The board agreed to set up a new committee, chaired by the Board Vice Chair, to make policy recommendations regarding the provision of technical assistance and capacity development for and through Country Coordinating Mechanisms, Principal Recipients, and Sub-Recipients. The board permitted the Secretariat to hire up to 29 additional staff, taking the maximum staffing level to 118. The new staff will primarily be portfolio managers, who will deal with the ever-increasing number of grants that have to be administered. The board agreed that from 2005, proposals and grants may be denominated in Euros as an alternative to dollars, if desired. Some board members objected to a decision at an earlier board meeting that the decision as to whether to renew a grant (from Year 1-2 to Year 3-5) should be made by the Secretariat. They wanted the board to be able to play a role in this. Options will be studied by a board committee and the matter will be revisited at the November board meeting. The few grants that come up for renewal prior to then will, at the discretion of the Secretariat, be renewed just for a six-month period until possible new procedures are agreed.

1. 
   Technical assistance
   
2. 
   Staffing levels
   
3. 
   Euro grants
   
4. 
   Board approval of grant renewals