Designating national units to coordinate technical cooperation for capacity building for sustainable development

Agenda 21 recommends that countries desiring arrangements for technical cooperation with international organizations and donor institutions, including that related to transfer of technology and know-how, should formulate requests in the framework of long-term sector or subsector capacity-building strategies. Strategies should, as appropriate, address policy adjustments to be implemented, budgetary issues, cooperation and coordination among institutions, human resource requirements, and technology and scientific equipment requirements. They should cover public and private sector needs and consider strengthening scientific training and educational and research programmes, including such training in the developed countries and the strengthening of centres of excellence in developing countries.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 suggests that countries could designate and strengthen a central unit to organize and coordinate technical cooperation, linking it with priority-setting and the resource allocation process.