TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME

The Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) is an essential means to make FAO’s specialized competence more readily available to Member Countries. It is an instrument which enables the Organization to respond rapidly to urgent needs for technical and emergency assistance in the agricultural sector, including forestry and fisheries, and for rural development. Technical assistance can be rendered under one or more of the following seven main project categories: Emergencies, Investment, Training, Project and Programme Formulation, Assistance to Development, Inter-Country Cooperation and Advisory Services.

By design and in practice, the TCP meets unforeseen needs, fills crucial gaps, complements other forms of assistance, and promotes resource availability for technical cooperation in agriculture and rural development, whether channelled through FAO or otherwise. The Programme provides short-term expert and consultant services, practical training and equipment and supplies considered essential for attaining the objectives of a particular project. Project duration is limited to a maximum of up to 24 months, with the preferred implementation period being one to three months. The upper ceiling for project cost is US$400,000, with the average cost of projects being in the order of some US$200,000.

Projects under TCP are implemented with the fullest possible involvement of beneficiaries and the maximum utilization of their personnel and resources, and the recourse to Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) and Technical Cooperation among Countries in Transition (TCCT), where feasible and appropriate. Requests for projects under TCP may be presented by governments of Member Countries which qualify for development assistance under the UN system. They may also be submitted by national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) if endorsed by the government concerned.

A number of TCP NORMATIVE FRAMEWORKS and "best practice" PROJECT EXAMPLES can be found in this Toolkit by searching under PROJECT CATEGORIES and TOOLKIT PROJECT DOCUMENTS.

For more information on formulation of TCP projects see:

• Technical Cooperation Programme web site
• PRO FORMA PROJECT AGREEMENT - Technical Cooperation Programme
• Technical Cooperation Programme Guidelines
  
• FPMIS (for FAO staff/password protected)
• FAO Partnership Programmes
• Programme and Project Review Committee (PPRC) Intranet web page: "Programme and Project Review Procedure"