EXPERT GROUP MEETING ENGAGING CITIZENS TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND PREVENT CORRUPTION IN THE DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES

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1 UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS DIVISION FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT EXPERT GROUP MEETING ENGAGING CITIZENS TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SECTOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND PREVENT CORRUPTION IN THE DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SERVICES Introduction Different governments in countries around the world have implemented over the past twenty years a variety of practices to engage citizens for the purpose of improving the quality of public services and the responsiveness of public administration to citizens needs. Some relevant examples can be found in Australia, Brazil, Chile, India, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to mention only a few cases. These experiences are quite diverse, encompassing a range of instruments, methods, procedures, legal or administrative frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. Moreover, the contexts in which these participatory approaches have been adopted are also quite varied. And, while some countries are reforming or abandoning the initial practices they had adopted in this regard, others are now proactively introducing and improving them as part of wider efforts to improve their public administration, specifically to make it more citizen-centered, effective, efficient, inclusive, equitable, transparent, and trusted by citizens. The United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), particularly through the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), is seeking to update information from around the world regarding the experiences recorded in this field. It is also intended to have an assessment of what works, and in which contexts, looking forward to share this information with development stakeholders from all countries and to provide policy advice to all interested member States of the United Nations, about the engagement of citizens to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery, specifically in relation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These efforts are highly relevant and timely in the context of the inter-governmental process to foster the international development agenda within the UN. While several fundamental documents of the UN make direct references and call on governments, and development stakeholders in general, to further engage citizens in public development affairs, most recently the global summit about the MDGs, hosted by the UN in September 2010, provided the following declaration of member States: 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; 1

2 (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; While engaging citizens and their organizations in particular, to rise the quality of public services, protect their rights in this respect, and prevent corruption- is doubtless a regular function which the public administration of all countries has to consider for administrative modernization, its importance is even compounded when it comes to enhancing the public services related to the achievement of the MDGs: healthcare, education, employment information and support to entrepreneurship, environmental services, as well as all that pertains to advance gender sensitive services to best serve women, and equitable approaches to warranty that the poor and marginalized groups also enjoy public services of good quality. In this later sense, it is important to assess what participatory approaches can attain with regard to widespread demands in many countries, to improve public safety and reduce crime, to enhance justice administration and to avoid corruption in many public programs related to poverty alleviation, including food and nutrition, cash transfers, low income housing, etc. It is in connection with these very important matters that the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) will permit all participating experts to showcase their own relevant experiences and policy trends in their respective countries, update their knowledge in this field of public administration with global perspectives, network or partner with other equally versed colleagues from different countries and regions around the world, and further reflect on key issues about the effectiveness of engaging citizens to improve accountability and prevent corruption in the delivery of public services. Similarly, with the utmost importance for the UN, the EGM will help the Secretariat to best adapt its policy advice and technical assistance to countries around the World on this crucial matter for development. Moreover, in publications and online tools to be put forward after the meeting, UNDESA/DPADM will give full credit to participating experts, and to the organizations they are affiliated with, for their proactive exchange and updating of knowledge in this field. Objectives The EGM will be centered on sharing, gathering, updating and further advancing knowledge and experiences, available from experts in different countries around the world, regarding the systematic and effective engagement of citizens and their organizations, by the public administration, for the specific purpose of enhancing accountability and preventing corruption in the delivery of public services. The immediate objective will be to identify particular principles, norms, procedures, instruments and mechanisms for enforcement and evaluation, which altogether have proven effective for this purpose, in diverse contexts -defined by culture and values, legal and administrative frameworks and prevailing socio-political conditions-. The ultimate aim will be to analyze and disseminate this information, to help development stakeholders from different institutional sectors government, civil society, private sector- in 2

3 all countries, to further assess, adapt and eventually adopt effective participatory approaches to secure accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery, for all people, and the poor in particular, to benefit from quality, efficient and equitable public services. The EGM is not intended to add to advocacy, and will be results-oriented. Moreover, by looking at how the engagement of citizens and their organizations in civil society and the private sector- can contribute to improve public accountability and prevent corruption in the delivery of public services, it is rather focused, in a threefold manner: First, it will highlight the engagement of citizens in public service delivery. Thus, other relevant matters about which engaging citizens is also relevant for public administration such as public policy making, laws or regulation making, etc.- are not to be addressed, in order to gain deeper insights about improving the delivery of public services, in particular at the inter-phase between service providers and citizens. Second, the engagement of citizens is to be looked at from the particular angle of how it impacts on accountability of the public administration to people, and how it contributes to preventing corruption, specifically in the provision of public services. In this sense, other very important effects of citizens engagement un public development affairs will not be subject to comparable scrutiny for instance, human empowerment, social inclusion, democratization, and so on-, again for the sake of attaining a more profound understanding and assessment of the selected focus. And, third, while impacts of the engagement of citizens on accountability and prevention of corruption in the delivery of public services will be approached in an integral manner, efforts will be made to highlight its actual and potential effects regarding public programs and public services specifically related to the MDGs: o Poverty alleviation, income transfers, food and nutrition support; o labor training and support to entrepreneurship; o basic education; o healthcare for mothers and children, as well as for patients with transmittable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS; o water and sanitation; o sustainable management of natural resources; o public safety, access to justice, etc. Moreover, in respect of public programs and services in all these matters, attention will be paid to how the engagement of citizens functions to two other fundamental goals closely connected with the MDGS, namely: to eliminate gaps in the benefits accruing from these public program and services to women and men, and to the poor and non-poor populations. Expected outcomes and outputs After the meeting, a report of the whole event will be drafted, including an overview of the deliberations in the different sessions and the respective summaries provided by the rapporteurs in every session, as well as the additional remarks from all participants. The draft will be circulated for comments among all participants, and a revisited final report will be published and distributed to all participants, to the permanent delegations of all member States at the United Nations Headquarters, and to the general public. Furthermore, the contents of the report will also be brought by UNDESA/DPADM to several international capacity building workshops, and will be used as inputs for guidelines and 3

4 online training courses to be offered later on to all countries. Similarly, the report will also feed a major publication and a related multimedia product, aimed at further disseminating results-oriented knowledge among development stakeholders around the world. Participants in the EGM, and the organizations they are affiliated with, will be given full credit in all these outputs by UNDESA/DPADM. Finally, it is expected that the conclusions from the EGM will contribute, in a resultsoriented fashion, to speedy actions by governments and non-state actors citizens and their organizations in civil society and the private sector- to promote, where and when it would be adequate, the adaptation and adoption of effective and efficient institutions for the engagement of citizens and their organizations in a systematic way, based on principles, norms, procedures, instruments, and supervision/enforcement methods that will be recommended by the experts in the EGM, to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery, to facilitate advancement towards the MDGs in all countries. Participants Attendance to the EGM is per invitation only. UNDESA/DPADM looks forward to have a selected group of 25 top experts from same number of countries, from national and local governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, research institutions, multilateral financial institutions and international donors, who have significant direct experience or deep knowledge on the engagement of citizens to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery. In addition, some observers will be invited. UNDESA will provide funding for air travel and daily allowance to participating experts, in accordance with UN rules and regulations. Experts affiliated with organizations which can pay for their travel and daily allowance are invited to notify UNDESA on this situation, and the corresponding UN funding will be redirected to fund for additional experts from less developed countries. This generous support will be acknowledged during the meeting and in all corresponding outputs of the EGM. How the Expert Group Meting will be carried out Prior to the meeting, background material will be distributed to participants to provide comparative information on how the public administration of a variety of countries has relied on the engagement of citizens and their organizations, in civil society and the private sector, with the aim to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery. The meeting will be conducted as a series of thematic discussions, over two complete days, following a program to be provided in advance to all participants (a preliminary version is commented below). All experts will sit around a table to establish a common ground for egalitarian discussions where ideas are the center of attention. At the start of each session, a Chairperson will be selected among participants, to conduct the session in an orderly manner, to stimulate the active intervention of all experts in the deliberations, and to promote that these are maintained at the highest professional level, fully utilizing the knowledge and expertise of everyone. To kick-start the discussion in each session, a consultant and four of the experts -who would have been invited to prepare for this in advance-, will present briefly some general facts and make some personal remarks on the respective topics, seeking to set the stage for a collective discussion. Then, all experts will take part in the deliberations, following up on the issues raised in the initial interventions. 4

5 Before ending the session, observers will be asked to contribute with questions for clarification or to provide practical references. A rapporteur will provide at the end some preliminary conclusions, to be accepted or modified by all experts. Thus, the format of the meeting aims to prioritize deliberation and interaction among all experts to generate collective knowledge. Lecture type presentations will not take place so as to make the meeting more agile and dynamic. Participating experts who may find it useful can provide the organizers of the EGM, before or after the meeting, with case studies, short notes, sample legislations, institutional brochures, articles, books or presentations, to be uploaded in the EGM website for easy access to all other participants. The sessions will be as follows: Opening Session. Introduction of the meeting. The objectives, procedures and program will be presented by a UN officer. The Chairman will ask for comments from participants and a final agenda for the two-day meeting will be collectively determined. Then the background reading material will be presented by the consultants in a schematic way, to clarify some fundamental concepts and terminology. All experts will then be invited to a first general discussion. At the end, observers will be allowed to make questions for clarification. Thematic session 1 (consisting of two parts). Accountability and prevention of corruption in the provision of public services: the issues. All experts will devote time to deliberate on, and jointly respond, the following questions: o What are the meanings of accountability and prevention of corruption in regard to the delivery of public services? o Why are accountability and prevention of corruption intrinsically important in this regard, beyond other notions such as efficiency, equity, coverage, reliability and other relevant dimensions about the delivery of public services? o What are the challenges most often observed by public policy makers and reformers of public administration regarding accountability and corruption in the provision of public services? o What are the most frequent problems that ordinary citizens find in connection with public accountability and corruption in public service delivery? o What value do different peoples and cultures attach to accountability and prevention of corruption in the delivery of public services? o What are their expectations and demands in relation to accountability and the prevention of corruption? o What are their views about the engagement of citizens and their organizations with regard to the delivery of public services and programs? Thematic session 2 (consisting of two parts). Institutional practices that engage citizens to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in the provision of public services: the experience. Experts will discuss contexts, institutions, practices and experiences from different countries they are familiar with and will altogether respond to the following questions: o Which are the most common institutions observable in countries around the world to improve the delivery of public services, and to enhance accountability and prevent corruption about these? o What are the distinctive features of those institutions and what are their strengths and weaknesses? o To what extent do different institutions in this regard work together, complement each other and constitute a system for national integrity? 5

6 o How does this impact on the delivery of public services and programs? Are there particularly weak areas in the system for national integrity? o Why may there be a need or an advantage for the public administration to engage citizens and their organizations to improve the delivery of public services? o Which may be some inconveniences or obstacles in this respect? o How are governments of different countries acting in relation to the engagement of citizens by the public administration to improve the delivery of public services, specifically to enhance accountability and prevent corruption in this respect? o What are some noteworthy institutions of public administration encompassing principles, norms, instruments, procedures, enforcement mechanisms, and evaluation means- applied in diverse countries, nowadays or in the past years? o Which seem to be the trends and contexts in this matter in each of the following groups of countries: a. East and South Asia, b. Eastern Europe and Central Asia, c. Latin America and the Caribbean, d. the member countries of OECD, e. the Pacific, and f. West Asia and North Africa? o How are information and communications technologies (ICTs) being used to the aims under consideration, and what are their potentials and limitations? o Which are some of the context features social, political, legal- that have contributed to the success or failure of the corresponding strategies or policies? Thematic session 3 (consisting of two parts). Adapting and adopting participatory approaches to improve accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery. Experts will deliberate about the following questions: o How can countries determine the usefulness and viability of engaging citizens to improve the delivery of public services, with specific attention to enhancing accountability and preventing corruption? o How can governments at the national or local levels build or improve systems of public administration of a participatory nature, for the sake of improving public services and programs in these dimensions? o What are the fundamental aspects and elements for governments to take into consideration? o How can non-government development stakeholders citizens, civil society or private sector institutions, and international organizations, including multilateral or bilateral financial or aid organizations- effectively contribute to capacity building and institutional development in this matter? o Which are some fundamental factors that determine or most influence the outcomes? Closing session. The final session will be devoted to identify possible future actions that UNDESA and/or other interested participants could foster in a results-oriented way regarding the engagement of citizens and their organizations in civil society and the private sector, to strengthen accountability and prevent corruption in public service delivery. UNDESA will share, to receive feedback, the preliminary outline for a major publication that would be produced on the subject matter under consideration, which could include inputs from interested participants. Participants could also consider discussing the value of producing guidelines and training courses, and online toolkits, aimed at government officers, citizens and their organizations, in these fields. Finally, participants may explore the convenience and possibilities of pursuing diverse partnerships among them or with UNDESA to generate synergies about activities of common interest in the field of participatory governance. Since 6

7 the conclusions of each session would have been adopted by participants upon the preliminary summary presented by the rapporteur at the end of each session, there will be no need for repeating these in the final session. Rather, an opportunity will be given by the Chairperson for participants to make some final remarks. The Chairperson will then make some final statements and adjourn the meeting. Venue, dates and working language The meeting will take place at the United Nations International Conference Center, in Vienna, Austria, on 7-8 July To facilitate agile deliberations, all sessions will be conducted in the English language, without simultaneous translation. Programme at a glance Wednesday 6 July Thursday 7 July Friday 8 July Saturday 9 July 9:30 11:00 Opening Session and Session 1 Session 2 (cont.) 11:00 11:30 Coffee break Coffee break 11:30 13:00 Session 1 (cont.) Session 3 Participants arrive 13:00-14:30 in Vienna Lunch break Lunch break Participants leave from Vienna 14:30-16:00 Session 2 Session 3 (cont.) and Closing Session. 16:00-16:30 Coffee break Coffee break 16:30-18:00 Session 2 (cont.) Closing Session Additional information Experts and observers, who may need additional information, can contact Ms. Anni Haataja at the United Nations by (haatajaa@un.org). 7