First Steps

Projects may be initiated by either NATO member states or Partner countries.

The first step in setting up a Trust Fund project is an informal discussion between the NATO International Staff, which may include technical advice from NAMSA. This discussion will determine the scope of the project and how it fits with declared PfP priorities and the Partner country’s programme of cooperation with NATO. In addition, other international organisations will be consulted to establish wider support for the project and confirm that there is no conflict or duplication of effort.

All projects are led on a voluntary basis by a Lead Nation. Once a Lead Nation (a NATO country, a Partner country, or a combination) has been identified, this Lead Nation selects and tasks the appropriate Executing Agent to undertake a feasibility study. The feasibility study must provide sufficient detail to produce a project proposal.

The project proposal sets out in detail the work to be undertaken (surpluses to be destroyed, refurbishment required with a view to building local capacity), the costs involved and the schedule of actions to be undertaken.

Official Launch

Once the project proposal is agreed by the Lead Nation, the host nation and the executing agent, it is presented to the Political-Military Steering Committee (PMSC) at NATO. The PMSC serves as a forum to discuss the project and attract potential support and resources.

The formal launch of a project is the trigger to start raising funds in earnest. In addition, a number of  legal agreements have to be signed by the parties involved before work can start on the ground.

The decision to actually commence project work is taken by the Lead Nation depending on whether sufficient funding has been committed.