Series S-1917 - Capacity Development: Project files, training and study activities

No. of Boxes: 80

The records in S-1917 document the project files and training and study activities of the Office of Technical Co-operation (OTC) with United Nations member states, in the regions of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.. The bulk of the records dates from 1973 to 1978 and details the planning and implementation of fellowships and training programmes for developing countries. The function of S-1917 is derived from DESA.DEV.062 and DESA.DEV.063 of the retention schedule of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), dated 21 January 2013.

The records largely consist of country files documenting the Technical Assistance Fellowship Programme, in addition to records related to interregional seminars, as well as regional and interregional training centres.

Technical Assistance Fellowship Programme

The OTC’s Fellowship Section oversaw the Technical Assistance Fellowship Programme for developing countries. Nominated by country governments, individuals were awarded fellowships under the Technical Assistance and Regular Programmes of the OTC for study in academic institutions, participation in training courses, observation studies and seminars. The fellowship programme encompassed the following fields: economic development, environmental development, social development, demography, public administration, narcotics control and human rights. Following the completion of the fellowship, fellows were required to submit a final report evaluating the course to the OTC Fellowship Section. The records are arranged alphabetically by country and include memoranda, correspondence, project documents, and final reports.

S-1917 also documents fellows who attended the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Commercial Policy courses. The GATT Commercial Policy courses were established in 1955 and held twice a year, once for English-speaking fellows and once for French-speaking fellows. The principal aim of the courses was to give the participants a better understanding of trade policy matters and to provide them with full, up-to-date knowledge of the work undertaken by GATT and other international bodies to assist with their work within their own administrations. The records include schedules and programmes of the courses as well as the final reports written by fellows.

Interregional Seminars

The OTC’s Interregional and Regional Projects Section oversaw the planning and implementation of interregional seminars, symposiums, workshops, training courses, study tours and expert group meetings. Participants included fellows and experts intending to gain more experience in their field. The level of knowledge and ability of participants ranged from the novice to junior and senior levels and determined the type of meeting. For example, senior experts would participate in an expert group meeting, such as the meetings of the United Nations Group of Experts for the Establishment of an Investment Bank of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of Countries.

The records in S-1917 document interregional seminars in the fields of economic planning, public administration, finance, statistics, demographics, housing, natural resources, energy and water resources and include: the Interregional Seminar on Petroleum Refining in Developing Countries(New Delhi, India, 22 January-3 February 1973); United Nations Meeting on Co-operation among Developing Countries in Petroleum (Geneva, Switzerland, 10-21 November 1975); and the Interregional Seminar on Development and Management of Resources of Coastal Areas (Berlin, Hamburg, Kiel and Cuxhaven, Federal Republic of Germany, 31 May-14 June 1976). The files include correspondence and memoranda pertaining to implementation and planning of interregional seminars, country monographs and final reports.

Regional and Interregional Training Centres

The files contain documentation related to UN regional and interregional demographic training and research centres including: Institut de Formation et de Recherches Démographiques (IFORD), Yaoundé, Cameroon; Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Centre Demographique ONU-Roumanie (CEDOR), Bucharest, Romania; International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS), Bombay, India; and the Interregional Demographic Research and Training Centre, Cairo, Egypt where training courses and seminars were held.

In addition to documenting the recruitment of fellows, consultants, associate experts, professors and directors to training centres, the records include job descriptions; course syllabi; work programmes; project budgets and revisions; cables detailing travel arrangements; and reports.

These records contain correspondence and memoranda between the UN and the training centres’ country’s government addressing, for example, the agreement between the UN and the Government of Cameroon regarding continued support of IFORD as well as draft versions of the 1977 renewal of the agreement between the UN and the Government of Egypt for the Interregional Demographic Research and Training Centre. In addition to drafts and finalized agreements , these records document project and training activities, such as: Demographic Surveys to Estimate the Initial Population and Future Growth of Nigeria’s New Federal Capital City project document; a 1976 request for additional funding to RIPS submitted by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and the Government of Ghana; and correspondence and memoranda concerning fellowships for the IIPS course in demography.

S-1917 also contains files related to the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), Nagoya Japan which was established in June 1971 under the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolution 1086-C (XXXIX) through a Funds-in-Trust arrangement with the Government of Japan. UNCRD provided training in regional development to officials who were engaged in the planning, management and implementation of development activities in developing countries in the Asian region. Training and staffing of the UNCRD was provided by UN consultants and experts.

The UNCRD records include: budget plans and proposals; reports; job descriptions; correspondence and memoranda regarding the planning and implementation of advisory meetings, expert group meetings, and seminars; as well as administrative records regarding arrangements for UNCRD experts and consultants.

Alphabetical

• Arabic
• English
• French
• German
• Hungarian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Romanian
• Russian
• Spanish