UNFPA'S technical support services system

Abstract

This article focuses on the Technical Support Services (TSS) system which provides technical assistance to countries in the areas of reproductive health population and development strategies advocacy and gender. The TSS system aims to improve the availability of technical knowledge analysis and research for use in population programs. It accelerates the achievement of national self-reliance through the use and development of national and regional expertise. It ensures that an integrated and coordinated multidisciplinary approach is taken to population programs and also ensures that there is close interaction between research/analytical work and operational activities. The TSS system is a three-tiered arrangement. The first tier consists of national experts and consultants who work with their individual countries. The second tier consists of technical advisers who are assigned to eight Country Support Teams. The third tier provides feedback and technical backstopping to the second level. The TSS system is unique in the sense that it operates within a multisectoral interdisciplinary and interagency framework. Through the utilization of information technology the UNFPA and partner agencies are able to undertake a variety of common endeavors in a more coordinated and timely fashion. Several strategies are utilized for facilitating interaction and substantive cooperation between TSS specialists and Country Support Teams advisers. The TSS system ensures that the population and development dimension is incorporated into the program activities of participating agencies and organizations.