Public Administration and Development, G.A. res. 50/225, 50 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 5, U.N. Doc. A/50/49 (Vol. II) (1995).


 
      The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling the Tangier Declaration, adopted by the Pan-African Conference
of Ministers of the Civil Service held in Morocco on 20 and 21 June 1994,
 
      Recalling also its resolution 49/136 of 19 December 1994 on public
administration and development,
 
      Recalling further Economic and Social Council decision 1996/215 of 2
April 1996,
 
      Bearing in mind the rapid pace and interdependence of global, political,
social and economic developments, and their implications for all countries,
particularly the developing countries, and that there is a critical need for
improved efficiency and effective public institutions, administrative
procedures and sound financial management to harness these challenges in
support of sustainable development in all countries,
 
      Affirming that States have the sovereign right and responsibility to
decide, in accordance with their own development policy, strategies, needs and
priorities, on their public administration management based on the rule of
law,
 
      Acknowledging the diversity of experiences in public administrative
systems as well as the political, social and economic circumstances of each
country, 
 
      Recognizing that effectiveness of government requires an efficient and
effective public administration in all countries that is responsive to the
needs of the people, promotes social justice, ensures universal access to
quality services and productive assets and creates an enabling environment for
sustainable people-centred development,
 
      Reaffirming the importance of enhancing the quality of public
administration based, inter alia, on the participatory approach to
development,
 
      Recognizing the role of the United Nations in assisting Governments, at
their request, in ensuring the maintenance of essential basic government
services and functions during times of crisis and in developing strategies for
rebuilding a viable public administration in countries undergoing
post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction,
 
      Taking note of the fact that the United Nations system, responding to
requests from interested Member States, has contributed in support of their
public administration to include wider aspects of governance, including
democratic, legal and judiciary reform, and strengthening of the civil
society, 
 
      Recognizing that Governments in all countries should make their
procedures transparent in order to avoid and combat all acts of corruption,
 
      Emphasizing the benefits to all countries of exchanging experiences and
views in order to promote better understanding and applications of various
roles and functions of government and public administration, and enhancing
international cooperation in this field, including such exchanges within the
context of South-South and interregional cooperation,
 
      Recognizing the important role of the public sector in the development
process and stressing the need to improve development and management of its
human resources through, inter alia, appropriate national incentive measures,
 
      1.    Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on public
administration and development and of the proposals contained therein;
 
      2.    Takes note also of the report of the Group of Experts in Public
Administration and Finance;
 
      3.    Takes further note of the reports of the regional meetings on
public administration and development;
 
      4.    Recognizes that there exist challenges and trends variously facing
national Governments in the field of public administration;
 
      5.    Reaffirms that democracy and transparent and accountable
governance and administration in all sectors of society are indispensable
foundations for the realization of social and people-centred sustainable
development;
 
      6.    Underlines the importance of transparent and accountable
governance and administration in all public and private national and
international institutions;
 
      7.    Recognizes that there is a need for public administration systems
to be sound, efficient and well equipped with the appropriate capacities and
capabilities through, inter alia, capacity-building, promotion of transfer,
access and utilization of technology, establishment or improvement of training
programmes for public service, strengthening of partnership of the public
sector with the private sector and civil society, as well as providing an
enabling environment for private sector activities, as appropriate, promotion
of the role and involvement of women in public administration, development of
cross-sectoral gender-sensitive and multidisciplinary capabilities, which
supports all phases of the development process as well as the promotion of
opportunities for all to participate in all spheres of the public sector;
 
      8.    Reaffirms that Governments in all countries should promote and
protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to
development, bearing in mind the interdependent and mutually reinforcing
relationship between democracy, development and respect for human rights, and
should make public institutions more responsive to people's needs;
 
      9.    Invites Governments to strengthen their public administrative and
financial management capacities through public-sector administrative and
management reform, with emphasis on enhanced efficiency and productivity,
accountability and responsiveness of the public institutions, and encourages,
where appropriate, decentralization of public institutions and services;
 
      10.   Recognizes the importance of the major United Nations conferences
and urges the development of the necessary capabilities to enable public
administration to implement the commitments agreed upon in an effective and
coordinated manner;
 
      11.   Confirms the importance of and calls for enhancement of the
effectiveness of United Nations activities in the area of public
administration and development;
 
      12.   Stresses the importance of an increased synergy, cooperation and
coordination between United Nations funds and programmes, the specialized
agencies, the United Nations Secretariat and the Bretton Woods institutions to
ensure that the substantive and technical capacity of the United Nations
system is optimized;
 
      13.   Acknowledges that the role of United Nations activities and
programmes in public administration and development is to assist Governments,
at their request, to improve their responsiveness to meet the basic needs of
all, as well as to achieve sustainable development in all countries; the
United Nations should focus its activities in the following areas as
recommended by the Group of Experts in Public Administration and Finance in
its report:
 
      (a)   Strengthening government capacity for policy development,
administrative restructuring, civil service reform, human resources
development and public administration training;
 
      (b)   Improving performance in the public sector;
 
      (c)   Financial management;
 
      (d)   Public-private interaction;
 
      (e)   Social development;
 
      (f)   Developing infrastructure and protecting the environment;
 
      (g)   Government legal capacity;
 
      (h)   Post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction of government
machinery;
 
      (i)   Management of development programmes;
 
in this context, the United Nations should carry out these activities through
pooling and facilitating access to information in public administration,
promoting training and research in public administration and finance at all
levels, advocacy and exchange of experiences, advisory services, technical
assistance, capacity-building and human resources development;
 
      14.   Requests the United Nations to develop strategies, at the request
of interested countries, for rebuilding a viable public administration in
countries undergoing post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction;
 
      15.   Invites the Bretton Woods institutions and all relevant United
Nations agencies and bodies to assist, at their request, Member States
involved in economic restructuring programmes to pursue national policies
aimed at improving the development and management of their human resources
through, inter alia, appropriate measures;
 
      16.   Recognizes the increased national efforts of Member States in
providing adequate financial and other resources for the strengthening of
their public administration;
 
      17.   Invites the international community to create an enabling
international environment and to consider providing adequate financial and
other resources for programmes of assistance to support national efforts in
enhancing the effectiveness of public administration in developing countries
and countries with economies in transition;
 
      18.   Recommends that the Secretary-General take appropriate measures in
order to ensure maximum coordination of activities of the United Nations
system in the field of public administration and development;
 
      19.   Calls upon the Secretary-General to ensure ways of strengthening
the coordination, coherence and harmonization of the management and
implementation of the operational activities of the United Nations system in
the field of public administration and development;
 
      20.   Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly
at its fifty-third session, through the Economic and Social Council, a report
on public administration and development containing information on the
implementation of the present resolution.
      

 

 



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