International Program - Annual Report 2004
My participation was recognized by my superiors in my performance review and rewarded …
I have come away with a deeper appreciation of the challenges faced by those in developing countries… It has strengthened my understanding of my own program areas as I have had to teach others...
Our vision at the international level is to be the best Canadian source of public sector knowledge and expertise in support of sustainable development, good governance, and effective public policy. Our unique expertise is our capacity to twin Canadian and international jurisdictions, and to bring public servants together in practitioner-to-practitioner relationships that focus on common issues and solutions.
Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our international program. We took this opportunity to reflect on past experiences and to plan a way forward. We surveyed participants to ensure that our program was meeting its objectives. The majority of respondents indicated that the most significant benefit from participating in the international program was the opportunity to acquire a broader perspective and new knowledge. They also indicated that another important benefit was the opportunity for their government/department to contribute to Canada’s international development efforts.
As a result of the survey, we have developed a communications strategy to ensure that our stakeholders and IPAC members were kept informed of the program’s developments. We promote the program through the IPAC website, the monthly e-newsletter, and through the publication of feature articles in Public Sector Management magazine. In addition, we have developed some information and management tools such as a program brochure, project fact sheets and a handbook for study tours to enhance support and assistance to program volunteers.
During the past year, we have continued to manage and implement ten development assistance projects in a total of 20 countries in Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Three of these projects have been completed: the Lithuania-Canada Public Administration Reform Project, the Canada-Ukraine Environmental Cooperation Program and the Canada-South Africa Provincial Twinning Project. Over 300 public servants from all of these jurisdictions and from Canada have participated in study tours and shared Canada’s public sector knowledge and expertise in areas such as center of government reform, poverty reduction, climate change, human resource and fiscal management, policy development and implementation, and decentralization.
We deliver our international programs, independently and with others, through a variety of means, including twinning jurisdictions and institutions, and providing both academic and practitioner-to-practitioner support through short-term field placements of Canadian advisors and study tours. Details for each of the projects are attached. Following are some of the highlights for the reporting period.
Program highlights
The Public Sector Capacity Building for Governance and Social Development Program (MSOP) has established three new partnerships: Chile-Vancouver Agreement Partners, Mali-New-Brunswick, and Philippines-Manitoba. The Chile-Vancouver partnership is the first international project in Latin America. The project will encourage an interdisciplinary approach to assist ‘at-risk’ youth in Chile. This project is unique and particularly interesting as it is the first time that we are sharing an interdisciplinary of “horizontal management” model with another jurisdiction.
A very successful international conference on decentralization partly sponsored under the Public Sector Capacity Building for Governance and Social Development Program ( MSOP) was held in Manila in October 2003. The theme of the conference was “Decentralization and Good Urban Governance Contributing Towards the Attainment of Millennium Development Goals”. Four Canadian practitioners including Judy Rogers, IPAC President, attended and presented papers on Canadian best practices.
The Ghana Central Governance project held a very successful workshop on Ghana’s policy process in Ghana in October. Senior government officials from Canada, Britain and the United States, Ghanaian policy think tanks and experts participated. The result of the workshop was the document “A Framework for Ghana’s Policy Management and Decision Making System”. The Framework is a blueprint for a coherent policy management and decision-making system.
During the past year, a new program funded by The World Bank was undertaken in Madagascar. The short-term program has provided leadership training to assist Ministers and senior public servants address current Malagasy governance and poverty reduction challenges and priorities. The training has focused on practical leadership approaches to effectively implement a new agenda. IPAC has partnered with the Quebec National School of Public Administration for this project
The Caspian Basin Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction Training Project is another example of Canada’s effort to assist countries with economies-in-transition to mitigate the effects of global climate change. This project will strengthen the capacity of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to reduce future growth in GHG emissions and create an environment more conducive to future private sector investment in the energy sector.
The Public Policy Options Project (PPOP) in China was extended for three years because of the delays caused by SARS last year. Since the beginning of the program in 1996, thirty-six projects have been completed and fourteen are currently being implemented. As a result, no less than twenty policies, regulations, or laws have been developed, proposed, passed, tested, or implemented.
Over the course of the year, we have continued to look for new opportunities and new partners. We have kept abreast of new approaches and practices in international development. A marketing mission to Angola took place in March at the invitation of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). As a result, a study tour is planned for September and will focus on training.
IPAC serves as the Canadian regional information hub for the United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN) and is a “participant observer” on the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration.
In closing, I wish to thank the governments in Canada for their on-going support to our international endeavours. Without their support and the participation of volunteer public servants across Canada, we would not have been able to forge the successful linkages between Canadian government institutions and their counterparts in many countries of the world.
I also wish to thank the IPAC International Program staff for the professionalism, commitment and passion they bring to our work. We are grateful to the agencies that have funded our projects this past year: the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the World Bank.
Ardath Paxton Mann, Chair
International Program Committee
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