Tajikistan embarks on an assessment to close the tap on water corruption
Tajikistan is the 5thmost water-rich country in the world, but only 59% of its population has access to safe drinking water. In spite of its rich water resources, the country has the worst access to safe drinking water in Central Asia. Clearly, the problem is not one of availability – it is one of governance. Tajikistan is the 5thmost water-rich country in the world, but only 59% of its population has access to safe drinking water (47% in the rural areas). In spite of its rich water resources, the country has the worst access to safe drinking water in Central Asia. Clearly, the problem is not one of availability – it is one of governance. As part of ongoing efforts to enhance integrity in the water sector, the Ministry of Water Resources and Land Reclamation,...
Mongolia publishes a comprehensive national state of democracy report
Mongolia publishes the most comprehensive UNDP-supported country-led governance assessment report so far! UNDP-Mongolia, UNDEF and the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology and Law of the Mongolian Academy of Science recently published the most comprehensive UNDP-supported country-led governance assessment report so far. Since Mongolia decided that the 8 Millennium Development Goals were not ambitious enough and gave itself an MDG-9 on human rights, democratic governance and anti-corruption in 2005, it has conducted a thorough nationally-owned assessment resulting in over 130 indicators and sub-indicators, while breaking records of transparency and inclusive consultation in the process. The current project supported by UNDP/OGC’s Global Programme on Democratic Governance...
Barbados pioneers small island developing States governance assessments
Corruption, ethnic and cultural conflict, natural disasters' impact, crime and violence linked to the drug trade, or money laundering are some of the issues faced by small island States in the Eastern Caribbean on a daily basis. These are both threats to good governance and signs that existing governance systems need improvement. Corruption, conflict rooted in ethnic and cultural differences, civil society disengagement, health issues related to HIV/AIDS and chronic diseases, security and energy issues, the impacts of natural disasters, economic distress, crime and violence linked to global threats such as the drug trade, or money laundering are some of the issues that small island States in the Eastern Caribbean face on a daily basis. These are both threats to good...
Chile asks just how democratic its democracy really is
Since our initial story on the Chilean democracy assessment supported by UNDP’s Oslo Governance Centre and International IDEA (see “Chile: Taking Stock of Democratic Progress”, GAP Newsletter, August 2009), the country’s governance assessment team composed of UNDP-Chile and a consortium of four national think tanks from different ideological backgrounds has moved forward with the establishment of a baseline of data on democracy in Chile. Since our initial story last year on the Chilean democracy assessment supported by UNDP’s Oslo Governance Centre and International IDEA, the country’s governance assessment team composed of UNDP-Chile and a consortium of four think tanks from different ideological backgrounds has moved forward with the...
The Users Guides series translation continues
Gender Guide now available in Arabic: Our Users' Guide to Measuring Gender-Sensitive Basic Service Delivery has recently been translated into Arabic, and our Users' Guide to Measuring Local Governance into Russian! Gender Guide now available in Arabic: Recently translated by the UNDP Regional Centre in Cairo, the Users' Guide to Measuring Gender-Sensitive Basic Service Delivery was originally produced as part of a UNIFEM, UNDP, and Gender at Work initiative called Gender and Democratic Governance in Development, which aims to improve the governance of basic services provision to women. Click here to download the Arabic version. All language versions of this Users' Guide may be downloaded...
London: Workshop on Measuring Poor State Performance
Assessing governance in fragile States is a particularly intricate issue that has recently been the focus of experts' attention. This workshop on Measuring Poor State Performance was organized by the Crisis States Research Centre (CSRC), London School of Economics in May 2010. Assessing governance in fragile States is a particularly intricate issue that has recently been the focus of experts' attention. This workshop on Measuring Poor State Performance was organized by the Crisis States Research Centre (CSRC), London School of Economics on 20 and 21 May 2010. An integral part of the Crisis States Research Centre (CSRC) agenda, the quantitative research on fragility measurements presented at the workshop has been carried out by a multidisciplinary...
Panama: Regional exchange on how to measure governance in Latin America and the Caribbean
Many countries of this region are celebrating the bicentenary of their independence and around twenty years of freedom from authoritarian regimes. But at this time of rememberance of their history of struggle for freedom, the countries of the region may yet have to lead a struggle that could be even more challenging, because less visible. Latin America has been a pioneering region in several areas of democratic governance, including governance assessments. Many of its countries are celebrating the bicentenary of their independence from European colonial rule, and around twenty years of uninterrupted freedom from authoritarian regimes. But at this time of remembrance of their history of struggle for freedom, the countries of the region may yet have to lead a struggle that...
Workshop in Visby, Sweden: the assessment approach as part of the “state of the art” on local governance
The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) invited the most renowned scholars in the field of local governance to reflect on the experience and insights of the last ten years’ work on local governance. The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) invited the most renowned scholars in the field of local governance to reflect on the experience and insights of the last ten years’ work on local governance and to consider key opportunities and challenges for the future, at an international workshop hosted in Visby from April 29 to May 1st. OGC’s participation in this event helped to further strengthen the growing recognition of UNDP’s approach to country-led locally owned governance assessments as an effective way of...
Oslo seminar: How can human rights be measured?
The idea that it would be possible to literally measure human rights fulfillment through some Index similar to the Human Development Index (HDI) has stimulated quite a bit of debate worldwide. The idea that it would be possible to literally measure human rights fulfillment through some Index similar to the Human Development Index (HDI) has stimulated quite a bit of debate worldwide. We joined a seminar hosted by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights to discuss recent innovations on human rights measurement. The idea that it would be possible to literally measure human rights fulfillment through some Index similar to the Human Development Index (HDI) has stimulated quite a bit of debate worldwide. On...
Beirut: Training for Arab non-governmental actors on anti-corruption assessments
With the entry into force of the UN Convention against Corruption and the adoption of its implementation review mechanism, States are increasingly required to take concrete steps in the fight against corruption. Arab States are part of this process, and non governmental actors of the region have a key role to play in it. With the entry into force of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2005, and the subsequent adoption of its implementation review mechanism in 2009, States are increasingly required to make concrete steps forward in the fight against corruption. In the words of the UN Secretary General on the International Anti-Corruption Day 2009, “from now on, States will be judged by the actions they take to fight corruption, not just the promises they make....
Looking back on a busy and exciting year 2009
2009 was a year of transition in many ways for the Oslo Governance Centre. A change of premises, mandate and internal structure has meant a tough challenge as well as new opportunities for making change happen in the democratic governance field worldwide. 2009 was a year of transition in many ways for the Oslo Governance Centre - a tough challenge as well as new opportunities for making change happen in the democratic governance field worldwide. The OGC Annual Report 2009 looks back on this busy and exciting year. 2009 was a year of transition in many ways for the Oslo Governance Centre. A change of premises, mandate and internal structure has meant a tough challenge as well as new opportunities for making change happen in the democratic governance field worldwide...
Net-Buzz: recent discussions and commentary from the blogosphere
EITI Blog: The nature of multi-stakeholder initiatives A sample of recent or ongoing online discussions on governance assessment-related issues. EITI Blog: The nature of multi-stakeholder initiatives This post, by Eddie Rich, Deputy Head of the EITI Secretariat, outlines four key lessons learned with regards to multi-stakeholders initiatives. “There is little doubt that multi-stakeholder initiatives are the flavour of the month in the development world. With levels of trust under severe strain between governments, companies and communities due to the current economic environment, the role and profile of such initiatives is likely to increase still further.“ People, Spaces, Deliberation Blog: Three Examples of Procurement Monitoring by...