In line with the efforts of the Division for Latin America for the preparation of a high quality 2016-2017 Technical Cooperation Programme, a Project Design Review Meeting was held from 13-17 October 2014 in Vienna, Austria.
The meeting aimed at reviewing and enhancing regional project design proposals submitted by the ARCAL Regional Agreement and Member States for the next TC cycle.
The 40 meeting participants included the projects' Designated Team Members (DTMs), experts in different thematic areas, ARCAL National Coordinators responsible for those thematic areas, and IAEA Officers.
During the event, participants worked in six thematic groups in order to enhance 13 proposals for regional projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Those thematic areas include food security and agriculture, human health, environment, energy, radiation technology and knowledge management.
The proposals derive from the regional priorities identified in the 2016-2021 Regional Strategic Profile for Latin America and the Caribbean approved this year.
The TC programme uses the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) as a standard tool for designing TC projects. Following the principles of results-based management (RBM), projects should be designed to enable the clear definition of responsibilities throughout project implementation, monitoring, evaluation and closure.
During the meeting, an emphasis was placed on the TC Quality Criteria. By inviting future project counterparts to attend this meeting, and by reacquainting them with the Logical Framework Methodology, the Division for Latin America intends to establish a quality-based planning process that will lay the foundation for efficient project implementation and for effective delivery of the programme.
Mechanisms of communication and partnership were two of the most important topics discussed in order to develop specific strategies in each project to increase their potential benefits and impact of the TC regional programme.
The design process of these projects will continue during this year and the first quarter of 2015 when it is expected to finalize the project designs.
