Insights in 1000 words
Succinct distillations of knowledge rooted in experience
The Insights series showcasees the wealth of knowledge,
innovation and approaches among capacity development practitioners and across
regions, sectors and thematic areas.
Click
here to contribute your insights.
New Insights:
 Tony Land, Placing Technical Cooperation at the Service of Capacity Development: Emerging Lessons
In a Nutshell: In May 2001,the UNDP launched an initiative known as 'Reforming Technical Cooperation for Capacity Development', which is a multi-dimensional review of the role of technical cooperation in capacity development. This contribution offers an interim overview of emerging lessons drawn from the initiative, more especially from the focus and country studies that have formed the backbone of the project, as well as from the round tables and e-discussions that have been conducted as part of the process. A first book, entitled Capacity for Development: New Solutions to Old Problems has been published, and two further books will appear later on in the year.
UNDP Kampala, Reforming Technical Cooperation for Capacity Development in Uganda
In a Nutshell: A high level workshop was organized by UNDP Kampala on February 1, 2002 with the objective of disseminating the findings of the Technical Cooperation (TC) Country Case Study, and benefiting from the comments from the workshop participants as input into the case study.
Peter Morgan, New Approaches to Technical Assistance
In a Nutshell: A new approach to technical assistance has slowly been emerging in the latter part of the 1990s. Much is still experimental, but it is now possible to see new patterns driven by countries and by a number of international development organizations.
Stephen Browne, The Role of Technical Assistance in Aid
In a Nutshell: The importance of a 'third gap' in development needs was anticipated during the early days of aid, with the recognition that capacity to absorb capital was constrained by low skill levels, and weak management and organizational capacities.
Heather Baser, Volker Hauck and Tony Land, Gap Filling: A Problem or a Solution - Separating Ideology from Reality
In a Nutshell: Conventional wisdom in discussing the reform of the aid system is that gap filling undermines capacity development, and that there are virtually no circumstances under which it should be considered as a viable option. We would like to challenge those assumptions and suggest that a less dogmatic view may be more realistic.
Carlos del Castillo, From Technical Assistance to Development Cooperation: UNDP's Experience in Latin America in the 90s
In a Nutshell: During the last decade, UNDP's experience in Latin America has concentrated on two modalities inherent to ownership - "National Execution" and "Cost Sharing". Since activities are not externally imposed, the result is development cooperation and a higher level of ownership.
M. Amanullah Khan, Lessons for UNDP in Afghanistan
In a Nutshell: Technical cooperation was meant to enhance capacity, but
in many countries that capacity was not sustainable. Afghanistan can present
a unique opportunity for UNDP to make a difference, shying away from the 'traditional'
way of doing technical cooperation.
José Romero, Social Communication Strategies and
Sustainable Development in Ecuador: Developing Local Capacities with National
Impact
In a Nutshell: Dialogue 21 encourages the use of information and communication
to lay the groundwork for a culture of dialogue, so that all the different
social, political, governmental and economic actors can join together to clear
a path that will lead to sustainable human development.
Howard Stewart, Business as Usual won't do!
In a Nutshell: Learn from history, so you don't repeat too much of it. Assess
the situation honestly, don't construct it to fit your current biases. When
you begin to plan, make sure you are really looking forward, not just reacting
to the past. And finally, build on real strengths, don't just aim at overcoming
weaknesses.
UNDP Accra, Reforming Technical Cooperation in
Ghana
In a Nutshell: The challenge is to recognize the inner capacities of our
own people, and to invest in developing those capacities and utilizing the
skills in our communities to solve our problems.
UNDP Beijing, The Impact of Technical Cooperation
in China
In a Nutshell: Workshop to explore
the factors that impact technical cooperation, hosted by the Beijing Office
of the United Nations with representatives of the Chinese government, donor
governments, development agencies and the private sector.
UNDP Nairobi, Reforming Technical Cooperation
in Kenya
In a Nutshell: Workshop to explore the factors that impact technical cooperation
in Kenya, hosted by UNDP and the University of Nairobi, with representatives
from government, civil society organisations, donor agencies and international
NGOs.
Niloy Banerjee, The Development Industry Study
- Insights from the Turin Roundtable
In a Nutshell: Change in the development industry is contingent upon change
in the signals from the donor side. Four issues emerge from this study that
appear to be the key pillars around which the argument for rationalizing the
development industry can be built.
Anders Danielson & Benedict Mongula, Are Donors Ready
for Change? Insights from the Turin Roundtable
In a Nutshell: This study is structured around thirteen concrete questions
that deal with three major issues: How has the perception of TC changed over
the 1990s? What are the conditions that donors operate under and how do these
influence the formation of TC policies? What are the favorable factors for
reform of TC?
Arild Hauge and Sulley Gariba, Accountability
to What End? Insights from the Turin Roundtable
In a Nutshell: Calls for increased accountability are a convenient response
to perceptions of poor TC performance. But when it comes to capacity development,
the existing paradigm of accountability has been a part of the problem of
lack of aid effectiveness.
S. Ibi Ajayi and Afeikhena Jerome, Opportunity
Costs and Effective Markets - Insights from the Turin Roundtable
In a Nutshell: In recent years, concern has been growing over the effectiveness
of technical cooperation. Despite enormous investment for many years, building
and strengthening of local capacities has fallen short of expectations.
Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, Reformer la Coopération
Technique: Le Côté des récipiendaires
Sommaire: Dans le cadre Des recherches sur la réforme de la coopération technique,
une étude a été commanditée pour analyser les points de vue Des pays récipiendaires.
La question centrale de cette étude est celle de savoir quels sont les facteurs
qui font que les pays récipiendaires n'exercent pas suffisamment leurs droits
de choisir et de contrôler la coopération technique.
Shekhar Singh, Ownership and Modalities - Insights
from the Turin Roundtable
In a Nutshell: The objectives of this study are to explore the unexploited
potential for moving to more local ownership; to 'classify' technical cooperation
modalities, execution and funding arrangements in terms of their "ownership-friendliness",
process orientation and participatory nature; and to scrutinize modalities,
probing under which conditions less "ownership-oriented" modalities can be
justified.
Other Insights:
 Learning and Unlearning by Rajesh
Choudree, Oslo Center for Governance, UNDP Oslo.
Towards A Sustainability Impact Assessment
Instrument by Arnaud Comolet, UNDP.
Benin Parliamentarians And The Digital
Age by Pierre Dandjinou, West Africa Sub-Regional Resource Facility, UNDP.
Capacity Development in Peru - Empowering our People
by Martha Davies, Quipunet.
A Team Building Approach In The Management
Of Projects by Patrick Keuleers, Bangkok Sub-Regional Resource Facility,
UNDP.
Examples of Joint Action by Jane Knight, Towns
& Development.
A Brilliant Medical Doctor Is Not Always
Best by Takayoshi Kusago, Bangkok Sub-Regional Resource Facility, UNDP.
The Local Dimension by Alfred Lakwo, AFARD.
Capacity Building In Africa For Trade Negotiations:
From Nowhere To Getting There Fast by David F. Luke, Harare Sub-Regional
Resource Facility, UNDP.
Give Us A Chance by Joseph Opio-Odongo,
UNDP.
Technical Cooperation and Peacemaking in Mali
by Robin-Edward Poulton, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction
and Sustainable Development by Ruzanna Tarverdyan, PhD.
Building "Ownership" in Donor-Partner Relations
by Chudi Ukpabi, Consultant.
The Role of Volunteerism by United Nations Volunteers
and Voluntary Service Overseas.
The Forgotten Sector: Technical Capacity
Building in Higher Education by Tom Wood, Civic Education Project.
Click
here for more on how to contribute your insights or
email us at reformingTC@undp.org
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