Did You Know This?

Our readers may recall that the newly created Eritrean Democratic Alliance has adopted decentralized governance as a principle that will be followed as a guideline in laying down the system of just and equitable administration in democratic Eritrea. Nharnet.com is pleased continue presenting to its esteemed readers series of very useful material on decentralization and decentralized governance. The piece below is excerpted from a research material prepared by a unit of the United Nations Development Programme in charge of dissemination of guidelines and knowledge on good governance in the world. It is recommended that our readers follow up this series of essential readings with special attention. Good reading.

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What is Sustainable Human Development?

Decades of development assistance have led to the unavoidable conclusion that economic development alone will not bring about equitable and lasting development. For too long, such a focus on the economy meant an exclusion of political, social, environmental and cultural factors. However, in the face of continued and devastating poverty and rapid environmental deterioration, more and more policy-makers are acknowledging that development progress must be people-centred, equitably distributed and environmentally and socially sustainable.

Drawing on the development experience of the past four decades, an alternative vision of development has emerged, one that centres on people’s choices and capabilities and that does not undermine the well being of present or future generations. The United Nations Development Programme has termed this approach sustainable human development (SHD). SHD is development that not only generates economic growth but also distributes its benefits equitably, that regenerates the environment rather than destroys it, that empowers people rather than marginalises them. It gives priority to the poor, enlarging their choices and opportunities and providing for their participation in decisions affecting them. It is development that is pro-poor, pro-nature, pro-jobs, pro-women and pro-children.

UNDP’s overall mission is, according to its administrators, to help countries develop the national capacity – both in government and in civil society – to achieve sustainable human development, giving top priority to eliminating poverty and building equity. Without good governance, good development - people-centred development - will not move from promise to reality.

What is Good Governance?

Such development however does not, and cannot, occur in a political and social vacuum. While economic growth can be a means to SHD – it is not an end in itself. The challenge for all societies is to create a system of governance that promotes, supports and sustains human development – especially for the poorest and most marginal. SHD depends on good governance and the empowerment of individuals and communities to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

UNDP defines good governance as "the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels ¼ it comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences" (UNDP Policy Paper on Governance).

The fundamental principles of good governance are universal: they include respect for human rights, including the rights of women and children, respect for the rule of law; political openness, participation and tolerance; accountability and transparency; and administrative and bureaucratic capacity and efficiency. These are mutually reinforcing and cannot stand alone.

*Good governance is about encouraging politics of inclusion, accommodation and tolerance: democracy in this sense is one of the pillars of good governance. It is about functioning parliaments, judiciaries, electoral bodies and institutions that uphold the constitution of the country and protect all citizens. These are critical for creating and maintaining enabling environments for equitable development.

*Good governance is close to the people; decentralizing governance to the local level enables and empowers people to participate more directly in decision-making processes. By allowing local communities and regional entities to manage their own affairs, and through facilitating closer contact between central and local authorities, decentralization enables responses to people’s needs and priorities and makes development more sustainable through genuine ownership.

*Good governance is about efficient and effective public management; it demands high standards of integrity. National capacities, at both the central and local levels, to articulate goals, policies and strategies must be developed, with an emphasis on processes that elicit broad national support and consensus. Those in positions of decision-making authority must be held accountable for their actions.

*Good governance requires not only strengthened central and local governments but also the involvement of other actors from civil society organizations and the private sector in partnerships with government at all levels. Building capacity in all three domains of governance - state, civil society and the private sector - is critical for sustaining human development. The government also has the role of a facilitator, a catalytic force for enabling the innovative sharing of responsibilities and creating enabling environments that provide incentives and support people and partners to pursue their legitimate objectives.

*Within this context, civil society and the private sector become key partners of national and sub-national governments in the transition towards improved forms of local governance through decentralization. The private sector is uniquely capable of generating jobs and creating wealth, and an enabling environment for it to be able to function effectively is critical. A flourishing civil society is necessary for the existence of vibrant, creative, and responsive governance through channelling and mobilizing people's participation in economic and social activities and through organizing them in ways that can influence public policies and provide access to public resources, particularly for the poor.

While the fundamental principles of good governance are universal, good governance cannot be a standard prescription. All countries must be entitled to determine their own home-grown varieties of good governance: varieties which take into consideration historical experience; build on indigenous systems, cultures and values; and reflect everyday realities.

UNDP’s activities in the area of governance take place at three levels: the country/local, the regional, sub-regional and the global.

Most of UNDP’s work takes place at the country level - and most resources are therefore devoted to programmes supported by the 136 Country Offices. The Country Offices work directly with member governments, and increasingly with civil society organisations, to identify, develop, implement and monitor development programmes. Activities in the area of governance are wide ranging, including supporting the decentralisation process in Nepal, strengthening parliaments in Haiti, supporting the electoral process in Mozambique, supporting civil service reform in Eritrea, and supporting consensus-building in Nicaragua through strengthening the justice system at the sub-national level.

The Management Development and Governance Division of UNDP (MDGD) is responsible for the following activities:

1) Acting as a global laboratory or hub for knowledge creation, analysis and dissemination in the area of governance, including assisting in developing corporate policies, tools and methodologies, conducting governance-related research, and helping to cross-fertilise experiences and best practices in the area of governance. MDGD focuses on the five areas of support identified in UNDP’s Policy on Governance: governance institutions, public and private sector management, urban development, crisis countries, and decentralisation and local governance.

2) Supporting UNDP in becoming a leading and unified force in the area of governance, leading its participation in international governance fora and providing guidance on the direction and substance of UNDP’s global advocacy efforts and supporting regional and national advocacy initiatives.

3) Strengthening international cooperation and understanding in the area of governance, helping to coordinate UN system initiatives and follow-up to global conferences and mandates, related to governance.

THE DECENTRALISED GOVERNANCE PROGRAMME

The Decentralized Governance Programme is one of the global programmes managed by MDGD to support the organisations work in the area of decentralisation.. The Programme aims to contribute to the learning process of UNDP, governments and other donors on how the capacities for good governance of the various actors - public, private and civic - at the appropriate levels - national, provincial, district, municipal, or community - can be strengthened in the areas of policy formulation, resource management, and service delivery/access in order to achieve poverty eradication and other sustainable human development (SHD) goals.

The Programme builds on the accumulated experience of UNDP in the design and implementation of decentralized governance capacity building projects over the past several years.

The immediate objectives of the Decentralized Governance Programme are as follows:

Objective I. The design of focused and relevant UNDP-supported projects on the basis of national and local needs and priorities.

Objective II. Increased knowledge, awareness and understanding of the impact of UNDP and other donor support on decentralized governance efforts to support the rapid attainment of SHD at the country level.

Objective III. Increased global sharing of experiences and access to information on the efficacy of decentralized governance to support rapid attainment of SHD goals.

Objective IV. An effective flexible methodology for support to strengthening country level efforts to decentralize governance to appropriate levels, available to UNDP and other concerned donors and national and local governments and NGOs.

The general approach of UNDP is based on the following assumptions:

Good governance is an integral element of the holistic concept of SHD

Good governance presents the most generalized and systemic means of improving other elements of SHD, such as poverty eradication and equity building.

A holistic people-centred approach to development management strengthens the achievement of both good governance and SHD goals.

Decentralization (particularly devolution and delegation) creates an enabling environment for a holistic people-centred approach and thus strengthens key elements of good governance.

Therefore, decentralization (particularly devolution and delegation) should contribute to more effective SHD, particularly poverty eradication and enhanced equity.

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