Evaluation of the work of the Subregional Office for Mesoamerica 2012-2017

In 2018, the FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) conducted an evaluation of the work of the Subregional Office for Mesoamerica (SLM) covering the period 2012-2017. SLM offers adequate technical support for the development and increase of FAO operations in Mesoamerica and has generated synergies with other subregional or regional initiatives. With SLM's contribution, there was a substantial improvement in FAO's contributions in sectors relevant to the subregion (such as sustainable forest management and resilience to droughts or hurricanes), and approaches relevant for indigenous populations and gender equity were promoted.

SLM was also successful in fostering political dialogue in areas such as food security and the development of family farming. SLM works in good complementarity with the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and it has formulated competitive proposals before donors to capture resources and increase FAO's presence on relevant issues. With the constant growth of its activities in recent years, human and financial resources must be defined and distributed in the best way possible. There could be better coordination with other United Nations agencies, and there is space to increase South-South cooperation among the countries of the subregion. A subregional programmatic vision should be encouraged, in collaboration with the country representatives.