The 15th General Session of AARDO Conference held in Damascus, Syria from 15-16 September 2005 approved the following additional responsibilities to the regional offices to enable them to enhance the regional level activities:
a) Entrusting the regional offices with additional responsibilities, namely,
- Networking with centers of excellence engaged in research and development in the region;
- Initiating post-training evaluation and providing a feedback to the Headquarters at regular intervals;
- Identifying the problems relevant to the socio-economic development confronting the region and suggesting the appropriate technical activities to address them;
- Organizing Human Resource Development activities at regional levels;
- Undertaking study visits including farmers visits;
- Undertaking action research; and
- Supervising and monitoring development pilot projects.
As a beginning, one of each technical activity was proposed for each region on experimental basis. Based on the feedback from the regional offices and participants from participating countries, it is proposed to continue the regional activities.
b) AARDO would continue to provide suitable financial support, wherever possible, as provided for in the budget estimates for the triennium to the regional offices to upgrade their physical Infrastructure.
- AARDO would continue to assist the regional offices in identifying the needs and problems in the region, and to suggest appropriate technical activities in the implementation of the objectives of establishing the regional offices and the entrusted additional activities, Coordination Committees for the respective regions, wherever feasible, will perform the following functions:
- The Coordination Committee will be an advisory body to advise and assist the Regional Office in the implementation of the technical activities at the regional level and in fulfilling the main objectives of establishing the regional offices;
- It will consist of the liaison officers at the nodal ministries in the member countries;
- During the meetings of the Coordination Committee, the Regional Representative will act as the Chairman of the meeting and submit the proceedings and recommendations to the AARDO Headquarters;
- The Coordination Committee could meet twice during the triennium preferably in the beginning and middle of the triennium.
The regional offices have been organising the Coordination Committee in their respective regions during the triennium to identify the regional level activities. Accordingly, regional level activities like workshops, training programmes are proposed to continue at the regional level during the triennium 2018-2020.