Capacity Development: a Undp Primer I
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United Nations Development Programme CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: A UNDP PRIMER I. I. CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT: A UNDP PRIMER CONTENTS I. Introduction IV. Annex - Resources II. Elements of the UNDP approach to capacity development VI. Current issues in capacity development III. Capacity development in action ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This advocacy primer is the result of a team effort, from conception to write-up. It uses UNDP’s existing resources and key knowledge materials as its base and benefits from fresh insights from capacity development practitioners and experts. With the direction of Kanni Wignaraja, Director of UNDP’s Capacity Development Group, the primer was developed by Andie Davis and Tsegaye Lemma. Substantive inputs and country examples were provided by the Capacity Development Regional and Headquarters teams. The peer review group consisted of Alessandra Casazza, Blythe Fraser, Christianna Pangalos, Jayne Musumba, Jennifer Colville, Julianne Heck, Niloy Banerjee. Special thanks go to Noura Hamladji (UNDP Azerbaijan), Berdi Berdiyev (BDP), Maureen Lynch (Communications Office), Purusottam Man Shrestha (UNDP Nepal), Robert Bernardo (CDG) This primer was designed by What Works. Contact Information: Editor: Kanni Wignaraja, [email protected] Website: www.undp.org/capacity © 2009 United Nations Development Programme 304 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017 USA PURPOSE This primer addresses the basic elements of the UNDP approach to capacity development. It provides a simple, cogent and accessible illustration of the UNDP Capacity Development Approach for the benefit of development practitioners both within and beyond the UN development system – a real-world guide to real-world applications to strengthen and contribute to national capacities for development. It focuses in on smart institutions, visionary leadership, access to knowledge and public accountability mechanisms as the drivers of capacity change, and draws from evidence and policies from across regions, synthesizing country-led experiences and institutional lessons with global research. The Primer refers, and offers ready access, to these resources, but it does not purport to capture all knowledge, views and practice in this extensive field. However, we hope it provides a convincing and enticing initiation into an area of development knowledge and practice that is at the heart of what makes human development results sustainable over time. I. INTRODUCTION 3 I. 4 I. INTRODUCTION I. Introduction AN EVOLVING APPROacH TO DEVELOPMENT There is now emerging agreement in the development community that capacity development is the engine of human development. In the face of the current economic, climate and food crises, developing state and societal capacities to de- sign and implement strategies that minimize the impact posed by these crises will remain critical for sustaining progress towards achieving development objectives including the MDGs1. Capacity development starts from the principle that people are best empowered to realize their full potential when the means of development are sustainable – home-grown, long-term, and generated and managed collectively by those who stand to benefit. But what exactly do we mean by capacity development? Confusion around the term seems to have grown along with its popularity. For some, capacity development can be any effort to teach someone to do something, or to do it better. For others, it may be about creating new institutions or strengthening old ones. Some see capacity development as a focus on education and training, while others take a broad view of it as improving individual rights, access or freedoms. CapacITY DEVELOPMENT: THE WaYS TO THE MEANS For UNDP, capacity development contains elements of all of the above. UNDP sees capacity development as the pro- cess through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time. Simply put, if capacity is the means to plan and achieve, then capacity development describes the ways to those means. An essential ingredient in the UNDP capacity development approach is transformation. For an activity to meet the standard of capacity development as practiced and promoted by UNDP, it must bring about transformation that is generated and sustained over time from within. Transformation of this kind goes beyond performing tasks; instead, it is more a matter of changing mindsets and attitudes. QUESTION to conSIDER WHILE READING THIS PRIMER: Based on your own personal experience, have you ever wondered why certain government institutions perform better than others? 1 The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. I. INTRODUCTION 5 I. CAPACITY IS DEVELOPMENT! Capacity development is about transformations that empower individuals, leaders, organizations and societies. If something does not lead to change that is generated, guided and sustained by those whom it is meant to benefit, then it cannot be said to have enhanced capacity, even if it has served a valid development purpose. Compare the examples below.. CONVENTIONAL APPROACH MOVING TO A capacITY DEVELOPMENT WHAT DIFFERENCE TO DEVELOPMENT APPROacH TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DOES IT MAKE? Training in how to use the latest Training, as an integral part of a comprehensive No stand alone, one-off interventions; technology available on the market programme addressing capacity issues, on how to new skills and competences developed use the most readily available technology best suited responding to specific (individual and to the organization’s goals embedded in a personnel organizational) needs; incentives to development plan; with build-in incentives to apply apply the newly acquired skills and the new skills; empowering/enabling trainees to train improve workplace performance; others in using the technology; clearly articulating the learning strategies to address future benefits to personnel development and the linkage of training needs; personnel development personal performance to team performance and overall recognized as a necessary means to organizational efficiency and ability to fulfill its mandate improve organizational performance A foreign expert hired to work in a A foreign expert who coaches local staff in the ministry Transfer of knowledge and expertise, ministry to perform needed func- for a limited period of time. Institutional twinning, independence from outside tions (gap filling) coaching and mentoring programmes are integral parts expertise in the long-run, of the public service personnel development A project team provided by an inter- A project team funded by an international donor (with No separate parallel system but inte- national donor, housed within a local local contracts issued by local body), within a ministry gral to exiting system consequently body but reporting to and using the and using local mechanisms to implement the project, strengthening the capacity of the mechanisms of the donor with a clear strategy to strengthen the capacities of the national/local system to manage similar national system and ideally move towards complete tasks (project) in the future as part of integration within the ministry system (inclusion in bud- their mandate and day-to-day work get, establishment of posts, enrolment on payroll, etc) A donor agency procuring/providing Support the establishment of a procurement process Development of national procurement goods and services from interna- that is transparent, accountable and responsive to system that is effective and meets tional market on behalf of a national needs and uses national systems international standards government ministry 6 I. INTRODUCTION I. Why Capacity Matters “The old model has been based on [the] mistaken assumption … that it is possible simply to ignore existing capacities in developing countries and replace them with knowledge and systems produced elsewhere—a form of development as dis- placement, rather than development as transformation.” Capacity for Development: New Solutions to Old Problems So, we now recognize that capacity is development. How did we arrive at this thinking? Some might say that the development community took the scenic route: I. INTRODUCTION 7 I. THE evolution OF UNDP’S Capacity Development approacH THE ASSUMPTION… THE PRacTICE… THE RESULT… • Greater focus on investment and reporting Development Aid than on results ‘Developing countries developed countries lend IRST • Mounting debt F need money.’ or grant money to • Dependence on foreign aid developing countries • Projects end when money runs out • Projects launched, but disconnected from local goals or priorities Technical Assistance • Assumes few or no resources available locally ‘Developing countries foreign experts come in to • Dependence on foreign experts should just model operate their own projects, • Expertise not always transferred from HEN themselves after the T which they expect to yield foreigners to locals developed ones.’ similar results to those seen • The externally driven model may ignore in developed countries local realities • Idea of ‘assistance’ highlights unequal relationship between developed and developing countries • Local expertise enhanced Technical Cooperation •