MAJOR PROGRAMME 3.3: FIELD OPERATIONS

468.      This Major Programme oversees all phases of the FAO technical assistance programme/project cycle, including project execution and implementation. It ensures feedback on management, operational and implementation issues regarding the field programme to the technical and administrative departments and to senior management. The Field Operations Division (TCO) is responsible for Programmes 3.3.1 and 3.3.2, while TCE (Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division) deals with Programme 3.3.3.

469.      The main thrusts over the medium term include:

• improved cost-effectiveness of field operations;
• enhanced normative framework for field programmes;
• information system support through the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS);
• on-going resource to management reviews and analyses of specific problems; and
• comprehensive reporting on and oversight of field activities.

470.      By its all encompassing nature, and by managing an effective field programme, Field Operations is contributing to all five corporate strategies. The work of TCE, however, concentrates on Strategic Objective A3 Preparedness for, and effective and sustainable response to, food and agricultural emergencies. The contribution of each programme to specific Strategies to Address Cross-Organizational Issues (SACOIs) is indicated throughout the text that follows.

PROGRAMME 3.3.1: FIELD OPERATIONS IN VARIOUS REGIONS

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
33110	Continuing	Africa	96	-	-	-	-
33120	Continuing	Asia and Pacific	1,149	-	-	-	-
33130	Continuing	Latin America and the Caribbean	279	-	-	-	-
33140	Continuing	Near East and North Africa	480	-	-	-	-
33150	Continuing	Europe and Inter-regional/Global Projects	332	-	-	-	-
331P1	Continuing	Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Africa	-	62	62	62	186
331P2	Continuing	Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Asia	-	354	354	354	1,062
331P3	Continuing	Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Europe	-	92	92	92	276
331P4	Continuing	Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Latin America and the Caribbean	-	136	136	136	408
331P5	Continuing	Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Near East	-	134	134	134	402
331S1	Continuing	Support to the field programme in Africa	-	34	34	34	102
331S2	Continuing	Support to the field programme in Asia	-	795	795	795	2,385
331S3	Continuing	Support to the field programme in Europe	-	240	240	240	720
331S4	Continuing	Support to the field programme in Latin America and the Caribbean	-	143	143	143	429
331S5	Continuing	Support to the field programme in Near East	-	346	346	346	1,038
Total Programme of Work			2,336	2,336	2,336	2,336	7,008
Less External Income			2,609	2,609	2,609	2,609	7,827
Net Appropriation			(273)	(273)	(273)	(273)	(819)
Real Growth				-	-	-	-
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				(273)	(273)	(273)	(819)
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				(0.0%)	(0.0%)	(0.0%)	(0.0%)

471.      Programme 3.3.1 covers the work of outposted TCO teams in the regions, through a relatively straightforward structure of entities and major outputs. The programme operates in virtually identical manner in all five regions, with one entity providing internal coordination and monitoring, and another providing direct operational support to projects. Hence, the two standard entities are presented below only once to avoid unnecessary repetition.

331P1: Coordination and monitoring of regional field programme activities in Africa

Problem to be addressed:

472.      With budget holder responsibilities being decentralized to regional technical officers and FAORs, there is need at the regional level for a focal point (e.g. the Regional Operations Branch - ROB) to ensure coordination, backstopping and monitoring of the field programme in the region in accordance with the decentralization policy of the Organization. Management at all levels needs access to detailed as well as consolidated analytical information on the performance of the field programme in the region, as well as continuous analysis of current and forecast performance (delivery forecasts and pipeline monitoring). The Regional Office needs coordinated conceptual and methodological support and access to administrative divisions on aspects concerning field projects.

Expected benefits:

473.      Effective advice and support to the region's budget holders and improved response capacity of the Organization. Through effective monitoring, preventive measures can be taken to address problems in project operations. Reliable delivery forecasts permit management to plan staffing levels and revenues. Timely management reports for regional and headquarters management feed into decisions regarding field programme policies and general direction.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Advice and support to budget holders in the region

- Reduction of critical Audit Reports

- Improved delivery performance by budget holders (timeliness, reduction of follow-up activities)

• Monitoring of regional project pipeline and coordination of delivery forecasts

- Ex post facto accuracy of forecasts

- Effective use of pipeline information in negotiations

• Management reports for the Regional Representative and headquarters

- Positive feedback from users

- Effective follow-up to recommendations/issues

- Post factum reliability of delivery forecasts

331S1: Support to the field programme in Africa

Problem to be addressed:

474.      Under the policy on decentralization, there is a need to operate national projects in countries without FAORs and regional projects within the region for which there is no matching technical discipline in the Regional Office. This task is performed by dedicated Operations Officers in the Regional Office.

Expected benefits:

475.      Timely and efficient operation of technical cooperation projects entrusted to the ROB.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Operational support to the field programme

- Field programme delivery by officer

- Quality and timeliness of periodic project progress reports

PROGRAMME 3.3.2: CENTRAL SUPPORT AND SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
33200	Continuing	Central Support and Special Activities	4,314	-	-	-	-
332A2	2006-2011	Enhancement of database and tools for corporate and departmental field programme management and monitoring	-	1,178	1,178	1,178	3,534
332P1	Continuing	Coordination of field programme activities	-	1,182	1,182	1,182	3,546
332P2	Continuing	Monitoring of field programme activities	-	847	847	847	2,541
332S1	Continuing	External Services in Relation to the Field Programme	-	1,377	1,377	1,377	4,131
Total Programme of Work			4,314	4,584	4,584	4,584	13,752
Less External Income			944	944	944	944	2,832
Net Appropriation			3,370	3,640	3,640	3,640	10,920
Real Growth				-	500	500	1,000
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				3,640	4,140	4,140	11,920
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				0.0%	13.7%	13.7%	9.2%

476.      Programme 3.3.2 includes a number of essential activities in support of the field programme and contributing to the SACOI on Continuing to improve the management process. Its structure takes account of the following requirements:

• improving the cost-effectiveness of field operations through close cooperation with administrative divisions to streamline administrative procedures, and enhancing information technology (IT) tools at disposal of FAOR offices;
• updating procedures for field programme development and field programme monitoring, as well as providing support to project staff (Chief Technical Advisors and international experts) and national counterpart personnel (national project directors and coordinators) to take account of evolving contexts;
• refining the major field programme orientated system, the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS), including a wider access to information, also by national authorities in countries;
• monitoring of the field programme, including periodic or ad hoc reviews, and responses to audit reports; and
• improving reporting for Regional Representatives and senior management at headquarters, as well in support of oversight by the Governing Bodies.

332A2: Enhancement of database and tools for corporate and departmental field programme management and monitoring

Problem to be addressed:

477.      The need for consolidated information on the performance of operational activities increases with decentralization, particularly when depending on many actors in different organizational units, often based in different locations. Regular and ad hoc analytical reports need to be prepared to provide managers with objective and focused information to concentrate on specific issues in the right context, understand future trends, and develop solutions. The corporate management information system, Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS), combines all the required information (financial, human resources, project cycle phase, etc) for easy access by all staff.

Expected benefits:

478.      Improved field programme delivery performance. Savings through proactive rather than reactive management. Updated guidelines, procedures and policies (and links to relevant sites and documents) through the Field Programme Manual. Compatibility and interaction with other corporate tools.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Enhanced interaction of FPMIS with other corporate tools (e.g. PIRES, Data Warehouse, HR Planning, ATLAS and COIN)

- Elimination of redundant departmental field programme related databases

- Evidence of integration of FPMIS into other corporate databases

• Accessibility of FPMIS worldwide, including access by project managers authorized to monitor project activities

- Reduced field programme implementation delays and cost overruns

- Reduced follow-up and monitoring costs

- Regular use by all budget holders

• Adaptation of FPMIS to new technology, IT infrastructure standards and new user requirements

- Improved FPMIS efficiency

- Reduction of ad hoc queries for information that can be obtained directly from FPMIS

• Maintenance and dissemination of the Field Programme Manual

- User satisfaction and feedback from budget holders

332P1: Coordination of field programme activities

Problem to be addressed:

479.      In the current decentralized environment, there is a need for a corporate focal point to ensure a coherent approach to all non-technical aspects of field programme management and operations, and all phases of the project cycle. Without such a focal point, there is a high risk of inconsistent practices, inefficient management and lack of adherence to the Organization's rules and regulations, which may result in high costs due to the need for post factum corrective action.

Expected benefits:

480.      More consistent adherence by budget holders to policies, procedures and guidelines on the field programme. Framework for field programme operations responsive to external demands. Enhanced credibility of the Organization as a reliable, predictable and efficient partner in emergency and development cooperation.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Consistent framework for field programme operations

- Competitive costs for supporting the field programme

• Maintenance of policies, procedures and guidelines

- Elimination of obsolete procedures

- Reduction in number of queries from users and reduced procedural problems identified by auditors.

• Ad hoc reviews to address atypical or complex field programme situations

- Reduction of cost of support activities

• Improved knowledge on field programme operations and management imparted to budget holders

- Number of briefings and training workshops

- Number of project budget holders or assistants trained

• Secretariat of field programme related committees and working groups

- Number of meetings serviced

- Effective follow-up to recommendations

332P2: Monitoring of field programme activities

Problem to be addressed:

481.      Timely, cost effective delivery of technical assistance requires that FAO management, project budget holders and all others concerned have access to reliable, up-to-date field programme-related analytical information that is the basis for taking corrective action and for rational decision-making. Decentralization of many decisions and activities regarding field projects to the budget holders requires that information on activities at the decentralized level is processed according to a commonly agreed methodology; that it is consolidated and analyzed at the central level; and that issues and problems are identified and highlighted so that corrective action is taken, as needed.

Expected benefits:

482.      Analytical elements that form the basis for the formulation of policies and strategies and aim at improving overall field programme performance; budget holders and project managers enabled to monitor progress and performance of specific projects or groups of projects, from different perspectives, and to take preventive or corrective action in a timely manner; informed decisions regarding staffing and AOS income reimbursement in FAOR Offices as well as in the Regional Operations Branches.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• FPMIS database

- Effective use by FAO staff of FPMIS in all locations

• Pipeline management, delivery forecasting and capacity assessment

- Evidence of realistic pipeline of projects and accurate information

- Reduced processing time for project development and approval

• Field programme-related reports based on analysis of available data, monitoring tools and special studies

- Number of reports

- Positive feedback from managers

332S1: External Services in Relation to the Field Programme

Problem to be addressed:

483.      Governments have expressed in various fora the desire for accurate information and feedback on the projects for which they are recipients and/or donors, and expect accountability of the Organization for resources entrusted to it for field operations. Issuance of terminal reports/statements is thus a contractual requirement, communicating results of projects to all concerned at all levels.

Expected benefits:

484.      Governments will have access to relevant project information, improving transparency and trust in the way public funds are handled by FAO. Timely, high quality project terminal reports not only fulfil FAO's obligation to report to donors and recipient governments, but constitute a historical record of the technical assistance undertaken in a given country and can stimulate further activities.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Project information provided to donor and recipient countries

- Number of reports issued

- Positive feedback from governments

• Support to editing, processing and distribution to recipient countries of projects terminal reports and statements

- Number of terminal reports/statements issued

• Support to the implementation of study tours, fellowships and related schemes

- Number of short-term and long-term capacity building training programmes

- Number of advisory services to donors

• Support to the implementation of small scale initiatives (e.g. TeleFood Special Fund)

- Number of projects appraised and monitored

PROGRAMME 3.3.3: EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AND REHABILITATION

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
333P1	Continuing	Development of FAO's capacity to formulate and implement policies and approaches for emergency, rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance	10,292	300	300	300	900
333P2	Continuing	Support to Member Nations and Others by Promoting the Formulation and Application of Rehabilitation and Humanitarian Assistance Policies	901	-	-	-	-
333P3	Continuing	Mobilization of Resources for Emergency and Rehabilitation Programmes	1,980	-	-	-	-
333S1	Continuing	Management of emergency and early rehabilitation operations and coordination of post-conflict programmes	-	11,043	11,043	11,043	33,129
Total Programme of Work			13,173	11,343	11,343	11,343	34,029
Less External Income			12,454	10,951	10,951	10,951	32,853
Net Appropriation			719	392	392	392	1,176
Real Growth				-	-	-	-
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				392	392	392	1,176
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%

485.      The programme responds to needs for emergency assistance in countries affected by exceptional natural or human-induced calamities. The Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division (TCE) has overall responsibility for emergency-related activities and leads the assessment of needs for agricultural relief and rehabilitation. It also has a leadership role in the preparation and implementation of programmes and projects for urgent agricultural relief and early rehabilitation in disaster-struck countries. The programme, which contributes to the SACOIs on Leveraging resources for FAO and its Members and Enhancing interdisciplinarity, is structured around two programme entities.

333P1: Development of FAO's capacity to formulate and implement policies and approaches for emergency, rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance

Problem to be addressed:

486.      The recent evaluation of FAO's Strategic Objective A3 "Preparedness for, and effective and sustainable response to, food and agricultural emergencies" found that "... agricultural relief projects have performed satisfactorily ... provided technically appropriate solutions, and the Emergency Coordinators provided by FAO in major emergencies have been effective and much appreciated by other partners. FAO's ability to exploit its advantages is constrained by several factors ... which impinge on the speedy delivery of inputs." On the other hand, the evaluation concluded that preparedness activities have been few and scattered, with the exception of early warning. There have also not been many activities aimed at promoting an effective transition from relief to rehabilitation and development.

Expected benefits:

487.      The mainstreaming of emergency and rehabilitation work in FAO's overall activities and the stimulation of interactions between emergency and rehabilitation operations and normative activities. Key components include: disaster preparedness, early warning, assessing needs, formulating and implementing agricultural relief and rehabilitation programmes, and investment frameworks favouring the transition from emergency relief to reconstruction and development. The entity is strongly linked to the PAIA REHA.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Support to cross-sectoral normative activities through promotion of lessons learnt in the field

- Assessment of the implications in the preparation of emergency and rehabilitation interventions

• Promotion of the formulation and implementation of rehabilitation programmes and plans linked to FAO's relief operations

- Number of post-emergency strategies/programme frameworks in selected countries/regions

- Number of training activities on rehabilitation interventions

333S1: Management of emergency and early rehabilitation operations and coordination of post-conflict programmes

Problem to be addressed:

488.      More and more countries are stricken by both natural disasters caused by geological or climatic shocks (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods and droughts) and complex emergencies induced by conflict and compounded by other multiple shocks, which are often of a long duration. FAO is called upon to manage emergency and early rehabilitation operations relating to the agriculture sector.

Expected benefits:

489.      FAO's work in post-disaster and complex emergency situations emphasizes the protection of agricultural and rural livelihoods and contributes to the phasing out of food aid and the reconstruction of food and agricultural production systems, which are essential for providing the affected populations with stable opportunities for development.

Major Output(s)/Indicator(s)

• Coordinated interventions in response to natural and man made disasters and transition situations

- Quality and quantity of regular exchange of information with other UN agencies measured through memoranda of understanding and joint programmes

- Level of delivery for emergency and early rehabilitation projects/ programmes

• Management of FAO's response to natural and man-made disasters and transition situations

- Administrative procedures adapted to emergency and rehabilitation projects

- Number of FAO staff trained for emergency and rehabilitation projects

- Evidence of increased awareness and common understanding on the continuum emergency/rehabilitation and development

- Effective implementation of recommendations made in evaluations related to emergency and early rehabilitation

• Improved preparedness and contingency planning capacities to respond to potential emergencies

- Satisfaction of countries benefiting from contingency and preparedness plans.