Posted June 2001

Country Thematic Groups

The Common Country Assessment (CCA) is a collaborative country-based process for reviewing and analysing the national development situation and identifying key issues as a basis for advocacy, policy dialogue and preparation of a common UN response: the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The CCA process allows countries to think and work together to achieve a common understanding for a country's development challenges and to identify new ideas and opportunities together with national authorities, civil society and development partners. The findings emerging from this exercise are then described in a CCA document, which is undertaken by the United Nations system with key partners: the government, civil society, the private sector and donors.

The model of the ACC Network Thematic Group is therefore an ideal mechanism for initiating and coordinating the CCA process, as Groups typically encourage the participation of the main development partners in a given country for collective action to address country-specific needs, challenges and priorities. The most recent example of Group involvement in the CCA process is in Egypt, where the ACC Network-affliated Donor Sub-Group is helping to coordinate inputs for the UN/CCA Egypt documents covering Agriculture; Water; Nutrition and Food Security; Water and Sanitation. In January 2001, the sub-group - under the joint chairmanship of FAO and the World Bank - convened a meeting of UN agencies, donors, and NGO, during which participants discussed the CCA documentation and donors delivered brief overviews of their ongoing and pipeline activities in natural resources in Egypt.

For further information, contact: FAO-EGY@field.fao.org