The document summarizes FAO's efforts to decentralize and improve the effectiveness of its regional offices in the Near East and North Africa. It outlines actions taken to better align planning, priority setting, and country programming with FAO's strategic objectives. It also details measures to strengthen regional and country office networks through skills reviews, new positions, and succession planning. While progress has been made in integrating emergency and development work, challenges remain around staffing and traditional reliance on external funding sources. Guidance is sought from the conference to support ongoing decentralization efforts and encourage greater regional funding participation.

1. FAO Regional Conference for the Near East
Thirty-Second Session
24 – 28 February 2014, Rome, Italy
Decentralization and the Decentralized Offices
Network
Towards a More Effective Decentralized Offices
Network in the Near East and North Africa
Agenda Item 14: NERC/14/3
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
1
1

2. Overview of Document NERC/14/3
 Update on significant transformations undertaken by
FAO to reinforce decentralization and enhance the
effectiveness of its decentralized network in the Near
East and North Africa (NENA) region
 Seek Guidance and support of NERC on actions taken
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
2
2

3. Overview of Document NERC/14/3
 Structure of the document based on the themes
framed by previous deliberations of NERC and
FAO Council decision on decentralization,
namely:
 Improved Planning and Priority Setting
 Improvements in the DOs Network
 Integrated Model for Programme Delivery
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
3
3

4. Actions for Improved Planning &
Priority Setting
 Alignment of the planning process and priority
setting in the region with the overall corporate
Strategic Framework and the 5 Strategic
Objectives:
 SO1: Contribute to the eradication of
hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
 SO2: Increase and improve provision of
goods and service from agriculture, forestry
and fisheries in a sustainable manner
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
4
4

5. Actions for Improved Planning &
Priority Setting
 SO3: Reduce Rural Poverty
 SO4: Enable more inclusive and efficient
agricultural and food systems at local, national
and international levels
 SO5: Increase the resilience of livelihoods to
threats and crises
 Corporate Programmes Monitoring Board (CPMB)
established to provide strategic direction, oversight
and coordination and continuously review the
delivery mechanisms
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
5
5

6. Actions for Improved Planning &
Priority Setting
 Completion of Country Programming Frameworks
(CPFs) for 17 countries in the region
 Formulation of Regional Initiatives anchored in the
New Strategic Framework
 that address major challenges based on CPFs and
Regional Priority Framework
 Mapping and securing consistency between CPFs, the
Regional Initiatives and the new Strategic Objectives
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
6
6

7. Actions for Improved DOs Network
in NENA
 Review of the technical skill-mix at the regional level
and in DOs of the region to align human resources
capabilities to the strategic priorities set out in CPFs
and the Regional Initiatives
 New positions established in the areas of Strategic
Planning, natural Resources management, gender,
Investment, partnership and communication, southsouth cooperation
 Several JPO positions: Policy, Agro-Industry; Water
 Effective succession planning of FAO Representatives
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
7
7

8. Actions for Improved DOs Network
in NENA
 Establishment of Deputy FAO Representative
positions in countries with high potential for large
field programmes (funded by extra-budgetary
resources)
 Methodical Review of the Organizational Design of
Country Offices and strengthening their capacity
through alignment of their programmes and
structures
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
8
8

9. Actions for Improved DOs Network
in NENA
 Strengthening the Regional Office to promote greater
strategic management and oversight, in terms of
programmes and administrative compliance, of
country offices in the NENA region
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
9
9

10. Integrated Delivery Model
 The decentralization process, including the
integration of emergency and development activities,
is now effective in all countries of the region with the
exception of Syria
 The Regional Offices and Sub-regional Offices are
playing the leading role in CPFs and programmes
formulations and backstopping.
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
10
10

11. Integrated Delivery Model
 The Sub-regional Office for the Gulf Cooperation
Council States and Yemen is fully operational, and is
providing backstopping to several projects in the subregion.
 The Regional Office has met the Fund mobilization
target for the biennium of USD 100 Million
 The Regional Office used all its allocation from the
technical cooperation program for the biennium
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
11
11

12. Challenges
 Two principal challenges:
 Adequate skilled technical staff at the country
level to upscale programmes and secure FAO’s
responsiveness to country needs
 FAO programmes in the region remain
dependent on traditional funding sources and
resource mobilization from within the region is
limited
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
12
12

13. Guidance sought from the
Conference
 Support the actions being taken to
strengthen the alignment of activities to the
established priorities and strategic
objectives
 Encourage funding from the region for
regional programmes, including through
the regional solidarity trust fund
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
13
13

14. Guidance sought from the
Conference
 Support the conduct of methodical
organisational design reviews to strengthen
the capacity of country offices
 Endorse the measures pursued to reinforce
the capabilities within the Regional Office
and the decentralized network
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
14
14

15. THANK YOU
for your attention
ANY QUESTIONS?
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region
15
15