The catalytic use of TCPs to mobilize resources
121 out of 149 country offices reported on the catalytic use of TCPs, an increase of 25 countries from last year’s report, indicating a clear trend in using TCPs as a source to mobilize resources. While many country offices reported on projects that are in the development phase, a large number of country offices also noted specific achievements in mobilizing resources.
Country offices reported that TCPs are being used to support governments in addressing technical or strategic gaps, further upscaling and replication of pilot initiatives or to draw attention to areas overlooked by major resource partners. They are also used to kick-start national programmes, build national capacities and develop the Country Programme Framework. Some RNE countries noted delays in project/programme implementation by government counterparts, and the need to revise the pipeline due to emerging priorities.
Some examples of catalytic upscaling due to TCPs
In Cambodia, with the support of a TCP, FAO and UNIDO were awarded the technical assistance component of CapFish by the European Union (EU). FAO’s portion of the budget is USD 20 million.
In Mozambique, a TCP was developed to comply with the requirement for co-funding a five-year trust fund project financed by the EU for USD 32 million.
FAO-Tunisia highlighted two TCPs that resulted in the mobilization of more than USD 10 million from the World Bank (WB) and the EU.
FAO-Ecuador reported that a TCP to strengthen land tenure capacities led to a USD 5 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) project on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
FAO-Kyrgyzstan highlighted a USD 1.2 million project approved by IsDB on Irrigated Agriculture Development.
Through various TCPs, FAO-Angola mobilized USD 8 million, including USD 6 million to improve the resilience of rural livelihoods.
Papua New Guinea noted that the success of its TCP Facility to support rural entrepreneurship, investment and trade resulted in a USD 93 million programme (FAO’s component of USD 56 million) for the EU – STREIT PNG Programme.
FAO-Lesotho reported on a GEF project that was created based on the results of a TCP.
A TCP in Burundi led to a project funded by the WB and IFAD.
In the Congo, TCPs resulted in over USD 6.1 million from CERF, AfDB, CAFI and the WB.
Two TCPs in Zimbabwe led to more than 16 million in funding from WB and the EU.
TCPs that catalysed resources that were not channelled through FAO
As reported in prior years, sometimes a TCP catalyses resources directly to the national budget or community level. This year a larger number of countries reported on this situation:
A TCP Facility in El Salvador to support family farming resulted in a USD 1.5 million allocation in the national budget to establish a national agricultural survey.
FAO-Bolivia, which has been reporting on this national resource mobilization trend for several years, noted that five large national programmes, totalizing USD 160 million, had their start as TCPs. This includes the National Programmes to Support Fruit Production, Amazonian Fruit Production and Collection, and Cacao Production.
Some countries referred to using TCPs to catalyse partnerships. For example, in the case of Bhutan, a TCP on agro-meteorology brought together two national agencies for the first time, the National Centre for Hydro Meteorology and the Department of Agriculture. While this initiative did not generate new resources, it created a cross-organizational relationship within the Government, thus preventing duplication of efforts.