Democratic Governance

Events

Policy Support

• The Bergen Seminar Series
  UNDP, through its Oslo Governance Centre, and the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway, have entered into a partnership to take forward key themes related to the nexus between governance and poverty through an annual series of focused seminars and workshops. This year's Bergen seminar took place from 1-3 May 2005 and brought together representatives from developing country governments, the donor community, research institutions, CSOs and the UN family to examine the question of developing capacities to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Parliamentary Development

• International Donors Conference on Parliaments, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Brussels (April 2006)
  As part of the Global Programme for Parliamentary Strengthening (GPPS), UNDP and the Government of Belgium co-hosted a major conference on strengthening parliaments' roles in conflict and post-conflict situations.  Over 100 participants discussed the need for the international community to significantly bolster support to parliaments in the aftermath of conflict.  Attendees welcomed and lauded UNDP's Guidelines for the International Community on Parliaments, Crisis Prevention and Recovery.
• Working Meeting on 'Enhancing the role of Parliaments in Conflict/Post Conflict Setting', Geneva (March 2004)
  This informal working meeting brought together concerned legislative development practitioners (Inter-Parliamentary Associations, International Organisations and Agencies, Members of Parliaments, Academics, NGOs and donor Agencies) to discuss available knowledge and resources with respect to how to enable parliaments in conflict/post conflict situations to perform their mediation/resolution role.

Access to Justice

• Justice and Security Sector Reform, Oslo (April, 2003)
  As part of its overall peace building and conflict prevention mandate, UNDP focuses on the need to transform the justice and security sector in crisis and post-conflict countries to provide a more equitable, accountable, effective, and rights-respecting public service. This conference brought together key actors, donors, and non-governmental organizations to share operational approaches and to coordinate programmatic activities in justice and security sector reform.

Human Rights

• UNDP/OHCHR Seminar on Good Governance Practices for the Promotion of Human Rights, Seoul (2004)
  The purpose of the seminar was to draw lessons from examples of governance practices that have had an impact on the promotion of human rights. Eight case studies were discussed during four substantive sessions on: the promotion of the rule of law; strengthening the delivery of services contributing to the realization of human rights; strengthening democratic institutions and participation; and combating corruption in the public and private sectors.
• Seminar for Chairpersons and Members of Parliamentary Human Rights Bodies, Geneva (March, 2004)
  Jointly organized by UNDP and the International Parliamentary Union with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, this seminar brought together members of parliamentary human rights committees so as to enable them on the one hand to share their experiences and learn from one another, and on the other hand to explore ways and means of enhancing cooperation with international and regional human rights mechanisms, as well as national human rights institutions and civil society in general. Also in French.
• Inter-Agency Workshop on a Human Rights Based Approach in the Context of UN Reform, Stamford (2003)
  Organized under the auspices of the United Nations Development Group, with UNDP/Human Rights Strengthening Program serving as secretariat, this workshop sought to move forward the agenda of interagency cooperation around human rights mainstreaming and explored examples of how UN country teams are dealing with human rights in the context of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and Millennium Development Goals processes.
• HIV & AIDS, Human Rights-Based Approaches to the Crisis (2001)
  A diverse group of participants representing human rights and HIV/AIDS units within UNDP, some regional and country level perspectives, and the public and private sectors, gathered to: (1) Assess the efforts up to date of UNDP in applying a rights-based approach to shape its response to the epidemic: (2) Facilitate dialogue between the Governance and HIV/AIDS divisions, and stimulate innovative thinking on improving the quality and effectiveness of our AIDS strategy; (3) Identify and agree upon key human rights values, concepts, and guiding principles that form the basis of an operational framework and can be translated into actions; and (4) Subsequently propose pilot programmes in five or more countries using this framework as a guide, in collaboration with relevant units, country offices, and a few key UNDP thematic areas.

Decentralization, Local Governance and Urban/Rural Development

• Innovations Linking Decentralised Governance and Human Development: A Capacity Development Workshop under the Fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government, Mexico City (November, 2003)
  Decentralisation has become an essential ingredient of governance and human development efforts around the world with 80% of developing and transition countries experimenting with one form of decentralization or another. Organised by UNDP in collaboration with the United Nations Capital Development Fund, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Institute, this workshop focused on how to establish intuitional frameworks that facilitate and strengthen the decentralisation process.

Public Administration Reform and Anti-Corruption

• Accountability and Responsiveness Workshop, Bergen (November, 2002)
  UNDP and the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway, have entered into a partnership to take forward key themes in the poverty governance discourse through a series of focused seminars and workshops. The first stage of the 2002/2003 series brought together researchers, policy specialists and practitioners to examine responsiveness and accountability owed by governments, international donors and civil society towards the poor.