WELCOMING REMARKS AND INTRODUCTION

Transcription

1 WELCOMING REMARKS AND INTRODUCTION Roberto Villarreal Chief, Development Management Branch Division for Public Administration and Development Management United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs October 2011, Hotel Tour Hassan, Rabat, Morocco

2 THIS SEMINAR: WHO This seminar has been organized by UNDESA in cooperation with UNECA and UNESCWA, and the Ministries of the Interior and of Public Sector Modernization of the Kingdom of Morocco the competent Divisions for public administration and participatory approaches to development in UNECA and UNESCWA the regional Office for Northern Africa of UNECA, in Rabat combining respective expertise, mandates and resources to serve the UN member States Invitations were delivered with the plan to gather a diverse group of knowledgeable persons In government, the private sector, civil society and academia of countries in the region and experts on the region from other parts of the world The response rate was rather high and approximately 60 knowledgeable and committed practitioners and experts confirmed their attendance from 12 countries in the region (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia); 4 countries in other regions (Canada, France, Guinee, USA) and 5 departments, commissions, offices and agencies of the UN (UNDESA, UNECA, UNECA-NAR, UNESCWA, UNDP) ORGANIGRAM 2

3 THIS SEMINAR: WHY Along 2011 most countries in the North African region have experienced strong social upheaval and drastic political disruptions Lack of opportunities for development faced by large population groups Forms of public administration and development management disconnected from citizens and vulnerable groups, not delivering effective solutions to their needs Increasing popular awareness about these chronic problems, facilitated by modern information and communications technologies Importance of reconstructing adequate public governance for development, in particular for advancing towards the MDGs Transparent, effective and accountable public administration More democratic forms of development management Engagement of non-government actors (citizens and their organizations in civil society and in the private sector) in public development affairs: policy analysis and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation GA RESOLUTION ON MDGs WORLDWIDE 3

4 THIS SEMINAR: WHY NOW Insufficient clarity as to what institutions for public governance would function in countries of North Africa to address these challenges UNDESA, UNECA and UNESCWA look forward to further assist member States of the region in this regard Better identification of needs from countries in the region would permit to plan for technical assistance and capacity building activities to carry out in from regular UN budget From voluntary contributions of international donors 4

5 THIS SEMINAR: WHAT FOR Analyze the needs of public governance for development in the different countries of North Africa Elucidate which types of institutions can contribute to enhance public governance for development in these diverse countries Discuss the opportunities and challenges of further engaging citizens and their organizations in matters related to development management CONCEPTUAL DIAGRAM 5

6 THIS SEMINAR: WHAT IS TO COME OUT The objectives are: To provide participants with a better understanding of the issues, and with updated knowledge as to what works, and in which contexts 23 basic questions are posed as reference to help focus deliberations To enable participants to determine if there are possible improvements in the public administration of their respective countries to engage citizens for improving public service delivery and development management BASIC QUESTIONS To identify future capacity building activities by UNDESA, UNECA and UNESCWA with other international organizations, to assist member States in connection with this Concrete outputs will be: an analytical report with an annex on guidelines recommended by participants on how to improve public governance for development in the circumstances observed in North Africa in the present 6

7 FINAL REMARKS The nature of this Expert Group Meeting is to facilitate collective thought through deliberation on the central topic Participants will without doubt face a paradox: the better they succeed in deepening the discussion on these matters, the more there will be to further deliberate Thus, time in the next two days will not only be a limited resource, but clearly one in very short supply To continue a rich dialogue among all of you on this topic, after this personal meeting, you will be invited to: Comment on the draft report and its annex on guidelines for enhancing governance for development in North African countries Maintain, if interested, a virtual dialogue through an ad hoc blog on internet that will prolong your fruitful exchanges of information and knowledge 7

8 THANKS We thank you for attending this seminar and for helping the United Nations to further assist member States in the North African region to enhance public governance for development END OF PRESENTATION 8

9 ANNEXES 9

10 DPADM AND DMB IN THE UN SECRETARIAT UNITED NATIONS GOVERNING BODIES General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, etc. DESA BACK UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT Office of the Secretary General and executive offices DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS (DESA) UNITED NATIONS REGIONAL COMISSIONS AND SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS (UNESCO, UNCTAD, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNDP, etc.) DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT BRANCH (DMB) Internet Governance Forum (IGF) DIVISION FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT (DPADM) e-government BRANCH (egb) UN Programme on Governance (UNPOG) OTHER DIVISIONS AND OFFICES Economics, Social, Environment, Gender, etc. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT BRANCH (PACB) Global Centre for eparliament

11 UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION A/RES/65/1: KEEPING THE PROMISE: UNITED TO ACHIEVE THE MDGs In September 2010, after reviewing progress worldwide towards the Millennium Development Goals, the UN General Assembly included in its final resolution the following statements: We take note of the lessons learned and successful policies and approaches in the implementation and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and recognize that with increased political commitment these could be replicated and scaled up for accelerating progress, including by: ( ) (e) Supporting participatory, community-led strategies aligned with national development priorities and strategies; (f) Promoting universal access to public and social services and providing social protection floors; (g) Improving capacity to deliver quality services equitably; (h) Implementing social policies and programmes, including appropriate conditional cash-transfer programmes, and investing in basic services for health, education, water and sanitation; (i) Ensuring the full participation of all segments of society, including the poor and disadvantaged, in decision-making processes; ( ) (l) Enhancing opportunities for women and girls and advancing the economic, legal and political empowerment of women; (n) Working towards transparent and accountable systems of governance at the national and international levels; BACK

12 PUBLIC GOVERNANCE BACK CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS MEDIA SOCIAL NETWORKS UNIVERSITIES AND THINK TANKS CITIZENS GROUPS COMMUNITIES PEOPLE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS COOPERATIVES MULTI- STAKEHOLDERS ORGANIZATIONS POLITICAL PARTIES LABOR UNIONS INDUSTRAL CHAMBERS TAXES AND PERSONAL DUTIES PUBLIC GOODS (RULE OF LAW, JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION, SECURITY, DEFENSE, PUBLIC HEALTH, SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT, MONETARY AND TECHNICAL STANDARDS, FINANCIAL STABILITY.) PUBLIC SERVICES (CORE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES, SOCIAL SERVICES) CONGRESS JUICIARY EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATION GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES CONSUMER PROTECTION ANTICORRUPTION AGENCY SUPREME AUDITING HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN ESC CENTRAL BANK SOE LEADERSHIP, LEGAL FRAMEWORK, EMPOWREMENT OF CITIZENS, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, TRANSPARENCY, (1) STAKEHOLDERS (2) SUBSTANTIVE MATTER ICT (3) INSTITUTIONS (4) ENABLING CONDITIONS 12

13 BASIC QUESTIONS: SESSION 1 BACK 1. Which are some of the most important and effective participatory governance institutions in the countries in the region? 2. Where do economic and social councils (ESCs) exist and what are their roles and accomplishments regarding participatory governance? 3. Which other similar institutions exist and which are/have been their contributions? 4. Can innovative participatory institutions be introduced, in addition to conventional representative democratic ones? 5. Would they facilitate the mutually reinforcing nexus between governance and development and ultimately enhance an equitable and inclusive socio-economic and political development in North Africa? 6. Are there any examples of existing innovative participatory mechanisms and institutions in the region that have a greater potential of replication? 13

14 BASIC QUESTIONS: SESSION 2 BACK 7. What are government and other development stakeholders in civil society and private sector pursuing in regard to participation and inclusiveness in development management? 8. What are the challenges and opportunities in designing and implementing strategies and policies for institutionalized participation in North African countries- both at the national and local levels? 9. What are the motivations, advantages and risks associated with government initiatives compared to those that people foster in terms of their legitimacy, sustainability, effectiveness, etc.? 10. Can governments allow participants to have concrete influence in shaping development according to their needs and bring about social change and greater accountability? 11. What would be the roles, advantages and possibilities to open up for citizen engagement in development management at the local or national levels? 14

15 BASIC QUESTIONS: SESSION 3 BACK 11. Can participatory processes be stimulated through an enabling environment? 12. What would be the relative importance of the following and other related conditions? Constitutional and legislation amendment Facilitation of the activities of associations and organizations of civil society Access to public information Transparency and proactive public reporting e-service delivery e-participation particularly for the poorest sectors of the population, grassroots organizations, youth and women 15

16 BASIC QUESTIONS: SESSION 4 BACK 14. How can participatory governance institutions enhance accountability, prevent corruption and increase the effectiveness of public service delivery? 15. What specifically is needed for participatory governance institutions to promote social justice in the context of development by holding state and non-state actors accountable for addressing the needs of the poor (youth and women in particular)? 16. How can participatory governance institutions help citizens reach equal opportunities, adequate levels of human dignity and development, realize substantive freedoms and access better public services? 17. What are ESCs and similar institutions in countries of the region doing in this regard? 16

17 BASIC QUESTIONS: SESSION 5 BACK 18. What type of forums, public institutions and instruments can be established so that all actors can express their opinion around reform issues affecting them, engage in a meaningful dialogue with government, and address mutual tensions and differences through systematic negotiation? 19. Are ESCs or similar institutions conducive for this purpose? 20. How can the issue of fair and impartial representation be ensured promoting at the same time particularly the engagement of youth and women as forces of positive social transformation? 21. What are the operational requirements of these institutions in terms of funding, human resource capacity, reporting requirements, etc.? 22. How can the capacities of citizens and civil society be strengthened to promote engagement with the state, analysis of socio-economic and political development and participation in policy-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, etc.? 23. Is the establishment of agencies responsible for training civil society leaders - particularly for associations targeting youth and women s needs- conducive to this end? 17

18 END OF ANNEXES 18