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| MOST National Liaison Committees (NLCs) |
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MOST NLC's Evaluation
During the Sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Council, held at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) from 19 to 21 February 2003, it was recommended that:
"The MOST Secretariat in collaboration with National Commissions should undertake a review of the structure, operations and impact of the NLCs during the biennium 2004-2005 with recommendations and proposals to be submitted to the IGC Bureau."
The evaluation should reveal in particular the best way of promoting MOST refocusing in each country. More ...
The main functions of the NLCs can be summarized as follows:
1. to identify and mobilize national institutions linked to research in social sciences concerned with the main themes of the MOST Programme, and more particularly young researchers and university professors;
2. to distribute regularly information on activities of the Programme, as well as MOST information bulletins to government authorities and promotion of the programme with the use of leaflets, information bulletins and other publications;
3. to play the role of a permanent forum of information on MOST so as to ensure that communication flows are efficient in both directions, that is to say between UNESCO/MOST and national groups;
4. to take the initiative to launch national projects in areas covered by MOST;
5. to help the constitution of research and political action networks at the national level and seek for support of national and regional institutions towards these projects;
6. to help in raising funds for national teams participating in MOST projects (for example, through the National Research Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry for Social Development, and of Science and Technology);
7. to contribute to the creation of a database encompassing all the Committees and putting the information on-line in the MOST web-site;
8. to organise national forums on the use of research in social sciences in the formulation of public policy;
9. to establish links with the UNESCO Chairs and the UNITWIN network at the national and regional levels as well as with the national committees of the four other intergovernmental UNESCO programmes;
10. to help coordinate the interaction of the different actors (civil society, ministers and other governmental actors, researchers and policy makers in general) more efficiently, assembling and disseminating data and assist the Secretariat in building alliances between programme targets in research-policy linkages i.e. advocacy groups, parliamentarians, media...
Member states who do not already have NLCs are encouraged to arrange for them as soon as possible.
At the institutional level, regional MOST initiatives would eventually result in the creation of Regional MOST Centres. This implementation of policy at the local level will be done in order to increase efficiency and to ensure that action is being taken towards the overall goals of the MOST programme. Field initiatives and projects supported by field staff would feed into consolidated strategies and work towards a joint and harmonized follow-up on new themes deemed critical in the regions. Regional workshops would then contribute to the up-grading methodology, knowledge and MOST's knowledge base especially in partnership with research and training institutions in developing countries.
The MOST Programme encourages Member States to establish National Liaison Committees (NLCs) to spur co-operation between researchers, decision-makers and the Programme Secretariat.
Member States are free to establish the structure and composition of a MOST National Liaison Committee according to their own priorities. Liaison Committees are generally constituted with the support of UNESCO National Commissions, in conformity with Resolution 13.11 of the 28th General Conference. Alternatively, any institution with responsibility for scientific policy, such as a national research council, may host a liaison committee.
The composition of NLCs may include social science researchers based in universities or other research institutions and representatives of bodies co-ordinating research funding and of research-user groups such as governments, the private sector, trade unions, professional associations, NGOs or community based organisations. |
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