Effective Technical Assistance in Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice What are the key c components?

Transcription

1 Effective Technical Assistance in Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice What are the key c components? Margaret Shaw International Centre for the Prevention of Crime September 2006

2 Purpose of the Seminar Outline some of the factors which have limited the effectiveness of technical assistance Look at the recent emerging consensus in the development aid field on the principles for working differently and what this means for donors and recipient countries Consider some of the implications for crime prevention and criminal justice - and where is crime prevention?

3 What does technical assistance in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice include? Supporting strategy development & consensus-building on the need for reform Promoting civil society involvement in the preparation, implementation, monitoring of projects Promoting citizen participation in crime prevention Promoting law reform Bringing national laws/systems into compliance with international standards Institutional strengthening and capacity building to bring about organizational change

4 Programme Network Institutes Pioneers in the field of TA in crime prevention & criminal justice eg. HEUNI developed (1995) Database on International Projects in Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice in Central and Eastern Europe Organized an expert group meeting (1996) - 14 recommendations to improve the effectiveness of international TA

5 Expert Group Recommendations 1996 (HEUNI, 1996) Carry out a needs assessment Find out who else is working in the area Decide on purpose of project Consider different strategies Prepare written proposal Analyze risks and benefits Know your partner Secure support of all relevant stakeholders

6 Expert Group Recommendations Allocate responsibility for costs Familiarize yourself with legal system and culture Start small Work with realistic timetable and cost estimates Monitor project progress and evaluate impact Be patient! ( all still relevant)

7 Closure of the HEUNI Database in a cautionary tale Technological difficulties Low motivation to supply information Unwillingness to share information about international projects Quality of information provided variable/poor Lack of utilization of database by recipient countries and donors

8 Why has TA been ineffective? Lack of sufficient resources Uncoordinated and fragmented Partial failure of existing coordination mechanisms Failure to take account of recipient country interests and needs - no ownership Lack of sensitivity to context

9 Why has TA been ineffective? Neglect of some areas Development assistance is being diverted Tendency to focus only on parts of the justice system Failure to take account of the capacity of recipient countries Corruption and abuse

10 An emerging consensus on the way forward? UNDP 2003 UK Department of International Development OECD 2004 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness 2005 European Union 2005 UNODC Round Table for Africa 2005 UNODC Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit 2006

11 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness Partnership Commitments 2005 Ownership partner countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies, strategies.. Alignment donors base support on partner countries national development strategies, institutions, procedures Harmonization donors actions more harmonized, transparent & collectively effective Managing for results managing resources and improving decision-making for results Mutual Accountability donors and partners are accountable for development results

12 Revitalizing technical assistance Coordination among donors and providers Undertaking clear assessment of country and system capacities sustainability Encourage national plans Monitoring and evaluating Broad view of justice and security systems and links to poverty and development Development and sharing of better information and data

13 Some strategies to increase local ownership Establishing the legitimacy of proposed reforms Finding champions Providing incentives for change Establishing realistic benchmarks and objectives Conducting project evaluations

14 Some key elements for effective TA? Holistic approaches Country-led programming to stimulate ownership and sustainability Region-specific approaches Broad and integrated Human rights based Building on existing strengths Favouring long-term assistance Participation of civil society Research-based, results focused, evaluated

15 The way forward An emerging consensus in a number of fields on principles and approaches for more appropriate, effective and lasting TA Greater awareness of the importance of capacity development for individuals, organizations and environments Greater awareness of links between the justice and security sectors and development and governance Norms and standards and technological change have increased demand for TA - and made access and exchange much easier

16 Thank you! Background paper available from ICPC at Proceedings of the PNI Workshop on Maximizing the effectiveness of technical assistance provided by Member States in crime prevention and criminal justice. Edited by Margaret Shaw & Yvon Dandurand To be published by HEUNI autumn 2006