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Democracy and transparent and accountable
governance and administration in all sectors of society are indispensable
foundations for the realisation of social and people-centred sustainable
development. Declaration of the World Summit
for Social Development, 1995 |
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In seeking to promote good governance within
its programme countries, UNDP is drawing on its experience, backed by a clear
mandate. We recognise, however, that the pursuit of programmes supporting
good governance in dynamic, unpredictable environments is a complex process
that carries risks. A well-developed and understood strategic vision and
policy can help to get the most from our efforts and reduce the risks by
providing a framework and guide for programme initiatives. UNDP may be called on to support many types
of governance-related programmes. To maximise our resources, however, we must
target our assistance and build our core competencies in a few key areas. Based
on our understanding of the role of governance in sustainable human
development, our mandate and our comparative advantages, UNDP has identified
five priority areas for governance programming that will best achieve our
goals: ·
Governing
institutions ·
Public
and private sector management ·
Decentralisation
and support to local governance ·
Civil
society organisations, and ·
Governance
in special circumstances. Different environments will require different
programmes, and different entry points and types of programmes. The challenge
for UNDP will be to take a systemic and strategic approach to governance that
meets national priorities. |
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Governing institutions: legislature,
judiciary and electoral bodies UNDP support can, in principle, be directed
to all three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial -
and the processes needed to establish and operate them. Sound national and
local legislatures and judiciaries are critical for creating and maintaining
enabling environments for eradicating poverty. Legislatures mediate differing
interests and debate and establish policies, laws and resource priorities that
directly affect people-centred development. Electoral bodies and processes
ensure independent and transparent elections for legislatures. Judiciaries
uphold the rule of law, bringing security and predictability to social,
political and economic relations. Human rights organisations help ensure that
governing institutions uphold national laws and internationally recognised
conventions. UNDP only recently became involved with
legislative and judicial systems. Even so, demand for our assistance in these
areas has been high. Because of our impartiality and the trust it engenders,
we have a considerable comparative advantage over other organisations - and
can also help greatly in coordinating external resources. Given our limited resources, our often close
relationship with governments and the importance of the legislature and
judiciary in influencing equity and poverty, UNDP should aim for a strategic
role in this area. Our primary task is to help develop a country's capacity
to strengthen its governance. UNDP should, therefore, first help government
create a framework and strategy for institutional reform. This should include
the relationship between state institutions and the private sector and civil
society. Support for institutional development of
legislatures may include help in setting up effective parliamentary (or
similar national and local) structures, systems, processes and procedures as
well as training parliamentarians in their roles and legislative procedures. The
Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva is a valuable partner in this effort,
particularly in needs assessment, advisory services and capacity development.
Collaboration with Parliamentarians for Global Action in New York, an NGO
that assists in policy advice and advocacy, is also being sought. Support for legislatures also includes
assistance in strengthening electoral processes, including support for
electoral commissions, electoral legislation, voter registration and
electoral registers. UNDP has played an important and expanding role in
electoral processes, in some cases complemented by our institutional
strengthening efforts. When UNDP is approached for direct support for
electoral processes or elections, country offices should contact the
Electoral Assistance Unit in the UN Secretariat for guidance and support. An
agreement outlining the mutual roles and responsibilities of UNDP and the UN
is available. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance (IDEA) is an intergovernmental partner outside the UN system that
can also provide advice and technical support. There are also experienced
regional institutions, such as Parlatino (Parlamento LatinoAmericano). Judiciaries can be supported in establishing
systems of justice and laws, ombudsmen and human rights oversight bodies and
security systems. Judicial and legal reforms that may be supported by UNDP
include improving the structure, organisation and administration of court
systems; training judges, magistrates, lawyers and support personnel; making
access to justice easier by improving subordinate court systems; removing
legal barriers to full participation of women, minorities and civil society
institutions; and providing specialised assistance in legal education on
constitutional and electoral law and laws related to human rights. Partnerships
with experienced local and international organisations will be important. Issues
of human security and crime are dealt with by the Crime Prevention Division
of the United Nations. For questions on human rights and to obtain advisory
services, contact the UN Centre on Human Rights in Geneva. |
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Public and private sector management One of UNDP's greatest strengths is
management development, particularly in developing national capacities. We
have learned from our vast experience that constructive change has three
requisites: laying out a clear vision of goals and of how to reach them;
identifying and supporting people who can lead and help reach those goals;
and developing strong, effective and accountable managerial capacities and
institutional structures to implement change. Leadership, policy development and managing
change Support for leadership development and
managing change cuts across UNDP governance efforts. Effective leadership,
essential for successful good governance programmes, is particularly
important when countries are undergoing complex or systemic change involving
civil society and private actors. Effective leadership entails developing the
capacities of everyone who can increase political commitment to sustainable
human development. It also includes the ability to bring together public and
private actors to define sustainable development goals and strategies that
are centred around people and the capacity to manage systemic change in
unpredictable situations. Countries also need professionals who can translate
political vision into sustained programmes for good governance. UNDP should seek to develop national
capacities to articulate goals, policies and strategies, especially those
that are long term and support good governance, with an emphasis on processes
that elicit broad national support and consensus. To that end, UNDP can
support national institutions that develop the skills of leaders in
initiating and managing processes that are systemic and complex and that
involve stakeholders and beneficiaries from government, the private sector
and civil society. This support will include assistance for training in
planning and implementation, building national competencies and developing
approaches to public-private partnerships. Gender-specific concerns will
merit particular attention. Moreover, UNDP has concentrated on
strengthening management in three areas that are vital to sustainable human
development - reform of the civil service, economic and financial management
and urban management. Civil service reform Reform of state institutions so that they
become more efficient, accountable and transparent is a cornerstone of good
governance. Effective reform requires political commitment, which should
include the support of the private sector and civil society. UNDP's
experience with and technical knowledge of public administration reform and
management of development has ranged from pioneering work in national technical
cooperation assessments and programmes to support for comprehensive civil
reforms. In many countries UNDP has sought key partners and coalitions that
are politically strong, found suitable entry points, initiated a policy
dialogue that brings together stakeholders and beneficiaries and introduced
reform in a phased, systemic manner. Many needs can be addressed: formulation of
strategies; assessment of capacities; reform of governance rules and
procedures, including those for the market and the most vulnerable; review
and restructuring of functions and networks; improvement of systems,
especially those concerned with planning, management, information and new
technologies, budgeting and expenditures, statistics, reporting and
accountability; reform of wage and incentive structures; private-public
partnerships; and decentralisation. The central issues of sustainability -
ownership, fiscal discipline, incentives, political support and external aid
- would also be addressed. Gender concerns should be built into all of these
tasks. Economic and financial management Good governance includes both procedural and
substantive elements; so too does the management of economic and financial
matters. Countries need to establish relationships between the state, the
private sector and civil society and develop frameworks that provide
incentives for broadly based and sustainable growth. Crucial elements for
sustainable human development include macroeconomic policies, management of
the external sector (trade, aid, investment and debt), market regulation and
privatisation, social safety nets and resource management. Sound policies and
practices in economic and financial management will contribute significantly
to an enabling environment for sustainable human development. While the Bretton Woods institutions and
several bilateral donors have greater resources at their disposal to assist
developing countries in this area, UNDP can and should bring issues of
sustainable human development and poverty into the centre of policy
discussions, make macroeconomic decision-making more transparent, and
influence resource allocations. Because of its impartiality, UNDP can be
called on to help develop national capacities to negotiate with external
partners and mobilise resources in line with national priorities. UNDP can
also draw on its comparative advantages to support national capacities to
improve efficiency, accountability, transparency and cooperative
relationships in all sectors. UNDP also has extensive experience with aid
coordination and management. This provides an important opportunity for UNDP
to influence policies in support of sustainable human development. UNDP can help countries involve civil society
and the private sector in policy development and management of development
resources, and can enhance the transparency and accountability of economic
and financial management processes. It can also help bring business,
government and civil society together to address issues of poverty, gender,
sustainable livelihoods and the environment. The creation of an enabling
environment to attract private investments and nurture enterprises - using
appropriate laws, fiscal and monetary policies and stable long-term
development strategies - is a priority. More specifically, UNDP can provide support
to build capacity in economic policy analysis, formulation and management,
budgeting, economic administrations (customs, debt management and so on),
regulatory frameworks and national accounting. The capacity to coordinate and
manage aid and debt is also important in the overall management of
development resources. By taking the lead in aid coordination processes, UNDP
can also advocate its approaches, influence policy and help mobilise
resources for national programmes. UNDP can help manage the integration of
countries with economic and trading blocs, and can help countries take
advantage of the information and knowledge revolution. Not least, UNDP should
help governments introduce economic and financial policies that empower and
benefit women, the poor and others who may be marginalised, and that protect
the natural resource base. Urban management Urban populations in developing countries
have mushroomed over the past 40 years. This relentless growth is
irreversible. The effective functioning of cities and towns is essential for
equitable, sustainable growth. Urban management involves multisectoral
activities that cut across UNDP's focus areas of poverty alleviation,
environmental improvement, gender equity and sustainable livelihoods. UNDP is
uniquely placed to provide leadership and to assist countries in developing
partnerships with agencies in the UN system. UNDP's Urban Management
Programme, developed and managed in partnership with the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements, is the largest multidonor technical cooperation
programme in urban development. Urban management issues include environmental
and land management, municipal finance, maintenance of urban infrastructure,
regulatory frameworks for the informal sector, urban shelter and services
and, of course, poverty alleviation. Gender issues should be mainstreamed
throughout urban management programmes. UNDP agency partners in these priority areas
include the Department for Development Support and Management Services
(DDSMS), for civil service reform and financial management; UNCTAD, for
policies and management of trade and debt; the World Bank, for financial and
budgetary issues and investment in civil service reform and urban programmes;
the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, for follow-up to HABITAT II
and technical cooperation in urban areas; and the Group of Cities
Associations, for cooperation of mayors. In addition, several regional
institutions have a wealth of experience. |
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Decentralisation and support to local
governance Decentralising government - from the national
level to regions, districts, towns, municipalities, rural areas, settlements
and communities - enables people to participate more directly in governance
processes and can help empower people previously excluded from
decision-making. In this way a country can create and sustain equitable
opportunities for all its people. Closer contact between government officials
and local communities and organisations also encourages the exchange of
information that can be used to formulate development programmes that are
tailored to local needs and priorities, and thus are more effective and
sustainable. UNDP and other UN agencies have extensively
promoted decentralisation, accumulating considerable experience along the
way. UNDP has supported many public management reform programmes focused on
decentralisation and local institutional strengthening. A leading example is
the Local Initiative Facility for Urban Environment (LIFE) to promote
dialogue among municipalities, non-governmental organisations and
community-based organisations to improve the quality of urban environments in
low-income settlements. UNDP offers many services at the country,
regional and global levels to help countries build capacities for
decentralised governance. These include systemic institutional analysis and
generation of decentralisation policy, strengthening local authorities,
direct support to civil society organisations concerned with local governance
issues, support to rural institutions and management, implementing local
pilot projects and evaluating, documenting and disseminating decentralisation
experiences. An example of such support at the global level is the
Decentralised Governance Programme. In addition, UNDP should help improve urban
government and administration in ways that not only ensure coordination among
agencies but also promote partnerships among local communities,
non-governmental organisations, the private sector and urban governments to
respond to the problems facing urban populations. The logical agency partners for all of the
above efforts are the United Nations Capital Development Fund, DDSMS and the
World Bank. |
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Civil society organisations Civil society is the well-spring of the
social capital - people working together for common purposes - that is
essential for good governance. Civil society organisations can fill the
vacuum left by the slimmed-down state, and can advocate and monitor reforms
that foster sustainable human development. Civil service organisations that are involved
with development complement (rather than replace) the state. UNDP considers
collaboration with these organisations important because of their
responsiveness, innovation, direct relationship with the poor, capacity to
stimulate participation and articulate local views, cost effectiveness, local
accountability and independent assessment of issues. In many developing countries, however, such
organisations are weak. They lack capacities in issues analysis, advocacy and
outreach, networking, management and revenue raising. In addition, they need
to be more accountable and responsive to and more inclusive of their
stakeholders. Some also operate within tight legal and regulatory
environments. UNDP's traditional partner has been
government, although it is developing its partnership with civil society. Our
ability to work with government remains one of our main comparative
advantages. In many programmes we can capitalise on government trust of UNDP
to encourage interaction and cooperation with civil society and the private
sector, even (or particularly) when sensitive issues are involved. UNDP's first task may be to bring government
and civil society together to discuss policies and programmes and to help
create a safe and impartial space that encourages trust and lasting
relationships. In fact, UNDP should encourage partnerships with civil society
organisations to support national efforts and to plan and implement
UNDP-supported programmes. UNDP may then support national efforts to improve
legislation and administrative and tax frameworks for these organisations and
assist in improving government's relationship with them. UNDP may also consider helping these
organisations develop their capacities to plan, manage and implement
activities effectively and accountably and to research, advocate and monitor
issues of sustainable human development (including poverty and gender) in
ways that build on our experience in reaching the poor, marginalised and
disadvantaged. UNDP can also help civil society organisations network,
cooperate and share information for social and development purposes and
participate in aid coordination and management. UNDP also has a role in what
can be termed "civic education": helping national civil society
organisations define and implement country-specific programmes that build
social cohesion, help resolve conflicts, increase people's awareness of their
rights and responsibilities and nurture participation in development and
governance. Assistance in collecting and disseminating relevant information
on issues of governance and sustainable human development in an impartial way
may also be worthwhile. |
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Governance in special circumstances There are two categories of countries: crisis
countries and transition countries. The social and political stability
associated with good governance are fundamental to sustainable human
development. During crises, systems and institutions that protect the
vulnerable are the first things to be destroyed and must be restored. But
good governance is by nature preventive. By valuing development assets and
building social cohesion and consensus, it can help reduce vulnerability to -
and even the likelihood of - disasters and conflicts. UNDP's comparative advantage lies not in its
humanitarian response and relief but in its long-term development presence
and its ability to respond to complex and multifaceted development challenges.
In crises where a rapid and coordinated response is required, UNDP must work
closely with UN and donor partners with greater experience in emergency
situations and with greater resources. UNDP, however, can play a role in
planning for development needs while other agencies concentrate on immediate
needs. Moreover, UNDP's ability to work with and bring together government,
civil society and the private sector can be valuable both during and after a
crisis. There is no universal approach for responding
to crises. UNDP must identify the most suitable entry points and respond
quickly and flexibly. While good governance programmes generally can reduce
the risk of crises, there are specific efforts that UNDP can support before,
during and after them. Impending crisis UNDP can initiate reconciliation and
consensus building and build national capacities to avoid, manage and
mitigate crises. It could also regularly gather information on indicators
that signal a pending crisis. National human development reports are
important in identifying potential trouble. UNDP should also develop a
network of people and institutions from which it can obtain development
information and with which it can cooperate during crises. During a crisis UNDP can support both macro and local
planning initiatives and reconciliation. If the state collapses, UNDP may
launch participatory programme planning and development for specific needs,
such as area, city, regional and food security planning. It should also aim
to develop basic governance, management and coordination capacities. During a
crisis, partnerships with civil society organisations - both formal and
informal - can prove invaluable. These organisations can be crucial
intermediaries - supporting participatory planning and reconciliation, and
implementing small-scale development initiatives. Post-crisis UNDP should assess governance-related
requirements, give priority to rebuilding those strategic capacities that
have the greatest impact and help identify and coordinate needs for resource
mobilisation. This could include assistance to rebuild such core institutions
as the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. A second category of countries - called
transition economies - are those that are moving away from central planning,
which attempted to achieve social equity through heavily subsidised state-led
development. These subsidies were, in fact, unaffordable, and the failure of
this development model has required often painful transitions to market-oriented
economies. Most transition economies are also moving towards more open (or
democratic) political systems. In many cases economic reforms have faced
multiple challenges, including global economic recession (resulting in less
trade, aid and investment), environmental degradation (which threatens human
well-being), low savings and investment, rocketing unemployment and social
disintegration (resulting in soaring social ills and crime). Even so, these
countries - including newly independent countries of Central and Eastern
Europe, republics of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia - have made
remarkable advances and possess substantial untapped capacities. UNDP efforts in many of these countries have
emphasized interventions that build on people's high education levels and
help them gain access to outside knowledge, information and experiences,
which help them develop capacities that reflect reform priorities. Reforms
are also systemic, at times integrating many interrelated processes and
generally emphasizing good governance and a stable macroeconomic framework. Developing
democratic and accountable institutions (including political parties, free
trade unions and the media) are critical. Support to emerging private and
civil organisations, particularly to develop management capacities and
accountability, are priorities. So too are aid coordination, capacity
building to help define goals and policies, support to social security and
productive capacities and management of natural and financial resources. Because
the needs are so great, UNDP has placed special emphasis on leveraging its
resources to mobilise further funds. |
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