DEVELOPING GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNANCE CAPACITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Transcription

1 DEVELOPING GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNANCE CAPACITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Joint capacity-development initiative of UNDESA and UNDP in cooperation with the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana hosted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia AIDE-MEMOIRE Yerevan, Armenia 8 10 October 2014

2 Regional exchange can be a source of growth and development, and of enhancing good governance. Anna Lindh 1. BACKGROUND In September 2000, world leaders adopted the United Nations (UN) Millennium Declaration at the Millennium Summit, committing the world to a global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting a series of time-bound targets and indicators with a deadline of The resulting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been an influential framework to drive global development cooperation, shape the international discourse on poverty eradication and to prioritize the allocation of resources towards key global development challenges. The MDGs as a consensus development agenda have had wide-reaching influence on both policy priorities and on development. They express important social objectives in the form of concrete outcomes that can be measured. However, by focusing solely on social and economic development goals, the MDGs overlooked the factors that enable states and other development actors to make progress against them. Therefore, with the deadline to achieve the MDGs approaching in 2015, there is a need to advance the development framework and decide on what must form the basis for a future development agenda. The Report of the Secretary-General on mainstreaming the three dimensions of sustainable development throughout the United Nations system (A/68/79-E/2013/69) states that as Member State engage in the development of new strategic plans for the year, respective Secretariats will provide the support needed by member States such that these plans address the three dimensions of sustainable development in an integrated fashion (para 82 (c)). The declaration adopted by the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, entitled "the future we want," called for a new set of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) that should be integrated into the new development framework beyond The concept of SDGs, that integrates the critical role of democratic governance, peace and security, and the rule of law, including protection of human rights for the achievement of sustainable development, has gained increasing support as the SDGs address complex development challenges and help generate renewed commitment to address old and new challenges alike. The Rio+20 Declaration recognized that sustainable development requires good governance and the rule of law, as well as effective, transparent and democratic institutions - features that have all too often been lacking in fragile states. The world can 2

3 no longer pretend that development and prosperity can be achieved without progress in these areas. The importance of democratic governance and human rights for sustainable human development was also echoed most recently by the UN Secretary General s High Level Global Sustainability Panel which stated that democratic governance and the full respect for human rights are key pre-requisites for empowering people to make sustainable choices. 1 Sustainable development is guided by Agenda21, the Rio Principles and as such should contribute to poverty eradication, address existing gaps in implementation of sustainable development and integrate its three dimensions, i.e. sustainability in economic, social and environmental aspects of life. The Rio+20 outcome document made it clear that poverty eradication is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development 2. A sustainable future for the world therefore involves ensuring economic livelihood, social wellbeing, and survival of a flourishing environment both for the current and future generations. 2. CONTEXT The need for concerted effort to develop government and governance capacities for sustainable development stems from the acknowledgement expressed by Rio+20 that democracy, good governance, and the rule of law, at the national and international levels, as well as an enabling environment, are essential for sustainable development. Rio+20 also reaffirmed that, to achieve sustainable development, there is need for institutions at all levels that are effective, transparent, accountable and democratic. Addressing the challenges related to the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) will require the development of adequate institutional, human, financial and material capacities in government and governance as a whole. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Regional Hub of Civil Service (the Hub), the Academy of Public Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (the Academy), American University of Armenia (AUA), University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy (USC), and support of the host Government of the Republic of Armenia, are coming together in an initiative to develop capacities of government and other governance actors in the countries with economies in transition, including the CIS countries, for the achievement of sustainable development. 1 UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (2012) Resilient People, Resilient Planet: a future worth choosing. United Nations, New York, p10. 2 GA/RES/66/288 of 11 September

4 Sustainable development is a complex long-term, multi-level, multi-actor process. All the actors involved will need to pay attention to developing their requisite capacities for sustainable development. Workshop will focus on the cross-cutting role of Governance as a critical component for sustainable development. Government and governance capacities are critical at all levels of working towards sustainable development including ensuring an enabling environment, policies and laws that promote all aspects of sustainable development, strategies for implementation of sustainable development, and sustained implementation of these strategies. As our world is constantly changing, the challenge for governance is to deal intelligently with various processes of change and to redirect and accelerate these processes in a desired direction. This challenge becomes especially important in light of the need for sustainable development. Because currently the government institutions and governance policies and processes primarily focus on short- and mid-term goals and problem-solving, the implementation and development of long-term governance strategies that will be conducive to sustainable development, are hinged on breaking through existing approaches and require major change in ways of thinking and overcoming of mental barriers of public servants. Such transformational change need to be based on a shared sense of urgency, on inspiring long-term sustainability visions and innovative approaches in governance. The state is at the centre of the governance of any country and as such it is the major player in the socio-politico-economic development process. However, it is not the only player. Private and civil society sectors also play important roles in development. Therefore, there is a need for integrative approach in developing capacities of all actors, in all sectors, and at all levels to enable them play their roles and fulfill their responsibilities to achieve sustainable development. On the understanding that the world cannot achieve the future we want without achieving sustainable development, the Workshop will attempt to address the following questions: What should the state institutions do and how can the capacities of these institutions be enhanced to make them more effective, efficient, transparent and accountable to meet the requirements of achieving sustainable development? What should civil society organizations do and how can they be strengthened to play their roles effectively? What should the private sector institutions do and how can they be supported and capacitated for effective participation and support to sustainable development? And most importantly, how can all the three (government, civil society and private sector) collaborate and create synergy to ensure integration and harmony for long-term sustainable development. In doing so, the role of governance institutions for sustainable development must be discussed and understood by looking at institutions at global level (for example the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF etc), at regional level (for example the European Union, and other regional integration bodies), at national level in terms of central government and public sector institutions, at local level in terms of local governments where governance systems are decentralized, and at community level in terms of community based organizations. Any of these governance levels acting on its own alone will not achieve sustainable development. It is chiefly important that the Rio+20 summit recognized and underscored the critical role of integrated governance approach for sustainable development. 4

5 PURPOSE The main objective of this capacity-development Workshop on developing government and governance capacities for sustainable development is to facilitate transition to sustainable development in the countries with economies in transition, including the CIS countries, by promoting collaborative governance methods at any level of government, by streamlining government operations that help achieve sustainable development, with particular focus on requisite capacities (both institutional and human resources) for public administration and governance needed to facilitate and empower non-government actors (civil society and private sector) in pursuing the achievement of sustainable development. The Workshop which is jointly organised by DPADM/UNDESA, BDP/UNDP, UNDP- Yerevan, the Hub, the Academy, AUA and USC with cooperation from the Government of the Republic of Armenia will provide participants with the opportunity to: a) enhance knowledge about new trends, ideas and emerging issues in governance and how sustainable development might best be pursued in a post-rio+20 world; b) share solutions to complex governance challenges related to sustainable development; c) explore and discuss ideas about how governments might best address sustainable development challenges; d) network with government officials, experts, the private sector and civil society representatives, as well as practitioners from around the world, and e) explore and propose measures that need to be taken to further develop institutional, human, and material capacities of state institutions, civil society, and private sector actors to enable them be innovative and oriented to pursue the achievement of sustainable development for the future we want. 4. THEMES FOR DISCUSSION Developing capacities of government and other governance actors for sustainable development will be the focus of the workshop which is expected to bring together senior government officials from a number of countries with economies in transition, including the CIS region, scholars, academics, practitioners and representatives of civil society. The following will serve to frame the discussions and exchanges during the workshop: i) The roles of institutions in achieving sustainable development; ii) iii) iv) Developing integrated and collaborative governance for the achievement of sustainable development; Developing leadership and human capacities in the public sector for sustainable development: new mindsets, new knowledge, new skills, and new networks; Empowering local level governance for the achievement of sustainable development: the role of central governments, local authorities, and local communities; 5

6 v) The role of capacity developers (IPAs, MDIs, Universities and others) in promoting the achievement of sustainable development; vi) vii) viii) The role of innovations in the public sector for sustainable development; Sustainable models of bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation for the management of natural resources; Linkages between disasters and development and disaster risk reduction as a means to protect development gains. Under the overall umbrella of public administration frameworks conducive to sustainable development, the above themes will be explored at the Workshop within the context of collaborative governance, green economy, energy security, natural resources management, and water security. 5. EXPECTED OUTPUTS After taking part in the workshop, it is expected that the participants capacities and competences will be strengthened in terms of planning, management, co-ordination, follow-up and evaluation of government action in devising and promoting policies contributing to sustainable development. It is also anticipated that the high-level participants will become more effective and better suited in advising Heads of Government and ministerial department heads in the implementation of government programmes, decisions and actions related to cross-sectoral collaboration and mobilization of resources much needed for achievement of development objectives in post-2015 period. Because currently the government institutions and governance policies and processes primarily focus on short- and mid-term goals and problem-solving, the implementation and development of long-term governance strategies that will be conducive to sustainable development, are hinged on breaking through existing approaches and require major change in ways of thinking and overcoming of mental barriers of public servants. Such transformational change need to be based on a shared sense of urgency, on inspiring long-term sustainability visions and innovative approaches in governance, but also on the understanding that the world cannot achieve the future we want without achieving sustainable development. Recommendations stemming from the workshop will attempt to address the following questions: What should the state institutions do and how can the capacities of these institutions be enhanced to make them more effective, efficient, transparent and accountable to meet the requirements of achieving sustainable development? What should civil society organizations do and how can they be strengthened to play their roles effectively? What should the private sector institutions do and how can they be supported and capacitated for effective participation and support to sustainable development? And most importantly, how can all the three (government, civil society and private sector) collaborate and create synergy to ensure integration and harmony for long-term sustainable development. 6

7 6. ORGANIZATION 6.1. Participants. The target group of the workshop is high level government officials from CIS countries as well as other countries with economies in transition, who are well-positioned to make decisions and support policies in the area of governance/public administration conducive to overcoming and re-conciliating challenges related to the three interconnected pillars (economic, social and environmental) of sustainable development in post-2015 agenda. The group will comprise of Ministers, Senior Public Servants, Representatives of the academia, representatives of public administration and management training institutes, representatives of international organizations including those from the UN system. Representatives from civil society with relevant experience should also be included. The composition of the workshop should strive for gender balance. Including both experts and practitioners into the workshop will enhance the likelihood of acceptance and implementation of the recommendations stemming from the workshop deliberations Official languages The Workshop will be conducted in English and Russian. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided by conference facilities of the American University of Armenia. Limited translation of expert papers from Russian into English and vice versa will also be provided where possible Dates and Venue The Workshop will be held from 8 to 10 October 2014 at the Tigran Mets Ballroom of Armenia Marriott hotel, Yerevan, Armenia (Amiryan Street 1, 0010, Yerevan, Armenia) Electronic networking In an effort to go green, all documentation will be available electronically at: uleid/1532/itemid/2639/language/en-us/default.aspx?selecteddate=10/8/ Inputs by co-sponsors The Workshop will be organized by the Division of Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of UNDESA in collaboration with the Bureau of Development Policy of UNDP, UNDP-Yerevan country office, the Hub, the Academy, AUA and USC. The Workshop will be hosted by the Government of the Republic of Armenia. 7

8 BDP/UNDP and the concerned UNDP Country Offices will provide substantive coverage for the topic of corruption prevention, how it relates to sustainable development, and the linkage between disasters and development, as well as defray the costs related to the participation of 15 to 20 resource persons and country participants. The Hub and the Public Administration Academy under the President of Kazakhstan will contribute to the substantive scope of the Workshop by bringing in the relevant experiences from the countries of the Regional Hub of Civil Service and cover the costs of 10 to 15 participants from the developing countries in the target region to be jointly identified with DPADM/UNDESA. AUA and USC will provide substantive academic support for the Workshop. The Government of Armenia, as a host of the event, will provide, along with the hospitality events, the needed conference services (including interpretation and translation services) and secretarial assistance for the duration of the Workshop, as well as the requisite logistics support, such as transportation of high level participants from and to the airport. UNDESA will, in addition to sponsoring the participation of 15 high-level public servants from selected countries with economies in transition, identify the Keynote Speakers and panelists for the workshop, solicit the participation of experts from developing countries to ensure that a global voice is heard, and make a presentation of successful implementation of its technical cooperation activities in promoting successful practices for the betterment of public administrations in the developing countries. 7. FORMAT of the workshop The Workshop will be organized over the course of three days, and participants will take part both in plenary sessions and deliberations in working groups. The approach will be participative starting with brief introductory presentations leading to group work and discussions. This will provide opportunity to participants to explore and discuss the challenges the countries with economies in transition are likely to face in pursuing sustainable development, the strategies that may be put in place to address such challenges, the capacities that are required from all actors, and how such capacities can be developed. 8

9 8. CONTACTS (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Dr. John-Mary Kauzya Chief of Public Administration Capacity Branch Division for Public Administration and Development management Department of Economic and Social Affairs Tel.: Fax: kauzya@un.org Mr. Gary Manukyan Governance and Public Administration Officer Division for Public Administration and Development Management Department of Economic and Social Affairs Phone: Fax: manukyan@un.org Mr. Enkel Daljani Technical Cooperation Assistant Public Administration Capacity Branch/DPADM United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA Phone: daljani@un.org Ms. Tatevik Koloyan Programme Associate Environmental Governance portfolio United Nations Development Programme, Armenia 14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan, 0010, Armenia Tel.: tatevik.koloyan@undp.org 9