Schools, agencies, systems For Recovery, Engagement, Sustainable Development & Human Rights
The FRESH Partnership
Revised Terms of Reference (25 November 2016) (Download Word Document copy)
Background:
The inter-agency initiative FRESH (originally called Focusing Resources on Effective School Health) was launched by several UN agencies during the World Education Forum, Dakar in in April 2000. As the FRESH Partnership evolved, the original four UN agencies were joined by several international non-governmental organizations, networks and donors. The FRRESH Framework is a united response to recent trends/issues and a recognition of the need to use holistic approaches and multiple strategies to frame and promote educational success, health and development for school-age children and adolescents through school-based and school-linked programs and approaches. As the partnership has continued its work, the focus on access to schooling, attendance and educational attainment has increased and become central to its discussions.
A structure for the FRESH Partnership was first set up at its inception in 2000 and updated at a FRESH partners meeting in September 2008 in Geneva. This structure was again reviewed at a FRESH partners meeting in Paris in October 2010 which established various sub-committees that were defined around the development of the FRESH Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance documents between 2008 and 2014. The updated terms of reference presented herein reflect further adjustments made in 2014 as well as the current and ongoing role in knowledge development and information exchange played by the FRESH Partnership in achieving the shared goals, principles and values described above.
The FRESH Partnership is comprised of a number of UN agencies, donor organizations and global non-governmental/ civil society organizations concerned with promoting basic education, health, safety, equity and various types of social, sustainable and human development through, with and within schools and education systems.
The Partnership includes a Coordinating Committee, a number of designated Working Groups or Individual Resource Persons (previously called Thematic Working Groups) which have been assigned specific tasks or roles. (Note: Individual experts may be designated in a similar manner to serve the Partnership in defined roles. As well, The FRESH Partnership has established and communicates regularly with an agreed list of Corresponding or Affiliated Organizations and Networks.
Responsibilities of the FRESH Partners Coordinating Committee:
The FRESH Coordinating Committee shall agree on joint activities consistent with its shared goals, values and principles in order to promote information and knowledge development/exchange at the global level. In order to do this, ad-hoc and longer term committees and working groups shall be established or a designated resource person asked to support these activities. Recent or current initiatives or working groups include:
Roles and Responsibilities of the FRESH Corresponding or Affiliated Organizations and Networks
The FRESH Partnership includes an extensive list of Corresponding Organizations and Networks from a variety of sectors concerned with school health and development. These organizations and networks will have a global reach and track record of effective work at the global level in order to be included on the list. The FRESH Partnership will keep these organizations and networks informed about its activities and global events through distribution of periodic updates and circulation of an updated list of global events, initiatives and conferences. In return, these organizations will keep the Partnership informed of their respective activities and other global events by sending notices and contributing to the updated list maintained by FRESH.
The FRESH Coordinating Committee will seek opportunities to communicate or collaborate with these organizations and networks. The FRESH Chair and/or Secretary will maintain an updated list of such organizations and networks and ensure regular communications with these organizations.
Revised Terms of Reference (25 November 2016) (Download Word Document copy)
Background:
The inter-agency initiative FRESH (originally called Focusing Resources on Effective School Health) was launched by several UN agencies during the World Education Forum, Dakar in in April 2000. As the FRESH Partnership evolved, the original four UN agencies were joined by several international non-governmental organizations, networks and donors. The FRRESH Framework is a united response to recent trends/issues and a recognition of the need to use holistic approaches and multiple strategies to frame and promote educational success, health and development for school-age children and adolescents through school-based and school-linked programs and approaches. As the partnership has continued its work, the focus on access to schooling, attendance and educational attainment has increased and become central to its discussions.
A structure for the FRESH Partnership was first set up at its inception in 2000 and updated at a FRESH partners meeting in September 2008 in Geneva. This structure was again reviewed at a FRESH partners meeting in Paris in October 2010 which established various sub-committees that were defined around the development of the FRESH Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance documents between 2008 and 2014. The updated terms of reference presented herein reflect further adjustments made in 2014 as well as the current and ongoing role in knowledge development and information exchange played by the FRESH Partnership in achieving the shared goals, principles and values described above.
The FRESH Partnership is comprised of a number of UN agencies, donor organizations and global non-governmental/ civil society organizations concerned with promoting basic education, health, safety, equity and various types of social, sustainable and human development through, with and within schools and education systems.
The Partnership includes a Coordinating Committee, a number of designated Working Groups or Individual Resource Persons (previously called Thematic Working Groups) which have been assigned specific tasks or roles. (Note: Individual experts may be designated in a similar manner to serve the Partnership in defined roles. As well, The FRESH Partnership has established and communicates regularly with an agreed list of Corresponding or Affiliated Organizations and Networks.
Responsibilities of the FRESH Partners Coordinating Committee:
- Seek and support alignment and coordination among its members and other global organizations to support regional/national efforts in basic education, school health and development. This would include encouraging assessments of national policy and practices using the FRESH M&E Guidance and other tools. The FRESH Partnership will use a tracker tool/ global map solution to share such assessments that have been undertaken by members of the FRESH Partnership and other organizations/experts.
- Developing global and contextually sensitive knowledge and advice that can guide others in providing technical assistance and capacity building in school health and development. The use and adaptation of tools, such as the FRESH M&E Guidance, will be to support the use of multi-component approaches built around the common pillars defined in the FRESH Framework, encourage the use of multi-intervention programs and to improve the delivery and sustainability of interventions.
- Represent the FRESH Partnership and its work at global meetings, initiatives and conferences using a shared leadership/team approach among its members. The Coordinating Committee will maintain an active list of such opportunities to promote the FRESH approach in such events and consultations.
- Review the FRESH M&E Guidance documents as needed and update to keep it relevant to the changing school health and development needs and programming priorities.
- Liaise with members of the Corresponding Organizations and Networks to provide information that is important for global policy decisions on school heath and development.
- Define the terms and mandates for Global Working Groups to provide guidance on various issues, practices and trends in global school health and development (including the FRESH M&E Guidance) in thematic areas.
- Invite and decide on the UN Agencies, Donors and Global Organizations to be included in the Coordinating Committee as well as invite individuals to serve as resource persons to the committee in specific roles or duration. Normally the global agencies and organizations invited to serve on the Coordinating Committee will be selected on a rotating basis from the list of Corresponding Organizations and Networks.
- Oversee the production, publication and maintenance of FRESH Partnership records, documents, resources, minutes and other materials.
- Members of the Coordinating Committee will designate their regular representatives (and alternates) to attend meetings. Others may be designated to receive the minutes and other materials.
- The Coordinating Committee will designate a Chair and a Secretary to facilitate its monthly meetings and to retain the related notes, documents and other materials.
The FRESH Coordinating Committee shall agree on joint activities consistent with its shared goals, values and principles in order to promote information and knowledge development/exchange at the global level. In order to do this, ad-hoc and longer term committees and working groups shall be established or a designated resource person asked to support these activities. Recent or current initiatives or working groups include:
- Ongoing collaboration to monitor progress in promoting educational success, health and development through the use of the FRESH Monioring and Evaluation Guidance and coordinating with similar assessment tools published by other organizations
- Joint and coordinated input into the development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly with respect to Goal #4, (Education) (2015-16)
- A series of webinars and other knowledge development/exchange activities related to School Health & Nutrition Programs in Low Resource Countries (In progress)
- Global Working Group on Health Literacy/Life Skills/Social Inclusion (In Progress)
- Coordination and cooperation in participating in global conferences such as the CIES Congress on Comparative Education (Atlanta, March 2017) and the World Conference & Summit on School Health & Development (Dubai, December 2017) (In Progress)
- Joint, coordinated or aligned input into various global conferences, consultations and initiatives via regular discussions at FRESH Coordinating Committee meetings and regular correspondence with designated organizations and networks. (In progress)
- Ongoing communication, alignment of activities to inform global monitoring activities and policy development relating to the role of the school in achieving the UN goals (In development)
- Global Working Group on School Health & Other Services (In development)
Roles and Responsibilities of the FRESH Corresponding or Affiliated Organizations and Networks
The FRESH Partnership includes an extensive list of Corresponding Organizations and Networks from a variety of sectors concerned with school health and development. These organizations and networks will have a global reach and track record of effective work at the global level in order to be included on the list. The FRESH Partnership will keep these organizations and networks informed about its activities and global events through distribution of periodic updates and circulation of an updated list of global events, initiatives and conferences. In return, these organizations will keep the Partnership informed of their respective activities and other global events by sending notices and contributing to the updated list maintained by FRESH.
The FRESH Coordinating Committee will seek opportunities to communicate or collaborate with these organizations and networks. The FRESH Chair and/or Secretary will maintain an updated list of such organizations and networks and ensure regular communications with these organizations.