NEED FOR REFORM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES TRANSCEND BOUNDARIES, ASSEMBLY TOLD
Press Release
GA/9059
NEED FOR REFORM OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES TRANSCEND BOUNDARIES, ASSEMBLY TOLD
19960416 The need for reform of public administrative structures and systems transcended all economic, national and regional boundaries, speakers stressed this morning, as the General Assembly continued its consideration of the role of public administration in development.As the Assembly entered the second day of its resumed session on the subject, officials from various regions shared aspects of their national experience in enhancing and streamlining public administration, aimed at making it more responsive to the needs of their people. For many countries, that process was linked with the transition to democracy and a market economy.
The view was stressed that public administration should be adapted, not only to meet economic demands, but to promote the ideals of peace, equity and social justice. For the developing countries, continued international resource flows were seen as complementary to national reform efforts.
Many speakers highlighted the role which the United Nations was uniquely situated to play with respect to the strengthening of public administration for development. In addition to the supportive activities carried out by such agencies as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization had the capacity to promote the exchange of national data and experiences, through such forums as the current resumed session.
Statements were made by the President-Rector of the Russian Academy for Public Administration of the Russian Federation; Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Modernization of Burkina Faso; Minister of Federal Administration and Reform of the State of Brazil; Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates; Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh.
Also: the Secretary of State for the Civil Service of Argentina; Minister for Public Service of Uganda; Permanent Representative of Tunisia; President of the Korea Institute of Public Administration of the Republic of Korea; and National Secretary for Administrative Development of Ecuador.
The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of the role of public administration in development.
Assembly Work Programme
The General Assembly met this morning to continue its consideration of the role of public administration in development, particularly in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The current resumed session, which began yesterday, represents the first time the Assembly has met specifically to consider that issue. The session will conclude on Friday, 19 April. (For background information, see Press Release GA/9056 of 12 April.)
Statements
ALEKSEI YEMELYANOV, President-Rector of the Russian Academy for Public Administration of the Russian Federation, said his country had been through major upheavals this century and was today implementing profound political and economic reforms. It had created a legal and institutional basis for the promotion of civil and legal rights. The establishment of a new State system had been a painful process, but it was critically important to preserve the unity and integrity of the Russian Federation in the process of reforms.
The most painful period had now passed, he continued. However, the Russian civil service still lacked a system-based approach and consistency. Functions of different branches of power at the federal and regional levels had not been properly divided. Terms of reference of civil servants at every level had not been clearly defined; those problems were now being worked on.
A number of recommendations by the Secretary-General and the Group of Experts deserved to be supported, he said. Also, it was crucial that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) continue to play an active role in the strengthening of the national capacity-building in developing countries in the field of public administration.
JULIETTE BONKOUNGOU, Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Modernization of Burkina Faso, said that, in the current environment, governments must focus on regulating and protecting society, safeguarding the environment, pursuing relevant macroeconomic policies, and promoting social welfare and equity. Why had national capacities in developing countries remained relatively undeveloped after some 30 years of aid? Part of the answer derived from the growing demand for the State to fulfil such functions, in the face of a growing trend towards privatization. That had led to confusion at the highest levels of responsibility.
The statutory approach to reform in her country had ended in 1989, she said. That approach, which placed questions of personnel regulation at the core of administrative reform, had its limits. The second phase, which began in the early 1990s, involved reducing the costs of public administration. That had not led to the expected results, and so a third phase had begun in 1991, with the beginning of a comprehensive approach, involving modernization
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and all of the elements of governance. Its aim was to refocus on such fundamental issues as State sovereignty, the strengthening of democracy, transparency and accountability.
African societies were achieving a unique balance between individual and collective values, between competition and solidarity, she said. The goal was to set up systems of public management which were politically and socially acceptable within their national settings. Lessons had been drawn from the inadequacy of past reform efforts. Her country had also benefited from subregional cooperation efforts.
LUIZ CARLOS BRESSER PEREIRA, Minister for Federal Administration and Reform of the State of Brazil, said the reform of public administration became a major area of concern during the 1990s. Countries such as his own had established ministries whose task was to reform the State apparatus. Why was that being done? During the 1980s, many States had faced an enormous crisis, which amounted to a fiscal crisis of the State. A need was seen to rebuild a leaner, more efficient State apparatus that was more responsive to the needs of the people.
Bureaucratic systems were no longer enough, he said. At present, the major objective in his country was to effect a transition from a bureaucratic to a managerial public administration. That effort involved decentralization, coupled with a strengthening of the civil service core of the State.
Current reforms took account of the four sectors of government, which could be found in each State, he said. There was the strategic core, where policy was defined; an "exclusive" sector, involving activities which only a State could perform, such as police and taxation; a non-exclusive sector, in which both State and private bodies could play a role, involving such areas as education, health, culture and scientific research; and the sector for the production of goods and services for the market.
SAEED AL GHAITH, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, said that public administration was the concern of the whole international community because "administration is the common factor of all aspects of life". Administrative development was a requirement of contemporary changes. The world was increasingly interested in all questions of development, which required the creative application of scientific norms and could itself be described as an art.
If there was a direct relation between administration and development, it was because development was based on administrative decisions, he said. Economic and social development depended on a successful administration, as it was essentially the formulation of policies and the implementation of such policies.
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The United Arab Emirates proposed a general framework based on "bridges of cooperation" between States that would make the individual the focus of all policies, he went on. Reviewing the recommendations pertaining to the proposed framework, he said the basis of such a framework would be administrative training, which would lead to the upgrading of production efficiency. The role of administration should be humanitarian and not merely mechanical; technical assistance was also of great importance. The United Nations should facilitate the exchange of expertise to support training.
MUHAMMAD LUTFULLAHIL MAJID, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division in the Ministry of Finance of Bangladesh, said the 1990s represented complex challenges to the public administration and finance systems of most governments. It was a world of contrasts, in which a fifth of the developing world's population went hungry, while there was unprecedented affluence and waste elsewhere. The world economy was moving towards marginalization of the low-income countries.
Efficient State organizations must play essential roles in critical areas, he said. A strong and well-functioning government was a precondition for developing responsive public policies, managing resources effectively, enhancing policies to eliminate poverty and promote equity, decentralizing governance functions to improve the use of resources, and involving civil society in policy development and programme implementation. It was time to look beyond the established paradigms.
Matters relating to peace, security, equity, social justice, environment and good governance should be seen as essential functions of the State and public administration, he said. Public administration had to play a cohesive role in the face of possible social disintegration. Adequate international resource flows should be ensured. Training of civil servants should receive priority attention. There should be continuous interactions with the informal sector, as well as a greater sharing of information and experience among countries.
The United Nations could play a role in the provision of information and training, he said. It could help in building competence in developing the management aspects of governance. Other initiatives could be to establish an inter-organizational forum for development management and governance within the United Nations system. Relevant regional think-tanks could be strengthened, while the United Nations system could mobilize additional resources to provide technical assistance and capital investment to developing countries.
CLAUDIA BELLO, Secretary of State for the Civil Service of Argentina, said the reform of the structure of the State and its most important tool, the civil service, was crucial to the creation of democratic future and a stable and lasting international order. Much would depend on the intelligence with which those tasks were performed.
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Latin America had had a pioneering role in the debate on development, she said. The region's initiative took place within the institutional context of the United Nations, through the work of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The ideological and theoretical frameworks had undoubtedly changed with time, but a significant portion of the Latin American heritage was still apparent.
The need for the debate on economic and social development was more pressing than ever. The formula "development with equality" was not a mere effect, but gave ultimate rationality to the concept of development. States and civil services had the responsibility to fulfil that objective. The President of Argentina was moving towards the construction of a State capable of both solidarity and efficiency. "That State will recover and perpetuate the best of our past, be determined in the face of challenges and will look to anticipate the demands of the future." Those were some of the challenges that the civil service confronted today.
E.T.S. ADRIKO, Minister for Public Service of Uganda, said good public administration was fundamental to the achievement of political stability and economic growth and development. At the same time, public administration, as a system, could only thrive in conditions of peace and stability. "We all now agree that good public administration should be responsive to these needs and be flexible enough to adapt to new challenges", he noted.
The establishment of an independent economic policy research centre was an example of Uganda's practice of allowing policy to be generated by competent bodies outside the structure of the Government, he said. The private sector played an invaluable role in economic growth and development. Views from that sector were solicited in many fields, including manufacture and commerce, which contributed to a healthy business environment. Uganda agreed with the Secretary-General's proposition that partnership work would require a retailored public administration.
The Ugandan Government identified reform components that needed to be addressed on the issue of public administration, he continued. Those included the rationalization of government structures, including decentralization; reduction of the size of services, including the removal of "ghost workers"; enhancement of salaries; monetization of non-cash benefits; personnel and establishment control; capacity-building; results-oriented management; and development of communications strategy.
The reports before the Assembly had "widened our horizons"; continuous debate and exchange of regional and subregional experiences would help find innovative solutions, he said.
SLAHEDDINE ABDELLAH (Tunisia) said reform and modernization of the public sector was basic to the strengthening of political pluralism and women's rights. The modernization of the civil service and administrative
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reform were powerful levers to encourage private investment and opening up national economies to the world economy. The reform effort in his country involved reorganization of the administration; simplification of procedures; strengthening of information dissemination to the public; modernizing the administrative apparatus through informatics and computerization; reform of the statute of the civil service; and efficient utilization of human resources.
He said the process of decentralization and modernization focused on such matters as the legal framework for private investment and means to encourage it; the creation of favourable conditions for the development of private enterprise; altering the distribution of roles between the public and private sectors; and the implementation of measures to build environmental awareness. Rigorous management of public finances had made it possible to master the country's foreign debt, which was now less than 50 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and to reduce debt-servicing to less than 19 per cent of receipts.
He said the United Nations contribution to the reform of public administration could take a number of forms, including assistance for the establishment of a specialized public-sector management training in Africa; setting up a shared data base for the exchange of expertise in Africa; and strengthening UNDP assistance for government administrative reform programmes.
CHUNG-HYUN RO, President of Korea Institute of Public Administration, Republic of Korea, said his country was undergoing rapid changes as a result of industrialization, urbanization and advances in technology. While its public administration was facing the critical issues of democratization, decentralization, and equitable and sustainable development, the Korean people were rightfully reaping the rewards of their economic success, in greater social and political freedom.
Although the Republic of Korea had achieved its "economic miracle" and was now the eleventh largest economy in the world, it had paid a price, he said. Until recently, it had suffered from political oppression. Under the national security and economic objective of the authoritarian regime, the issue of local autonomy was ignored. Now, however, with the strong movement to democratization, the current civilian Government was taking meaningful steps to address social issues while promoting decentralization. The Republic of Korea was engaged in transforming its economy into a free, global, market- oriented economy by means of deregulation and an incentive system.
According to the UNDP, world income distribution in 1992 was such that the richest 20 per cent of the population received 82.7 per cent of the income, while the poorest 20 per cent received 1.4 per cent, he said. To prevent further widening of the economic gap between developed and developing countries, it was critical to promote global cooperation among nations instead of competition only. With its 50 years of experience, the United Nations
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could make valuable contributions to improve understanding of the role of public administration in development.
IGNACIO ZAMBRANO BENITEZ, National Secretary for Administrative Development of Ecuador, said his Government had pursued a modernization strategy that comprised three basic aspects: a political vision of the issue of development; the modernization of the State apparatus; and the modernization of public administration and management.
Most South American countries, as political democracies, coexisted with economies partially controlled by the State, where paternalism, monopolic practices and administrative centralism proliferated, he said. Those characteristics produced huge State apparatus with legal frameworks that tended to stifle rather than enhance national productivity. Various discussions undertaken to confront the limitations concluded that what was needed was a political and social system that provided, justice, equality of opportunity, progress and social mobility.
The modernization of the State motivated a series of measures and activities in Ecuador, including the establishment of a body responsible for that process and the creation of various laws, and the ongoing privatization process. The present administration had encountered resistance from trade unions and other sectors; perhaps, the most important achievement was public awareness and recognition of the need for modernization.
The modernization of Ecuador's public administration sought to improve various capabilities, such as planning and evaluation, he continued. A technical assistance program, under the auspices of the World Bank, comprised five areas: public finances; planning systems; administration of human resources; control systems; and automated information systems. Through that programme, Ecuador's public institutions would be fully incorporated into the process of modernization.
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