Over the past years, the then Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), which has been renamed to the Divison of Public Institutions and Digital Government, following UNDESA restructuring in 2018, has significantly contributed to the work of the United Nations in the area of public administration post-conflict reconstruction through (a) analytical research and publications; (b) advisory services in countries emerging from conflict[1], as well as (c) forums, expert group meetings and capacity development workshops[2]. DPADM is also a vital member of UNDESA’s Task Force on Conflict Prevention, Peace-building and Development, and has collaborated with a number of international, regional and national partners and agencies working in this field.

 

DPADM has issued the 2010 World Public Sector Report on “Reconstructing Governance and Public Administration after Conflict: Challenges, Practices and Lessons Learned”, which has provided an important contribution to the ongoing debate of how to reconstruct governance and public administration after violent conflict in order to ensure security and long-lasting peace, respect for human rights and development. The Report focuses on challenges, practices and lessons learned in five key areas of post-conflict reconstruction, i.e. (i) developing public sector leadership; (ii) building effective institutions; (iii) strengthening human resources in the public service; (iv) engaging citizens in post-conflict reconstruction and (v) promoting citizen-centric public service delivery. While the Report centres on what needs to be done to reconstruct public administration after conflict, this guidance Tool-kit focuses on how to reconstruct public administration. The 2010 World Public Sector Report on “Reconstructing Governance and Public Administration after Conflict should then be considered as a companion publication of the toolkit.

 

The Tool-kit provides a set of relevant open-ended questions and tools intended to help governance actors discover their own needs and aspirations, envision their future, as well as design and implement their own governance strategic framework for peace and sustainable development. The Tool-kit responds to Member States’ growing demand for a guide that contains useful tools for post-conflict reconstruction. This publication, which is in line with the United Nations Report of the Secretary-General on ‘Civilian capacity in the aftermath of conflict’ issued on 16 September 2011, was developed following the recommendations of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA). At its 10th session, CEPA expressed appreciation for the proposed Tool-kit and recommended that DPADM produce a publication containing practice-oriented advice for reconstruction, focusing on tools and approaches, capacities and actors involved in the reconstruction of government institutions and services after violent conflict.

 

In preparing this Tool-kit, DPADM has relied on the expertise and experience developed throughout the years by its technical advisers who have provided support to a number of countries in reconstructing public administration after conflict. It has also greatly benefitted from its participation in the ‘United Nations Working Group on Public Administration’ led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 2011, following a decision of the United Nations Policy Committee, DPADM took part in a joint United Nations mission, which had as its main goal to gauge and review lessons learned on United Nations initiatives that supported post-conflict countries with a special focus on capacity development as part of wider peace-building efforts. This Tool-kit therefore takes into account the system-wide work that the United Nations is conducting in the area of peacebuilding.

 

A caveat about the Tool-kit is necessary in order to understand its value and objective, i.e., that it is by no means a “blanket recipe” for how to reconstruct public administration. It is well understood that each country is unique in terms of past and present human capacities, institutions, structures, and resources, as well as needs, and aspirations of the people. Each situation has its own characteristics with respect to the causes of conflict, people’s reaction to conflict, nature of conflicting parties, nature and magnitude of damages, and socio-politico-economic impact. It is therefore our conviction that the most appropriate governance reconstruction strategies are best initiated by or harvested from the ideas of nationals living in post-conflict situations. It is only nationals who can uncover and fully understand their own past challenges, analyze their present needs and articulate their future aspirations as a country and society. Thus, national stakeholders should place themselves in the driver’s seat of the process of reconstruction working in partnership, when necessary, with international community partners. Bearing this in mind, I hope that the Tool-kit may offer valuable support to those who are engaged in the challenging yet potentially highly creative and innovative process of reconstructing public administration after violent conflict.

 

DPADM Director

Juwang ZHU

 

  

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[1]DPADM has provided support in the reconstruction of public administration through advisory services and missions in Liberia, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Timor-Leste, and advice to other countries, including Kosovo.

 

[2]DPADM has organized Expert Group Meetings on this topic respectively in Cameroon in 2005, in Vienna in 2007, in Ghana in 2008, in Barcelona in 2010, and a Panel of the 2 Committee of the General Assembly on “State capacity for post-conflict reconstruction” at United Nations Headquarters in November 2008. Experts in DPADM have also prepared a number of reports and papers, including on “Building Capacities for Public Service in Post-Conflict Countries”, DESA/DPADM Publication, 2007, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN028646.pdf , and others.