The COMPAL Programme Manager carried out a five-country travel mission to attend the launching of COMPAL starting with participation, on behalf of UNCTAD Secretariat, in the signature of the Memoranda of Understanding between the Swiss representatives and high-level officials from the  five beneficiary countries: Bolivia, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

During these missions, various activities took place, especially with the academia and civil society at large. In addition, technical fiches for each activity were finalised as well as annual operational plans (POAs) so as to implement the activities for 2005, the first year of COMPAL Programme.

The chronology of the signing of these important documents were as follow:

• 14 December 2004: Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between BOLIVIA-UNCTAD-SECO
• 10 January 2005: Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between PERU-UNCTAD-SECO
• 14 January 2005: Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between CR-UNCTAD-SECO
• 18 January 2005: Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between ES-UNCTAD-SECO
• 20 January 2005: Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between NIC-UNCTAD-SECO