Annex II. the Africa Governance Inventory

Transcription

1 Annex II United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Workshop on the Africa Governance Inventory in conjunction with the 25 th Annual Roundtable Conference of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) Banjul, The Gambia April

2 AIDE-MEMOIRE Introduction The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UN/DESA) is organizing a Workshop on the Africa Governance Inventory, in conjunction with the 25 th Annual Roundtable Conference of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), which will be held in Banjul, The Gambia from 19 to 23 April The Workshop aims at reviewing the regional process set forth through the project Africa Governance Inventory, launched in 1999 by the Division of Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of UN/DESA with funding from the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Italy. A Presentation on the AGI as well as on the findings and substantive inputs of the workshop will be made during the AAPAM Roundtable. Workshop recommendations will also be presented at the Sixth Africa Governance Forum (AGF VI) which will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, later this year. Background Over the past two decades, African governments have adopted several strategies to mitigate the deepening economic problems and restart economic growth, but it has progressively become evident that this requires solid political and administrative institutions to prosper and solidify. An important example of this emerging consensus in support of good governance was the Addis Ababa Declaration in 1990, where African Heads of State and Government called for an acceleration of the democratic processes. This declaration positively influenced the governance agenda of several African countries. Subsequently, in 1991, the Commonwealth Declaration on Good Governance adopted in Harare affirmed that democratic processes and institutions should reflect national circumstances and universally accepted principles. At the 1996 Franco-African Summit held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the Heads of State and Governments agreed that countries must pursue institutional reforms for good governance to achieve sustainable development. The latest important milestone in this direction is the New Partnership for Africa s Development (NEPAD), which was adopted in October NEPAD is a comprehensive integrated development plan conceived by African leaders addressing key social, economic priorities to be tackled in order to place Africa on a path of sustainable growth and to halt the marginalisation of the continent in the globalization process. Good public governance is among the ten priorities of NEPAD, which, among other things, states that development is impossible in the absence of true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance. A continental Program on Governance and Public Administration was adopted during the fourth Pan African Conference of Ministers of Public Service, which was held in May 2003 in South Africa under the auspices of NEPAD. The Programme is indented to provide practical and focused content to the NEPAD commitment of strengthening the political and administrative framework of African countries. Several meetings of the United Nations Programme in Public Administration and Finance including those of the recently established UN Committee of Public Administration, have been discussing how governance and public administration human 3

3 and institutional capacities can be strengthened to enable countries achieve development. There is general agreement among experts that without effective public administration no country can develop. This was also emphasised by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 50/225 on Public Administration and Development adopted in 1996, which at the same time stressed the need for cooperation among United Nations departments and agencies in supporting capacity building in the area of governance and public administration. The United Nations Millennium Declaration, which in 2000, pledged support for Africa s efforts to achieve poverty eradication, lasting peace, sustainable development and integration in the global economy states that: success in meeting the objectives of development and poverty eradication depends, inter alia, on good governance within each country. The declaration was followed by a report of the Secretary-General on the Road map towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, outlining potential strategies for action designed to meet the goals and commitment made through the declaration. The road map, stressing the importance of meeting the special needs of Africa, refers to the resolve of African leadership to take ownership and control over the region s destiny and to their agenda for the renewal of the continent. It also stresses the need for supporting democracy and governance programmes. To respond to this global challenge and to assist African Governments in this area, the regional programme of UNDP Africa has launched several important initiatives. One of the most successful has been the annual Africa Governance Forum (AGF). This Forum provides a platform for African policy-makers, international organizations and Africa s development partners to engage in a dialogue on the state of governance in the continent, to examine emerging issues and share experiences in building and promoting good governance. In 1998 UNDP Africa funded a pilot initiative to respond to the need for a comprehensive database on governance programmes in Africa expressed by participants at the First Africa Governance Forum in DPADM executed the initiative, entitled "Inventory of Governance Programmes in Africa". It aimed to help 14 governments and their development partners in sub-saharan Africa improve internal coordination and programming of governance initiatives with data collection and analysis. Implementing the first phase of the AGI began in 1999 as a follow-up to the above initiative. Twenty-eight countries have participated in the AGI since It now contains data about 1,500 governance initiatives implemented in Africa since 1980 more than $6 billion worth of projects. Most countries have updated their inventory on governance programmes more than once since 1999, while AGI institutional arrangements and utilization rates vary from country to country. During the 2002 AGI workshop, held back to back with AGF V, AGI Focal Points have indicated that the database should be on the Internet. To strengthen government ownership and sustainability of the AGI, a self-service portal has been developed. Based on the recommendations from the workshop and to consolidate the achievements of the AGI, UNDP and UN/DESA decided to undertake a second phase of the project, starting in In addition to the support already provided to the Africa Governance Forum, the AGI will contribute to the governance objectives in the New Partnership for Africa's Development, particularly enhancing dialogue with donors and providing an objective and reliable base for assessing governance performance. 4

4 Objectives In light of the above, the main objectives of the Workshop are: Present, through the new AGI Portal, a comprehensive review of the AGI outputs including data collected in 2003 and Discuss the enhancements made to the system, how they respond to the need of its users and analyze the AGI governance classification. Discuss how the AGI can support NEPAD/APRM processes at country level and agree on concrete technical and substantive inputs into and linkages with the AGF process. Discuss the general framework of a governance Focal Points network, its mission, structure, role and expected contribution to national and regional efforts to promote exchange and dialogue on governance. Discuss training requirements on the utilization of the AGI to enhance programming, monitoring, evaluation and coordination of governance initiatives at country and regional levels. Discuss ways to sustain the AGI initiative, including its update process, at country and regional levels. Disseminate AGI information and create awareness on the potentials of the AGI Web Portal as a flexible management tool to assist African governments to improve programming, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and mobilization of resources in governance through the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), which has membership of over 500 top administrators and managers in Africa. Participants Participants to the Workshop will include: Government Focal Points on Governance from twenty-six countries in Africa including: Sixteen countries invited to attend the AGF VI: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Ten countries that have been involved in the AGI in 2003 or in prior years: Benin, Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. One representative from each UNDP Country Office of the above twenty-six countries. Representatives form the NEPAD Secretariat Representatives from UNDP Africa (New York). Representatives from the Government of Italy. UN/DESA staff responsible for the AGI implementation. Agenda 5

5 Monday, 19 April :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. AAPAM 25 th Annual Roundtable Conference - Opening ceremony 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Workshop on the Africa Governance Inventory (AGI) - Opening Remarks United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Government of Italy United Nations Development Programme NEPAD Secretariat 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Introductory presentation on the AGI United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 12:00 a.m. - 01:00 p.m. 01:00 p.m. - 02:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 04:00 p.m. 04:15 p.m. 04:15 p.m. - 05:30 p.m. Tuesday, 20 April :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 10:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Session I: Presentation of AGI country data Joint presentations from Government Focal Points and UNDP focal points Lessons from countries experience Lunch break Session II: Presentation of AGI country data Joint presentations from Government Focal Points and UNDP focal points Lessons from countries experience Feedback on the enhancements made to the system Lessons from countries experience Workshop on the Africa Governance Inventory (AGI) - AGI support to NEPAD/APRM process Further enhancements required Governance Focal Points network 6

6 01:00 p.m. - 02:30 p.m. Lunch break 02:30 p.m. - 04:15 p.m. 04:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Focal Points training requirements Sustainability of the AGI Portal/initiative Consolidation of recommendations 05:00 p.m. - 05:30 p.m. Closing remarks United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Representative of the host country Wednesday, 21 April :00 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Compilation and initial review of text on AGI Workshop recommendations Thursday, 22 April :00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Session on the Africa Governance Inventory AGI Presentation Presentation of AGI Workshop recommendations Discussions on the AGI presentation AAPAM 25 th Annual Roundtable Conference Friday, 23 April :00 a.m. 12:50 p.m. AAPAM 25 th Annual Roundtable Conference 7