Message from the DDG-TC
Mrs. Ana Marķa Cetto
Deputy Director General
and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation
Technical cooperation is not the only catalyst for sustainable development, but it is a crucial one. In the nuclear field, technical cooperation (TC) under IAEA auspices can contribute to development with specific and unique tools. Member States know this well: they have shown it in their increasing commitment to the TC programme and active involvement in it. The Secretariat also knows this well, and has increased its investment of efforts and resources into the TC programme.
The challenge to strengthen the TC programme to meet current and emerging development needs calls for a more participatory approach to technical cooperation and a review of the roles of and relationships among the various stakeholders.
We have made great strides in meeting this challenge, through the introduction of innovative tools for programme and project management. The new structure of the TC Department, which has been in place since December 2005, allows us to focus better on regional and national priorities. In parallel, the introduction of the Programme Cycle Management Framework, based on an Internet platform, has paved the way for collaborative project design, dynamic implementation, systematic monitoring and transparent communication with counterparts.
The Agency is increasingly serving as a unique agent in the transfer and sharing of effective tools to help Member States improve the lives of their people, rather than being merely a problem solver or provider of equipment or financial support. The role of the TC programme is to strengthen and support the capacities of Member States and act as a forger of strong partnerships for sustainable development; it is not a donor programme or an aid institution.
When technical cooperation works well, it represents a high return on investment. Our goal is to deliver a high-quality TC programme that will have a lasting impact and offer equal opportunities for all in a world that is highly diverse in terms of resources, needs and stages of development. Factoring in this diversity will allow us to use capabilities more strategically for the benefit of all, especially through cooperation amongst Member States themselves. My ambition is that current TC programme partners reach a level of self-sufficiency that will increasingly enable them to carry out their own programmes. In this way, they will be able to collaborate with each other towards achieving common development goals. This is what cooperation is all about.
