Evaluation of the FAO-Norway Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA) 2005-2007

The Project
The FAO/Norway Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA) 2005-2007, a strategic partnership aiming at enhancing and adding value to specific areas of FAO's work, by targeting and improving its impacts in key themes and by addressing the issue of the integration of the Organization's RPB (Regular Programme Budget) and EBF (Extra-Budgetary Fund) resources. Its overall objective was described as "to support the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries through the work of FAO." Norway provided a total amount of NOK 110 million (USD 17.2 million) for the programme. The Agreement established an approximate allocation of funds to four of FAO's 12 corporate strategies:
• A.1, Sustainable rural livelihoods and more equitable access to resources, 25% of the funds;
• B.1, International instruments concerning food, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and the production, safe use and fair exchange of agricultural, fishery and forestry goods, 20% of the funds;
• B.2, National policies, legal instruments and supporting mechanisms that respond to domestic requirements and are consistent with the international policy and regulatory framework, 35% of the funds;
• D.1, Integrated management of land, water, fisheries, forest and genetic resources, 20% of the funds.

Interesting Findings
• The FAO/Norway PCA (Programme Cooperation Agreement) 2005-07 was an innovative and effective support to FAO's Regular Programme and met many of its objectives. It supported the Strategic Objectives of FAO and contributed to the Organization's efforts toward the Millennium Development Goals by focusing on poverty alleviation and poor countries.
• In addition the Agreement has been effective in building social and human capital for FAO. It has energised staff that was enthusiastic about the Programme's flexibility, which gave them the opportunity to respond in time to important member countries' requests and enhanced their ability to work at country level and with people from other departments.
• The Evaluation appreciates that the Donor wished to support the wide-ranging FAO Regular Programme and did not wish to bind its support into a straight-jacket or in a "project" format. The flexibility of this approach was in fact one key factor for the positive results of the Programme. This was not without some cost however: the long list of criteria to be emphasised and the breadth of scope and range of action foreseen in the Agreement, inevitably led to different interpretations of the thrust and scope "desired" and to initiatives very diversified and non homogeneous.
• Future FAO/Norway PCA agreements need to be specific about the areas, countries and regions to be supported and need to agree on the criteria to be used when selecting activities and assessing outcomes. A hierarchy of criteria needs to be established with the primary objectives of the agreement made clear. In this way outcome indicators could be better identified and measured. Equally, there needs to be more clarity about both the extent and management of support through the Agreement to international instruments and multilateral trust funds.