ARGENTINA - Unido

ANEXO I
Términos de referencia de la Evaluación
Evaluación Independiente de Medio Termine del Proyecto UNIDO
UE/ARG/04/129, US/ARG/02/129, US/ARG/04/129
Reconversión del sector industrial argentino: programa para fortalecer el acceso de PYMES
al crédito y a los mercados de exportación
BACKGROUND 10
The project forms the core of the UNIDO Programme for the Recovery of the Argentinean
Industrial Sector: a comprehensive Programme for upgrading and development of
Argentinean Industrial Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) and to foster the export
of the Argentinean manufacturing sector as a whole. It focuses on strengthening
Argentinean SMEs systems and on the creation of mutual credit guarantee schemes in
order to permit the local export enterprises or group and consortia of export enterprises to
access credit, attract foreign investment and technology, as well as to access export
markets.
This project was complemented by the project “Assistance to the Argentinean
manufacturing exports” (TF/ARG/02/001), approved by UNIDO and the government of
Argentina on 16 August 2002 to start up immediately the Programme of Assistance to
Argentina.
The programme was designed to be complementary to other bilateral and multilateral
initiative including that of the Italian Government 11 and shall respond in an integrated and
coherent manner to the contingency and structural needs of the Argentinean
manufacturing Industry and of SMEs in particular, as well as of its public and private
support institutions. Specifically, the Programme will address the great difficulties faced
by industrial SMEs to access credit and export markets that have been worsened severely
by a serious financial crisis as of the end of 2001, associated with the devaluation of the
peso and the default of Argentina’s international public debt.
The Programme has been elaborated by UNIDO in interaction and cooperation with both
the Argentinean Government and its private sector and in coordination with other
multilateral and bilateral agencies. It is based on a set of basic principles: ownership by
Argentinean stakeholders; capitalize on Italian, Argentinean and UNIDO’s respective
competence and experience; Realistic expectations; Direct involvement of Argentinean
public/private institutions and local experts; Cost-sharing arrangements; and
Coordination/Synergies with other bilateral/multilateral agencies.
The overall strategy of the Programme is to build local capacity in selected Argentinean
Provinces and to transfer know-how promoting the use of state-of-the-art policy, technical
and management tools, methodologies and good practices needed to achieve higher
competitiveness levels and increase export. Moreover, it shall sustain the
10 Information taken from the orginal project document.
11 Specifically, the Programme was conceived taking into account the overall picture of the Italian
intervention in support to Argentina, including a programme supporting employment creation.
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