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Programme Priorities |
| Training | |
Reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health Adolescent reproductive health Reducing maternal mortality Emergency assistance in refugee situations HIV/AIDS Population and development strategies Advocacy Women's empowerment and gender issues Strengthening programme effectiveness Decentralization National capacity-building Monitoring and evaluation Training Contraceptive requirements and logistics management needs Partnership with NGOs and civil society ICPD+5
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The UNFPA staff training programme for 1997 was designed taking into consideration the recommendations of an independent evaluation, conducted in 1996, of the Fund's efforts in this area. This was accompanied by internal reviews of existing training curricula to match the upgrading of specific skills and competencies to meet organizational priorities, with priority being given to the training needs of field staff. As a result, the Fund developed a new training programme for newly recruited UNFPA Representatives, as well as a curriculum to build staff skills in applying the logical framework in the programming process and a training-of-trainers curriculum for cascade training on the logical framework. UNFPA saved on training costs by organizing a series of regional workshops on the logical frame-work for field staff and CST advisers and by providing training at the regional level on financial monitoring and management of country programmes. During 1997, the Fund again participated in inter-agency training activities. Several UNFPA staff members attended workshops on field coordination, conducted by the United Nations Staff College in Turin, Italy. In addition, selected staff members served as facilitators for operationalizing the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), helping with training exercises in field offices in pilot countries. UNFPA conducted training workshops to introduce new programme guidelines and revised financial procedures, in line with increasing decentralization, and began work on developing other training methodologies such as computer-based training on finance management, including on the UNFPA Integrated Field Office System (UNIFOS), and distance-learning on management skills. The Fund also began an internal evaluation of the logical framework training that was conducted in 1997. The computer and electronic infrastructure that has been established within UNFPA allows for faster information flows on training offerings at regional institutions, as well as on training aids and training packages and materials. The Fund has also reinforced the role of managers and supervisors in providing on-the-job training and coaching, within the context of the UNFPA Performance Appraisal Review (PAR) process. Managers and supervisors will thus be increasingly responsible for fostering a learning environment, providing constant mentoring and assessing the impact of training on job performance. To facilitate this process, a portion of the field training budget was decentralized to country offices in 1997, and UNFPA Representatives were given the authority to approve and authorize funds for training activities that could be conducted locally. The Representatives were also authorized to organize exchanges of staff among field offices to promote capacity-building. To ensure a closer linkage between personnel and training functions, the Training Branch has been transferred to the newly established Office of Personnel and Training.
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| Foreword | Introduction | UNFPA in 1997 | Programme Priorities | |