Restructuring

To enable FAO to fulfil its mandate better and contribute effectively to the achievement of world food security - a goal conveyed by its slogan "Food for All" - FAO embarked on the most significant restructuring since its foundation. The aim was to remodel the Organization so that it could adapt to the changing external environment and be more effective.

DEFINING FAO'S DUAL ROLE

To start with, a clear distinction was made between normative and operational activities in the technical departments. In particular, to improve the coherence of services provided to Member Nations while also strengthening their country focus, the Development Department was transformed into a new Technical Cooperation (TC) Department. This department serves as the hub for operational work, provides policy advice, implements field operations, manages FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), provides investment support services through its Investment Centre Division (TCI) and mobilizes external resources. Within the TC Department, a Policy Assistance Division (TCA) was created to provide Member Nations - at their request - with policy advice related to national development policies, programmes and strategies in the agricultural and rural sector. In cooperation with other external partners in development, TCA assists Member Nations in the formulation or reformulation of policies and strategies aimed at creating a favourable economic environment for food security and agricultural and rural development and at ensuring that agriculture receives adequate consideration in macroeconomic adjustment programmes. Policy training is also provided as part of national capacity building in the field of policy analysis and formulation. To ensure the coherence of services provided, the Organization has a mechanism whereby all its interventions in a given country are organized within a programming framework.

FAO cooperates with multilateral and bilateral assistance agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Within the TC Department, the Unit for Cooperation with Private Sector and NGOs (TCDN) was set up in 1994 to provide a focal point for policy matters and to coordinate cooperation with private sector and civil society organizations, including business associations at the national and international levels, multinational corporations and a range of independent supporting organizations and intermediaries.

In response to the need to concentrate on issues of sustainability and to follow up on the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), FAO established the Sustainable Development (SD) Department. Formed from existing units in FAO's Agriculture and Economic and Social Departments, this new department combines expertise in gender and population issues, natural resource management, research and technology, extension and communication, human and institutional resources, and people's participation, making it a unique organizational resource for normative work in sustainable development.

Within the Economic and Social (ES) Department, in line with the priority set by the FAO Council on policy advice, the Agriculture and Economic Development Analysis Division (ESA) was established in 1995. It provides a focal point for economic and policy research and analysis, thus strengthening the Organization's normative functions. In collaboration with academic and research institutions, the division contributes to the generation of global knowledge and scientific thought concerning agricultural development and social issues. Through sector policy analysis and project appraisal methodologies, ESA also ensures a greater integration of concepts related to the environment, hunger and food security. It focuses on multidisciplinary analyses of agricultural and rural development programmes and projects, the role of agriculture in the development process and comparative agricultural development at the country and regional levels.

Also in 1995, the Office for Coordination of Normative, Operational and Decentralized Activities (OCD) was set up to facilitate the functioning of decentralized structures and ensure adequate substantive and administrative interaction between all geographical levels of the Organization.

Organization Chart (1999)

The General Affairs and Information (GI) Department underwent a major restructuring, with the introduction of new technologies and more emphasis on external contracting for translation and publishing. A resulting development in the area of corporate communication was the major reorganization of the Information Division (GII) in late 1998, which consolidated the former press, radio and television branches into a single Media Relations Branch. Media officers in the new branch received training so as to have the versatility to work with journalists in both print and broadcast media.