Technical Cooperation Report for 2006. Report by the Director General

The period under review was one of considerable satisfaction for the TC programme. New resources reached a record high of $101.0 million with $76.8 million for the Technical Cooperation Fund, $22.3 million in extra budgetary resources and $1.9 million in in-kind contributions. Net new obligations during the year were $104.5 million, which represented an increase of more than 30% over 2005. The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the IAEA and provides an opportunity to look back on the history of TC activities. In its early days, the technical assistance programme, as it was then called, was modest: in 1960 the Board of Governors approved 28 projects in 16 Member States. Over time, the demand for Agency assistance and expertise has grown steadily: the TC programme that was approved by the Board of Governors in 2006 featured more than 780 projects in 115 Member States. In recent years, there has been shift in attitudes towards nuclear power in a number of countries around the world. This trend can be traced to a fast growing global energy demand, increased emphasis on energy security and a heightened awareness of the risks of climate change. This has led to a rising number of requests for energy planning projects, which may include nuclear power as an option. In 2006, the Secretariat developed and finalized the TC programme for the 2007-2008 biennium using the Programme Cycle Management Framework in close collaboration with national authorities. The PCMF is supported by a dedicated website, which facilitates collaboration among stakeholders in the Member States and the Secretariat. In line with the TC Strategy, the Secretariat concentrated on building partnerships with national, regional and international development organizations. This includes, inter alia, support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development and partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme. A new challenge which could have an impact on the TC programme in the areas of resource mobilization, representation at the country level and technical specialization is the process of fostering greater integration of UN system-wide activities at the country level, in accordance with the Report of the High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence. The Agency is responding with initiatives centred on strengthening country level coherence, better defining and reporting programme results, promoting more predictable funding and strengthening partnerships. As shown in Part B to this report, the TC programme contributes to five of the eight Millennium Development Goals in the areas of environmental sustainability, combating disease, hunger and poverty, maternal health and child health. A related area of endeavour is incorporating a gender perspective into the TC programme: this aspect features in the new project concepts to be submitted by Member States in 2007 and in the criteria to be used by the Secretariat in assessing them. A major thrust of the TC programme is strengthening the capacity of national nuclear institutions to become more self-reliant, thus enhancing the sustainability of results achieved through TC efforts. Technical cooperation among developing countries, in particular through projects in the framework of regional agreements, plays a vital role in this mechanism. Building human resources for nuclear technology and preserving nuclear knowledge continue to be important areas for the TC programme. A progress report on strategic objectives prepared for the 2007 meeting of the Standing Advisory Group on Technical Assistance and Cooperation measured the performance of the TC programme between 2002 and 2006 against agreed performance indicators. This report showed that the programme had met or frequently exceeded the targets set under these performance indicators in the areas of meeting the central criterion of strong government commitment, establishing strategic partnerships, mobilizing financial resources and promoting sustainability of TC programme results. (author)