Technical Assistance for Social Development Sectors
Description
The MEDA Regulation is the principal instrument of economic and financial cooperation under the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It was launched in 1996 (MEDA I) and amended in 2000 (MEDA II). It enables the European Union (EU) to provide financial and technical assistance to the countries in the southern Mediterranean.
The MEDA team, which was composed of 25 international and local experts, had comprehensive strategic tasks and assisted the EC Delegation in Cairo in the planning and implementation of the large MEDA programmes for Egypt under the EU-Mediterranean Partnership Agreement. Under a consortium arrangement led by AHT Group, the consortium provided a technical unit composed of 10 experts to assist the commission of the European Union in Egypt in the identification, formulation, operationalization and monitoring of the EU assistance to the government of Egypt under the MEDA program and the old protocol.
Services
NSCE contribution was focused on the provision of technical assistance in the social development sectors such as health sector reform, education sector reform, Social Fund for Development and Culture and Media. The Technical unit provided programmatic support to the staff of the Delegation at the various phases according to the Project Cycle Management and provided the necessary technical advisory support to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the performance of both the governmental institutions as well as the contracted technical assistance group.
Main tasks were:
- provide sectoral and management support to the Delegation
- project preparation and planning
- monitoring of MEDA programmes and projects in Egypt
- appraisals and impact evaluations.
Special attention is given to the introduction of a quality management system and the development of an operation system to facilitate efficient performance of the tasks in accordance with the high standards expected by the Client.
Across multiple sectors (i.e. media, sociology, primary health care, basic education, public sector reform, private sector development, environment, economics, agro-economics, and public relations), NSCE implemented cross-sectoral tasks like training, standardization of procedures, contract management advice, application of PCN standards etc.