Financing Technical Co-operation

Abstract

The major problems of financing both multi lateral and bilateral technical co-operation derive from the precarious year-to-year underwriting of the programs and from the organizational and administrative separation of technical and economic co-operation, including investment. Congres sional attitudes toward continuing commitment to the United Nations Expanded Program, plus annual reauthorization of the bilateral program, create uncertainties which prevent technical co-operation staff from going forward with the re cipient countries in the formulation of long-term national eco nomic and social development programs. The lack of such long-term programs, moreover, prevents the development of bench marks and priorities for the proper planning and budg eting of both technical and economic assistance. Technical co-operation is in consqquence largely occupied with a string of accidental, ad hoc, opportunistically undertaken projects, few of which relate themselves effectively to major ongoing influences in general economic and social change. This situa tion is exacerbated by the complete separation of technical and economic co-operation in the United Nations system and the substantial separation of technical and economic co-opera tion in a large part of the Mutual Security Program. The financing problems of technical co-operation will not be solved apart from the solution of the larger problem of financing economic development and until it is properly reintegrated into multilateral and bilateral programs of economic assistance.