP assistance. FAO Representatives, technical officers in Regional and Sub-regional Offices and at Headquarters as well as TCOR, participate in the formulation and appraisal process, and are also charged with operating them. During implementation, TCOT reviews and monitors, in close cooperation with field and Headquarters offices and through the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS), the performance of individual projects and of the programme as a whole.

740. Depending on the flow of requests, TCP assistance is approved throughout the biennium during which the related appropriation has been approved by the FAO Conference. According to the budgetary requirements for individual projects, corresponding resources are set aside or "earmarked" against the appropriation for the biennium, until the funds available are exhausted. Requests for assistance consistently exceed the capacity of the biennial appropriation to meet them. While individual projects can have a maximum life span of 24 months, they must be implemented and completed before the end of the subsequent biennium.

741. Commitments against the biennial appropriation can be made until the end of the second year of the biennium following that in which a project is approved; commitments made at such late stage must be settled within the subsequent year, as laid down in FAO Financial Regulations. Financial information on the implementation of TCP projects, by country, is regularly provided in the Organization's biennial accounts submitted to the Finance Committee, Council and Conference.

742. With the assistance of the decentralized structures, and in particular FAORs, the Technical Cooperation Department maintains close contact with governments, so that the requests submitted are prioritised and do not exceed the programme's financial possibilities. TCOT is also responsible for coordinating the implementation of Conference Resolution 2/93 (Edouard Saouma Award).

743. The performance and impact of TCP projects is monitored and evaluated through: a) comments requested from both the recipient government and the FAO Representative, during project implementation and after submission of the final report; b) the FAO Representative's six-monthly report, which assesses the results and indicates ongoing or expected follow-up to TCP projects; c) ad hoc surveys to consolidate information on follow-up action; and d) evaluation missions. Follow-up action and catalytic effects of TCP projects are monitored through theme-oriented evaluation of clusters of projects. Four thematic evaluations have been carried out so far covering projects in the fields of food control, apiculture and sericulture, legal assistance and policy advice. The results of these evaluations have been reported to the Programme Committee.

744. As for the SPFS, part of the resources under Major Programme 4.1 is subject to transfer, as reimbursement of administrative and operational support services (AOS) and technical support services (TSS) made available by the relevant units. The provisions for these expenditures in support of TCP are respectively US$ 7.3 million for AOS, and US$ 4.1 million for TSS largely under technical programmes and for evaluation.

Resources

745. Besides the call to increase resources for TCP, embodied in Conference Resolution 9/89, a combination of structural factors militate for such an increase. In the first instance, account must be taken of the increase in the number of Member Nations that are eligible for assistance from the programme (e.g. in 1990, FAO had 157 Members, while the membership now stands at 180). As a result, for instance, the share of the European region in TCP assistance has increased from 5 percent in 1992-93 to over 10 percent more recently, affecting of course the share of other regions.

746. There is also a phenomenon of increasing complexity of TCP projects, due to increased use of national consultants, TCDC experts and FAO staff for advisory services. In addition, there are demands for assistance in new fields, in particular following the decisions of the World Food Summit, for example:

1. projects in the framework of the SPFS - leading to substantial donor funding - initially limited to the water control component, and more recently expanding to other components of the SPFS;
2. support to national food control systems and national food safety;
3. establishment of national Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) in food insecure countries; and
4. training for World Trade Organization (WTO) multilateral trade negotiations (MTN).

747. Moreover, there has been a surge in demands for emergency assistance requests, from 97 projects at a cost of US$ 16.9 million in 1992-93 to 106 projects representing US$ 29.3 million in 1998-99. Complex emergencies caused by natural calamities as well as socio-political conflicts have increased, and most emergency TCP assistance has moved away from relatively straightforward provision of inputs, to arrangements that aim at interacting with donors and recipient countries, with a view to optimising relief and rehabilitation for the rural and agricultural sector. Requests for assistance to settle refugees temporarily in host countries or to support them with seeds and agricultural tools for their return, are also on the rise. This context leads to additional requests for technical support in programme formulation for rehabilitation following emergencies.

748. These various developments have resulted in a decline of the number of projects approved in every biennium from 551 in 1990-91, down to 430 in 1998-99 and 191 projects in 2000, whereas the average cost for individual projects has increased from US$ 147,600 in 1992-93 to US$ 227,600 in 2000. Normally, FAO receives some 800-900 requests for TCP assistance per biennium; and every year some 250-300 requests - for an overall value of US$ 60 to 75 million - remain unattended, and need to be carried forward to the subsequent biennium.

749. At the same time, the substantial decline in extra-budgetary funding for FAO's technical support and cooperation with developing countries, mainly due to the decline of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) financing, implies that many Members, including Low-income, Food-deficit Countries (LIFDCs) very often can only resort to TCP in order to access FAO's expertise in response to urgent and unforeseen needs. Approval of such projects usually takes more time as they often need to be reformulated in order to be eligible for TCP assistance.

750. All these factors support the wish of Members benefiting from TCP assistance, to see an increased share of TCP to the total appropriation. Within the chapter, it is also necessary to strengthen TCOT (Major Programme 4.2) in its essential coordination and supportive roles, particularly with a view to speeding up the approval process.

751. In effect, the tentative resource projections in the Medium Term Plan 2002-2007 included an increase in TCP resources under Chapter 4 of the Programme of Work and Budget to take the share of this chapter to 17 percent of the total FAO Regular Budget Appropriation by the end of the period, as called for by Conference Resolution 9/89. The share envisaged for the first biennium (2002-2003) of the six-year plan period was 14.9 percent and the overall increase of US$ 10.8 million proposed aims to maintain this percentage (before cost increases). It may be noted that the eventual percentage of the appropriation under Chapter 4 may change as a result of Conference decisions.

Impact of ZRG Resource Levels
Elimination of the substantial increase in resources contemplated under real growth would negate the expected benefits of a higher TCP allocation, as explained above. It may be noted that strengthening of TCP Unit (Major Programme 4.2) has been maintained as it is critical to the good performance of the entire programme, entailing an even lower provision available for projects than that included in the current PWB.