The Services Development and Trade Efficiency Division has managed several large projects in this field. In the execution of such large projects, the MT Section may ask for the assistance of other parts of the Division, for example, the UNCTAD Trade Facilitation Programme (FALPRO), while in others co-operation may come from a regional commission or an outside organization having particular expertise in a certain field. An example of what UNCTAD may offer to improve the national transport sector of a country is outlined below.
The objective of a technical assistance project in the field of multimodal transport could, for example, be to assist Government entities and commercial parties with the formulation of a national transport policy covering four important sets of measures viz.: Regulatory; Trade and transport facilitation (jointly with FALPRO); Development policy; and human resource development.
The formulation of such a policy is designed gradually to improve the national transport sector and to increase its participation in the country's international trade. It would normally require the creation of an operating National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee to co-ordinate the necessary changes to the satisfaction of both the government and the private sector.
In order to allow for a step-by-step implementation of these changes, such a project is usually organized in three phases: Phase I (with a duration of about six months) to cover a diagnosis of the present situation of the international transport sector in the country and to formulate a preliminary outline of the possible measures to be implemented; Phase II (with a duration of about 12 months) to develop recommendations for improvement and to propose a coordinated plan of action for the public and the private sectors; and Phase III (with a duration of at least 12 months) to assist the parties concerned in the implementation of the recommendations. In other words, the project would: first identify issues and remedies; second, prepare proposals; and third, after review of proposals by Government, implement the selected recommendations.
The satisfactory conclusion of one phase will not automatically imply that the next phase has to be executed. Each phase will produce a plan for further action which will serve as a guideline for the work to be carried out in the next phase. This plan of action will have to be endorsed by the Government through the National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee.
UNCTAD has no funds of its own to finance technical assistance activities. Consequently, funding has to come from outside sources. In practice, this means either from multilateral (UNDP, World Bank etc.) or bilateral sources (e.g. from a donor country). However, workshops of short duration may be funded in a number of different ways, including the levying of fees on the participants.
All projects are designed and implemented in close cooperation with officials and institutions of the countries or regions concerned, and of course with the relevant donor. UNCTAD cooperates with Governments through the modalities of government or national execution on the basis of an associate agency agreement. UNCTAD also cooperates in a similar way with the Office of Project Services of UNDP (UNDP/OPS) and other organizations in the United Nations system. An advantage of utilizing the services of UNCTAD is that recipients obtain impartial advice.
The Services Development and Trade Efficiency Division is ready to provide technical assistance at the request of Governments on the basis of their own priorities and objectives. The UNDP Resident Representative in a country acts on behalf of UNCTAD in matters pertaining to technical assistance and is in a position to assist in preparing requests as well as to provide information on the availability of funding. UNCTAD is also able to offer short-term advisory services to review a country's needs on the spot and to assist in the formulation of requests for assistance.