The Department of Technical Cooperation (TC) held its second Seminar on Technical Cooperation for Permanent Missions on 10 October 2011. A total of 45 delegates attended. Like last year, the one day Seminar aimed to strengthen the knowledge base of Member States and the Secretariat on the TC programme, in order to facilitate a common understanding, informed discussion and decision-taking.
The Seminar was structured so that presentations moved from overarching issues such as the policy framework right down to the stage of preparations in the programme cycle. Each session narrowed the focus of the Seminar, relating more concrete aspects of the programme to the preceding sessions. Most presentations were made by two speakers, one from the Department of Technical Cooperation and one from Departments of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Energy, or Safety and Security. This highlighted the One House nature of the IAEA's technical cooperation programme.
The Seminar was divided into eight sessions. Session I provided an overview of how the Agency's technical assistance and cooperation work has evolved over the years, and highlighted the important role played by Member States and by the Permanent Missions. Session II concentrated on the Policy Framework, presenting the relationship between the Agency and the United Nations, introducing the documents that establish technical cooperation policy, and extracting key technical cooperation principles from the documents that guide the programme. Session III concentrated on the International Development Context and the TC programme, presenting the global context within which the TC programme operates, how science and technology contribute to the achievement of Member State development priorities, and explaining the connection between the TC programme and the Millennium Development Goals. The session explained the importance of partnerships and participation in the UNDAF process, and a concrete example of IAEA cooperation with UNIDO underscored the benefits of partnerships with United Nations system organizations.
