Facilitation of the process of redesigning joint rural development program with three UN agencies (FAO, PAHO, UNDP)

In July 2009 UNDP, FAO and PAHO (Pan-American Health Organization) presented to Sida a Joint Rural Development Program proposal named “Reducción de las vulnerabilidades para contribuir al proceso de desarrollo rural, en los municipios de las Cuencas del río Coatán y Alto del río Suchiate, del Departamento de San Marcos”. The program focuses its interventions in 5 of the poorest municipalities from San Marcos Department. These municipalities are: San José Ojetenám, Ixchiguán, Sibinal, Tacaná, Tajumulco. The proposed program can broadly be said to represent a follow-up program of reconstruction programs in said municipalities implemented by FAO and UNDP, partly financed by Sida, after the tropical storm “Stan” that severely affected said areas in 2005.
In November 2009, the assessment of the proposal was presented to Sida's Program Committee EPAC. The committee found that the proposal still lacked demonstrated greater integration between components, and that it needed further clarification as to its stated objectives, outcomes and indicators. The committee thus suggested to support counterparts through a consultancy. The main areas of work of such a consultancy should be to advise on the joint UNDP-FAO-OPS process of elaborating a final program document and its logical framework matrix (with a results based approach), as well as facilitating workshops with FAO, OPS, UNDP, government counterparts and Sida on the same issue.