48th DIRECTING COUNCIL 60th SESSION OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION 48th DIRECTING COUNCIL 60th SESSION OF THE REGIONAL COMMITTEE Washingtn, D.C., USA, 29 September t 3 Octber 2008 Prvisinal Agenda Item September 2008 ORIGINAL: SPANISH STATUS UPDATE ON THE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW OF THE INSTITUTE OF NUTRITION OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND PANAMA (INCAP) Histrical Backgrund 1. In September 1949, the Institute f Nutritin f Central America and Panama (INCAP), an initiative f the Central American Ministers f Health, was fficially funded with the supprt f the Pan American Health Organizatin/Wrld Health Organizatin (PAHO/WHO) and the W. K. Kellgg Fundatin. Belize jined INCAP in 1990, and the Dminican Republic, in Since its funding, INCAP has been identified as a PAHO/WHO subreginal center specializing in nutritin, as well as an institutin f Central American integratin. Fcus and Main Results f Technical Cperatin 3. In its first 20 years, INCAP fcused n research in clinical nutritin, especially in the area f nutritinal deficiencies. During the 1970s, the technical cperatin prgrams in applied nutritin in public health were strengthened, and in the 1980s cmmunity nutritin prjects were implemented. This was the era f INCAP s greatest grwth in terms f the number f staff and physical plant, ultimately leading t a significant liability in terms f fixed csts. 4. During the 1990s, scial, ecnmic, and plitical changes in the subregin made it necessary t rerient the apprach f INCAP s wrk prgram, rerienting its prgrams and activities t address bth the multicausality f malnutritin and public nutritin.

2 Page 2 5. In 1993, the Directing Cuncil f INCAP gave it the mandate f prmting Fd and Nutritin Security (FNS). This initiative is ne the mandates f the XIV Presidential Summit held in Guatemala that year, instructing INCAP t prvide fllw-up and technical/scientific supprt fr its implementatin. This plitical cmmitment was ratified at the XXII Central American Summit in Csta Rica in 2002, linking its prgrams with human develpment and the achievement f the Millennium Develpment Gals. 6. In 2004, as mandated by the Institute s Directing Cuncil, and with supprt frm PAHO and the Member States, INCAP began an cmplex in-depth participatry exercise in strategic analysis t enable it t respnd mre efficiently t current and emerging needs related t the determinants f FNS in Central America, including imprvements in data, the effects f glbal climate change, and the mbilizatin f resurces. 7. The wrld fd crisis that is threatening cuntries in the subregin pses a strategic challenge fr INCAP, paving the way fr the Institute t expand and prvide mre in-depth technical cperatin prgrams and prjects in respnse t the reslutins issued at the recent III Intersectral Meeting f the Central American Ministers f Agriculture, Health, and the Envirnment, held in Panama n 24 April Gvernance and Cnstitutinal Fundatins 8. The Basic Agreement f INCAP, signed in 1953, was the fundatin fr its creatin and peratin. Since that date, INCAP has enjyed independent legal status. The Basic Agreement was in effect until 1998, when the Directing Cuncil f the Institute apprved an updated versin that entered int frce in January 2003, after its apprval by the natinal legislatures f the Member States. 9. The Basic Agreement establishes the bdies and units fr the Institute s peratins; the prergatives, immunities, and privileges that INCAP enjys as an internatinal rganizatin in recgnitin f its status as an institutin f the Central American Integratin System. 10. The Directing Cuncil, which is INCAP s highest administrative bdy, is cmprised f the Ministers f Health f the eight Member States and the Directr f PASB. Article VII f the Basic Agreement states that PAHO/WHO has a dual rle in INCAP. First, it is a regular member f INCAP, the highest authrity f the Institute; and secnd, it is respnsible fr the administratin f the Institute, at the request f the Directing Cuncil; an arrangement that will be renewed every five years and must be accepted every time by the Directing Cuncil f PAHO/WHO. T cmply with this last respnsibility, the Directr f PASB shall act as the legal representative and directr f INCAP, respnsibilities that he may delegate in full r in part.

3 Page The Basic Agreement entered int frce in 2003; the five-year perid ends in Article LI states that fulfillment f the Basic Agreement shall be reviewed at least every five years, as the grunds fr prpsing amendments t adapt it t the develpment situatin f the Member States. At its 58th Meeting, held in El Salvadr in 2007, INCAP s Directing Cuncil declared that the institutinal strengthening prcess launched in 2004 respnded t and cmplied with Article LI f the Basic Agreement and the reslutins f the Directing Cuncil f PAHO n the peridic evaluatin and review f the perfrmance f the Pan American and subreginal centers. 13. The Directing Cuncil f INCAP is assisted by an Advisry Cmmittee made up f the directrs-general f health f the eight Member States and a representative f the Directr f PASB. 14. It shuld be nted that INCAP is the ldest Central American integratin institutin. On 30 March 1995, it fficially became part f the Central American Integratin System as the health sectr institutin f the Scial Integratin Subsystem, pursuant t Article 9.3.a f the Central American Scial Integratin Treaty. Other Relevant Backgrund 15. In 1981, the 28th Directing Cuncil f PAHO, bearing in mind the decisin f the INCAP Cuncil that the Institute shuld be rerganized as an agency f Central America and Panama, utside the rganic and administrative system f the United Natins and PAHO; and recgnizing the need fr cntinued PAHO supprt t the wrk f INCAP under the new arrangements impsed by its new plitical, institutinal, and administrative structure, reslved: t apprve the principle f the final transfer f INCAP t its new plitical and administrative management as an agency f Central America and Panama, and t apprve the participatin f PAHO/WHO as a member f INCAP. 16. In 1982, the XXI Pan American Sanitary Cnference reslved t ratify the new Basic Agreement f INCAP signed in Washingtn, D.C. n 25 September 1981 and t urge INCAP member cuntries t ratify the new Basic Agreement as sn as pssible. 17. In 1983, the 29th Directing Cuncil f PAHO, bearing in mind that the INCAP Cuncil has requested that the Institute cntinue t be administered by PAHO under the Basic Agreement signed in December 1953 and in accrdance with the new administrative regulatins and arrangements apprved by the INCAP Cuncil, which were nted by the XXI Pan American Sanitary Cnference; and cnsidering that temprary supprt f the request by the INCAP Cuncil is justified, while maintaining

4 Page 4 the Organizatin's plicy f wrking tward a gradual assumptin f the administratin f Centers by their member cuntries in the near future, reslved t apprve PAHO s cntinuing supprt t INCAP by temprarily assuming respnsibility fr the administratin f the Institute and, subsequently appinting its Directr and Administratr. Institutinal Strengthening and Capacity Building fr INCAP Activities and Administratin 18. Accrding t Reslutin CSP20.R32, adpted in 1978 by the Pan American Sanitary Cnference, n the temprary nature f the Pan American centers and the specific reslutins n INCAP adpted in 1981, 1982, and 1983 (as mentined abve), in the early 1980s, tw independent systems were established fr the administratin f INCAP. 19. The first, fr persnnel management, established the Institute s regulatins gverning the recruitment and management f INCAP persnnel ttally independent f the current PAHO systems. 20. The secnd, fr the management f INCAP s financial and technical resurces, was apprved in 1982 and updated in This system includes financial management, accunting services, prcurement, and supplies, plant and equipment maintenance, etc. The electrnic platfrm f this system, nw bslete, is being upgraded. 21. In 2001, the Directr f PASB delegated new authrity t the Directr f INCAP, expanding his respnsibilities in the areas f hiring, the pening budget f alltments fr executin f the Institute s wn funds, and ther administrative and managerial functins. 22. INCAP s budget was based n the fllwing three funding surces: i) cntributins frm PAHO/WHO, based n the amunts apprved by the Directing Cuncil f PAHO, which have been steadily decreasing in recent bienniums; ii) quta cntributins frm the Member States, which have nt been adjusted since 1992, and iii) trust funds and special funds. Recently, the trust funds have increased due t internatinal prjects financed by the Eurpean Unin thrugh the Reginal Prgram fr Fd Security fr Central America (PRESANCA), fr a ttal f 12 millin. 23. In 1975, the Fd and Nutritin Fundatin f Central America and Panama (FANCAP) was created as a nnprfit, nngvernmental rganizatin whse bjective is t prmte a wide range f activities aimed at slving fd and nutritin prblems in Central America and Panama. In 1996, FANCAP and PAHO/WHO signed a cperatin agreement, which is still in effect.

5 Page 5 Renewal f INCAP s Institutinal Strengthening Prcess 24. In 2004, the 60th Directing Cuncil f INCAP reslved t begin an institutinal strengthening and develpment prcess, based n the fllwing: the new Basic Agreement that entered int frce in 2003, which called fr refrms in the Institute s that it can fulfill its institutinal missin, visin, strategies, and plicies; strengthening f frmal ties with the Central American Integratin System and its institutins t cntribute t a steady imprvement in nutritinal status, health, and develpment in Central America thrugh the fd and nutritinal security strategy; and the changes in PAHO/WHO s relatinship with INCAP, stemming frm the recgnitin f INCAP s maturity and ability t administer itself. 25. In 2006, INCAP s 62nd Directing Cuncil reslved t review the Institute s respnsibilities and define its bjectives and strategic gals based n the needs f its Member States, within the framewrk f their refrm prcesses. This prcess invlved: Three runds f natinal cnsultatins n fd and nutritin security as input fr the preparatin f INCAP s Technical Cperatin Prgram and the frmulatin f specific prjects; Organizatinal study f INCAP, based n the available inputs generated in the last five years, as well as mre up-t-date infrmatin n the prcesses and prcedures emplyed; and Review and adaptatin f the institutin s strategic lines f actin and the preparatin f the Strategic Institutinal Framewrk. 26. In 2007, the 58th Meeting f the INCAP Directing Cuncil declared in Reslutin 5 that it wuld: Adpt the new Strategic Institutinal Framewrk and request the Directr f INCAP t implement it accrding t the plan and timetable presented, fr which INCAP s Advisry Cmmittee, alng with staff members frm the Institute, will serve as the technical unit f this prcess. Instruct the Directr f INCAP t begin reviewing and adapting the Basic Agreement f the Institute t bring it int line with its new Strategic Framewrk, a prcess that includes amendment f the articles n relatins with PAHO/WHO

6 Page 6 as administratr, and t present the prpsal at the next regular meeting f INCAP s Directing Cuncil. 27. Implementatin f the new Institutinal Strategic Framewrk pses the fllwing challenges: Electin f the Directr f INCAP by its Directing Cuncil, in a manner cnsistent with the cnslidatin f Central American integratin; Cnslidatin f a new technical prgramming and financial relatinship between INCAP and PAHO/WHO, linking PAHO/WHO financial cntributins t the activities utlined in the Strategy, the wrk plans f PAHO/WHO, and ther agreements between the tw institutins thrugh the signing f peridic general legal dcuments and/r specific dcuments fr individual activities r prjects; and Full autnmy in prgramming, financing, and administrative areas in rder t: Increase pprtunities fr the marketing and sale f services; Streamline the management decisin-making prcess; Participate in the bidding fr develpment prjects; and Develp clser ties with dnrs wh have n relatins with PAHO/WHO. 28. In February 2008, a Special Meeting f the INCAP Directing Cuncil reslved t Urge the Directr f INCAP and the Advisry Cmmittee t cntinue wrking t implement the Strategic Institutinal Framewrk and draft a prpsal t be presented at the 59th Meeting f the Directing Cuncil that wuld include, inter alia: i) the internal restructuring f the Institute, and ii) mechanisms that wuld allw the Institute t assume greater prgrammatic, financial, and administrative self-management in line with the Strategic Institutinal Framewrk. 29. At the 38th Regular Meeting f the Advisry Cmmittee f INCAP, held n 28 and 29 April 2008 in Tegucigalpa, Hnduras, it was agreed That, at the request f PAHO, natinal cnsultatins wuld be held n the prpsed Reslutin t Amend the Basic Agreement and the Radmap fr the Institutinal Strengthening Prcess f INCAP presented at the Meeting; and that the results wuld be channeled thrugh the Chairman f the Advisry Cmmittee by 10 June 2008 at the latest. PAHO ffered its technical and legal resurces fr this purpse. 30. On 23 June 2008, a Special Sessin f the Directing Cuncil f INCAP was held in San Salvadr, El Salvadr, where, thrugh a Single Reslutin, it was nted that INCAP was a mature institutin that plays a key rle as a specialized nutritin institutin

7 Page 7 in Central America and that in the near future it wuld be able t disengage frm the Administratin f PAHO. T this end, it recmmended that an rderly and transparent transitin f its administratin be undertaken and established that the Directr f PASB wuld appint an Interim Directr during the transitin prcess, until a Directr prperly elected by the Directing Cuncil f INCAP was named. 31. After cnsultatin with the Member States f the Institute, the Directr f PASB selected Dr. Jsé Adán Mntes Figuera, frm El Salvadr, as Interim Directr f INCAP. A cntract is in the prcess f being issued. PAHO/WHO Supprt fr INCAP s Institutinal Strengthening Prcess 32. With a view t supprting INCAP s institutinal strengthening prcess and its transitin tward autnmy and independence frm the Administratin f PAHO/WHO, at the behest f the Directr f PASB, wrking grups crdinated by the Office f the Assistant Directr have been frmed, with the participatin f several units, t address the different technical, administrative, and legal aspects f this prcess, bearing in mind in particular the recmmendatins n the separatin f INCAP and PAHO cntained in the Opinin f the External Auditr n the financial statements f INCAP