December 21, 2022
GAC contracted Samson Associates to work collaboratively with the Canadian International Development community to prepare the Overseas Assignment Directive (OAD) to replace the old Technical Assistance Handbook (TAH). This was deemed necessary to update directions to Canadian companies with staff living and working overseas implementing GAC contracts to be consistent with the conditions of international development work today.
The new OAD was meant to address some of the shortcomings of the old TAH which was deemed to be difficult to understand, formulistic, rigid, and complicated but not anticipating all situations. The intension of the new OAD is to be easier to understand, more inclusive and enabling greater consistency in application while introducing greater flexibility and reducing administrative burdens.
Recently, CAIDP facilitated a webinar to enable Samson and GAC to introduce the draft OAD to International Development Professionals.
The draft OAD, with supporting information (the PowerPoint presentation used during the webinar and supporting insurance documents) can be found on the CAIDP website at https://www.caidp-rpcdi.ca/resource/new-overseas-assignment-directive-oad.