NO READY-MADE, ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGES OF GOVERNANCE, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GLOBAL FORUM ON REINVENTING GOVERNMENT

NO READY-MADE, ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGES OF GOVERNANCE,

SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GLOBAL FORUM ON REINVENTING GOVERNMENT

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government, delivered by José Antonio Ocampo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mexico City, 3 to 7 November:

I am delighted to send my best wishes to this Global Forum on Reinventing Government, which provides a unique platform for facilitating the exchange of experiences related to improving governance and strengthening public administration.

It is widely recognized that good governance is essential to our ability to reach the Millennium Development Goals.  It is also understood that good governance requires the State, civil society and the private sector to work better together so as to be more responsive and accountable to the citizenry.  That means the public sector must challenge itself continuously to improve the way it does business.

There are no ready-made, one-size-fits-all solutions to the challenges of governance.  Governments must find initiatives that best address their particular concerns and fit their own development agendas.  Mexico, the gracious host of this Forum, is pursuing an “Agenda for Good Government” that focuses on “doing more with less”.  You will thus have an opportunity to learn from Mexico’s experience -– and to strengthen South-South cooperation in sharing best practices and forging alliances.

The United Nations will continue to work closely with governments in developing countries in our joint quest for better, more effective governance as a means to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  I hope this Forum will help equip you with new tools and fresh approaches.  In that spirit, please accept my best wishes for a successful meeting.

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