Major Programme 245. Active Partnership and Technical Cooperation
Summary of 1998-99 proposals and comparison with previous biennium (including funds from other sources)
| SUBPROGRAMMES | REGULAR BUDGET 1998-99 (IN US DOLLARS) | OTHER SOURCES 1998-99 | ||||||||
| WORK-YRS / MTHS | STAFF COSTS | OTHER COSTS | TOTAL RESOURCES | WORK-YRS / MTHS | STAFF COSTS | OTHER COSTS | TOTAL RESOURCES | |||
| P | GS | P | GS | |||||||
| ACTIVE PARTNERSHIP AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION | 15/07 | 8/00 | 3,090,163 | 90,098 | 3,180,261 | 6/00 | 4/00 | 1,246,968 | 204,010 | 1,450,978 |
| COOPERATION WITH THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, AND OTHER UN ORGANIZATIONS | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,200,000 | 1,200,000 |
| 1998-99 TOTALS | 15/07 | 8/00 | 3,090,163 | 90,098 | 3,180,261 | 6/00 | 4/00 | 1,246,968 | 1,404,010 | 2,650,978 |
| 1996-97 TOTALS | 14/08 | 14/02 | 4,190,368 | 200,268 | 4,390,636 | 12/02 | 6/10 | 2,844,272 | 1,618,168 | 4,462,440 |
245.1. The active partnership policy, which has been in operation since the beginning of 1994, is the guiding principle behind the relationship between the ILO and its constituents at the national level. Country objectives are a key element of the policy and constitute the ILO’s programming framework in each member State. They have successfully promoted closer interaction between the ILO’s field structure and its constituents and have served to strengthen tripartite consultation at the national level. Moreover, the establishment of the multidisciplinary advisory teams has brought the ILO’s expertise closer to its constituents. The active partnership policy has therefore improved the ILO’s capacity to design and deliver effective and timely technical services to its constituents.
245.2. The major programme is the result of the merger of the Promotion of technical cooperation programme (formerly programme125.3) and major programme245 (Active partnership). The objectives of the major programme are: the implementation of the active partnership policy and the improvement of coordination and collaboration between field and headquarters units; and the management of the ILO’s technical cooperation programme as a major means of action with a view to improving its quality and impact.
245.3. The resources for this major programme are some $651,000 lower in real terms than in the biennium 1996-97 as a result of economies achieved following the merger referred to above.
245.4. With a view to achieving greater interaction between technical departments at headquarters, the multidisciplinary advisory teams and regional and area offices, the activities of the major programme include the organization of formal and informal consultations, the monitoring of the work plans of the multidisciplinary advisory teams and the identification of ways of pooling efforts and resources for the implementation of country objectives. The outcome of country objectives exercises is analysed and subregional, regional and global issues, themes and topics are identified on which concerted action is needed to develop specific guidelines, approaches and end products so that a prompt response can be made to requests for assistance from constituents. Staff training programmes are planned and implemented and support materials produced on various aspects of the active partnership policy and technical cooperation, including the mobilization of resources. Briefing on these issues is provided to senior management and officials joining field units. In close collaboration with the Regional Offices, the composition of the multidisciplinary advisory teams will continue to be reviewed in the light of the expressed needs of the constituents.
245.5. The work of the major programme includes the central coordination of a programme of operational activities, including the formulation of new technical cooperation proposals in response to requests from constituents in fields of ILO competence. Many of these proposals require a multidisciplinary approach involving the relevant technical units at headquarters and the multidisciplinary advisory teams in the development of technical cooperation packages and programmes. The quality of the ILO’s technical cooperation activities will be maintained through the application of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in collaboration with major programme200 (Programming and management) to ensure that the lessons learned from technical cooperation programmes are made available to the regional and technical major programmes. This work will be supported by the maintenance of a comprehensive database to facilitate all aspects of technical cooperation activities, including the negotiation of new projects and programmes and management and reporting obligations. The database contains information on the needs of constituents, as identified in country objectives, and the priorities and requirements of donors, as well as essential data on forthcoming, ongoing and recently implemented projects and programmes.
245.6. The linkage between international labour standards and technical cooperation will continue to be promoted in close cooperation with major programme50 (International labour standards and human rights), particularly through a mechanism to “mainstream” the issues of equality of opportunity and treatment and the environment in technical cooperation activities. A contribution will be made to the ILO’s follow-up of the World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women through the promotion of appropriate technical cooperation programmes and the identification of extra-budgetary resources for their implementation.
245.7. The responsibilities of the major programme include the overall management of RBTC resources, which are used in areas of particular concern to the ILO’s tripartite structure and its constitutional mandate. This involves the use of RBTC resources to attract external funding, support the initial stage of the activities envisaged in country objectives, formulate projects and programmes, and finance activities for which external funding is difficult to secure. The implementation of RBTC-funded activities will be monitored to ensure that they are in accordance with the priorities identified by constituents in country objectives.
Relations with donors
245.8. The work of the major programme includes taking responsibility for cooperation between the ILO and multilateral organizations within and outside the United Nations system in matters related to technical cooperation. Developments and trends in the international development assistance and technical cooperation environment will be analysed and advice provided to senior management and the major programmes concerned on their implications for the ILO. Advice will also be provided and documents prepared to ensure that the ILO’s views and interests are effectively represented in inter-agency and intergovernmental fora. Existing cooperation arrangements will be expanded and new possibilities explored with multi-bilateral donors, regional multilateral bodies such as the European Union and other sources of funding and development partners. Opportunities will be sought to cooperate with multilateral financial institutions in operational activities and to promote the ILO’s policies and priorities in these activities. The ILO’s collaboration with UNDP and the United Nations system, including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will continue to cover policies, procedures and substantive cooperation. Practical support will be provided to the field structure through the development of policy and operational guidelines to enable the ILO to cooperate effectively with the United Nations system and adapt to new means of coordination, programming and delivery, such as UNDP’s country strategy notes, national execution and the programme approach.
245.9. The ILO contributes to the design, implementation and evaluation of WFP aid programmes, and particularly its food-for-work, food-for-training, cooperative development and other income-generation activities. The support provided includes advising WFP on technical and standards-related matters during the preparatory stage of project documents and participating in evaluation, review and monitoring missions at all stages of the project cycle. Specific ILO components in food-aid programmes will continue to be developed where appropriate. Extra-budgetary resources amounting to some $1.2 million are expected to be made available by WFP during the biennium 1998-99. Technical contributions will also be provided to the activities of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various country-specific United Nations relief operations.
245.10. In accordance with the resolution on the role of the ILO in technical cooperation adopted by the Conference in 1993 and the debate in the Governing Body concerning the ILO strategy for technical cooperation in November 1994, a resource mobilization strategy will continue to be implemented to secure adequate extra-budgetary resources for the ILO’s technical cooperation activities. A resource mobilization plan setting out qualitative and quantitative targets will be established for the biennium. The plan will be designed to raise awareness of the ILO’s values and expertise among the donor community, expand policy dialogue and collaboration with development partners and market ILO technical cooperation packages, projects and programmes. The current donor base will be broadened in terms of both the number and type of donors and more in-depth relations will be pursued with current partners. The needs and priorities of constituents, donors and the ILO will be matched in close consultation with the field structure, which will play an increasingly important role in resource mobilization. The possibility of adapting administrative and financial rules and procedures to accommodate a more dynamic and proactive resource mobilization strategy will be explored.