OverviewKey activitiesAboutSearch |
Learning & Capacity DevelopmentGive someone a fish and they eat for a day; While initially we all tend to think we understand and generally welcome the statement above, it is based on two assumptions which themselves may need to be questioned: The first is assumption that ‘knowledge’ lies in the hands of one person which can be transferred to the other, who has little if anything to offer. The second is best summed up by the question ‘What happens if there’s a drought and there are no fish?’ Such dilemmas therefore challenge us to develop processes in which individuals, institutions and societies are facilitated in identifying their own needs, setting their own developments goals, and acquiring the knowledge and skills need to achieve those goals. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the prevailing approach to technical cooperation was to ‘teach someone to fish’. Capacity building, as it is commonly known, was characterised by top-down, supply-led approaches to the transfer of knowledge , often leveraged by funding considerations. Its objective was to reduce the ‘skills gap’ through advice, training and the provision of externally determined expertise. However this approach generally resulted in limited impact on the ability of countries to sustainably manage their own development processes and to become more independent of aid. In contrast, the emerging perspective, capacity development, is more holistic and organic, emphasising ownership, process, and the acquisition of knowledge (rather than transfer). As a result, it promotes strategies that are tailored to specific development contexts, which are demand-driven, and locally owned. It also focuses on south-south cooperation and societal transformation processes that incorporate the national and international policy environment. Such processes are not guided by predetermined maps, and emphasise inclusive, networked models of learning and resolving problems. UNDP’s understanding reflects this second perspective, viewing capacity development as an endogenous and domestically driven process. For UNDP, learning and capacity development are central to its work in supporting democratic governance and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It defines capacity as “the ability of individuals, institutions and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner.”2 UNDP recognizes that capacity resides at three levels: the enabling environment, the organisational and the individual. Within all three levels there are five types of capacities which involve the capacity to: 1) engage in multi-stakeholder dialogue; 2) analyse a situation and create a vision; 3) formulate policy and strategy; 4) budget, manage, and implement; and 5) monitor and evaluate. The UNDP capacity assessment frameworkcalls for evaluating these capacities from a human development perspective. Support for capacity development is provided using a variety of strategies including: Knowledge Services and Learning, Incentive Systems, Leadership Development ‘ Mutual Accountability Mechanisms, Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Processes, Institutional Reform and Change Management and Capacity Diagnostics. For UNDP then, capacity development is at the core of our work, externally, where we are working with national governments, civil society and others to promote sustainable development. Capacity development is also a key focus internally, in ensuring that UNDP staff are fit for such a process, with the Oslo Governance Centre acting as the facilitator of learning around democratic governance. Read More…
For further information please contact:
|
|