Governance in the age of
globalization
The following are responses given by
Guido Bertucci to questions posed by the Korean Secretariat about the 6th Global Forum.
Bertucci is the director of the division for public administration and development
management for the United Nations’ department of economic and social affairs. - Ed.
(Korea Now Magazine)
Question: Why do you think the issue
of reinventing government is coming to the fore in many countries across the globe?
Answer: The core issue of
"reinventing government" marks a turning point in the way in which world leaders
and policymakers are increasingly inclined to relate policy initiatives and outcomes in
their own countries to those of their neighbors and the global community. The relevance
and implications for all concerned lend credence to the fact that for better or for worse,
globalization truly affects the world community. Since the first global forum in 1999, the
theme for each forum has been determined largely by the need to frame specific platforms
to address political, administrative, social, and economic concerns affected by the forces
of globalization.
In an increasingly globalized economy, the
impetus for reform is compelling particularly if a country is concerned about issues such
as trade, ICT or labor migration, and desirous of participating in regional pacts and
associations. It then becomes incumbent upon a State to take ownership of a national
strategy that will make it a meaningful member of a regional alliance or a multilateral
organization such as the WTO.
Q: Elaborate on the relationship
between the global forums and the regional forums that have taken place in various regions
throughout the year.
A: Regional forums provide a
platform for governments, civil society representatives, think tanks, NGOs and the private
sector to analyze, discuss and outline issues of immediate need and concern within a
limited group of countries. The regional forums are thus designed to enable participating
countries to present case studies that identify critical issues of government reinvention
for the respective governments. Therefore, by virtue of their size, these forums allow
sufficient flexibility, time and resources for governments to engage in a greater scrutiny
of issues at the micro-level and help to identify key policy issues that may otherwise get
subsumed at the global forum where the focus is, of necessity, at the macro-level.
Regional forums also help to raise awareness
of region-specific issues that vary from one geographic area to another. For example,
priorities and concerns in the Pacific Island countries are very different to those of the
South Asian countries due to a number of factors, such as the size of the countries, the
level of economic development, and priority issues such as trade and labor migration, etc.
The key policy issues thus identified at the regional forums will be introduced at the
Sixth Global Forum for discussion. We hope that the outcome of the regional forums and the
ensuing discussions at the global forum will result in a future platform for action, tying
critical issues of governance to the timely achievement of the MDGs.
Q: What kind of an impact do you
think the global forum can have regarding the global discourse on government reinvention?
A: There are many ways these
forums can impact global governance issues:
First, the thorough exposure that these
issues are provided when presented at a global event is enormous because we are able to
reach a broad spectrum of people from all over world and from different sectors of
society;
Second, the global forums on reinventing
government raise awareness of the importance of good governance, which is absolutely
essential for ensuring the effective delivery of services. As the recent tsunami disaster
in Asia amply demonstrates, governments have to have the necessary infrastructure, system
of administration and good organization and management systems in place in order to
respond to the needs of the affected people as and when necessary, and as promptly and
effectively as possible;
Third, these forums provide the opportunity
for countries to demonstrate and share innovative ideas and strategies for government
reinvention for consideration by others;
Fourth, we feel that it is equally important
for the global community to learn lessons from each others’ experiences ? not only of
the individual success stories, but also of the failures, so as not to repeat them;
Fifth, keeping governance issues in the
forefront of the global dialogue also enables governments to focus on priorities and needs
so as to better manage their development efforts;
And last, but not least, it also provides an
opportunity to the UN and other agencies to learn from the outcomes of the discussions at
the forums in order to better target donor coordination efforts worldwide.
Much can be achieved through a free and open
dialogue process than just the sharing of information. If the transfer of knowledge and
ideas can result in subtle and incremental changes in attitudes and perceptions, then the
global forums will have made important inroads in raising awareness of the need to
reinvent government.
Q: What are the expected outcomes of
the Sixth Global Forum?
A: Whereas the plenary
sessions of the Sixth Global Forum will offer a broad overview of the key themes
associated with participatory and transparent governance, the nine capacity building
workshops will provide the opportunity to discuss and examine these topics in greater
depth for participants with a particular interest or specialization in initiatives, such
as social auditing or the use of e-government applications.
Their overall objective is to enable senior
government officials and public administration practitioners to share experiences, learn
about innovative practices, and strengthen cooperation to promote participatory and
transparent governance. Specifically, the workshops aim to:
- Facilitate the exchange of best practices
and innovations in the area of participatory and transparent public administration and
governance in order to improve living conditions in developing countries;
- Identify practical approaches to human
resource development, decentralization, accountability and transparency, access to
services, and other dimensions of innovative public administration;
- Impart new skills among senior government
officials to enable them to effectively perform their tasks to provide better services to
citizens;
- Increase partnerships among governments,
civil society organizations, parliamentarians, mayors, and the private sector in
governance-related areas to enhance their capacity to work collectively for the benefit of
all citizens;
- Strengthen North-South and South-South
cooperation to reinforce public administration capacity in developing countries.
Q: What are your thoughts on the
various initiatives of the current Korean administration to reinvent government?
A: In this day and age,
globalization has brought both challenges and opportunities to our countries, compelling
each to seek new and innovative means of reinventing government. One of the reasons that
we are so delighted to have Korea as a partner in the Sixth Global Forum is due to its
continuing efforts to seek out and implement new solutions to many of these challenges. We
are aware that the current administration has committed to many reforms that will
contribute towards greater transparency for and participation by citizens of Korea.
Generally, we have noted that greater flexibility has been introduced in managing the
senior civil service and the capacity of oversight and investigative agencies have been
strengthened. Practical experience in strengthening corporate governance, following the
reform measures of the late 1990s, will also provide valuable lessons that can
significantly benefit participants at the forum.
More specifically, I would like to comment on
the country’s performance in the area of e-government. Recently, the country received
very high marks in an overall evaluation of e-government conducted by the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs. In areas of e-government readiness and e-participation, Korea
was ranked in the top six worldwide, showing consistent improvements over the previous
year, and establishing itself as a regional and world leader. Through its creative use and
design of e-government applications to address many contemporary issues, the nation
continues to find new means of adapting available technology to increase citizen
participation, improve access to government services, reinforce accountability, and
strengthen trust in government.
(2005.01.22, Korea NOW Magazine) |
