On 17 November, 2017 at the premises of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service (hereinafter – NAUCS) international conference “Public Administration in Ukraine: Assessing the State of Affairs, Achievements and Challenges” (hereinafter – the Conference) started. The event was organized by the European Commission and the OECD / SIGMA Programme in joint cooperation with the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service and the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union.
The goal of the Conference was to discuss the progress of public administration reform in Ukraine as well as consider key objectives and challenges being faced by the Ukrainian side in this process.
This Conference has become the official launch of comprehensive and profound assessment of current state of affairs of public administration system with the involvement of the OECD / SIGMA Programme. Organization of the Conference was envisaged by the Action Plan of the Strategy of Public Administration Reform in Ukraine for 2016–2020. The main outcomes of the assessment carried out will be made public in July, 2018 that will allow to update the core objectives and activities of the Strategy of Public Administration Reform in Ukraine.
Head of NAUCS Kostiantyn Vashchenko in his introductory speech underlined that public administration and civil service reforms are of vital importamnce. They systematically affect the whole structure of governance in the country, its functioning, the ability to provide services, as well as relations with the citizens. Public administration reform is the fundamental element that ensures the democratic functioning of the state and is aimed at improving three key interdependent components of the system: the institutions, rules and procedures that regulate their internal work, as well as the processes and mechanisms for coordinating their cooperation, and staffing.
Kostiantyn Vashchenko underlined the exclusive role in this process of the OECD / SIGMA programme, that was actively involved in the process of development of the Law of Ukraine “On Civil Service” and the secondary legislation to it in order to ensure the implementation of the civil service reform.
Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Tetiana Kovtun welcomed the participants of the conference and presented the main achievements and challenges facing Ukraine in reforming of the Ministries and the system of administrative services and also emphasized the important role of cooperation between the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and NAUCS in carrying out the assessment of the state of affairs of public administration.
In addition, international ОЕСD / SIGMA experts Wojciech Zieliński and Klas Klaas presented the principles of public administration of the OECD / SIGMA programme, and outlined the main approaches and the technical aspects of the future assessment of public administration in Ukraine.
First Deputy Head of the NAUCS Volodymyr Kupriy thanked the experts of the OECD / SIGMA programme and expressed his hope for further fruitful cooperation between NAUCS and the
OECD / SIGMA programme.
Senior Adviser on Public Procurement of the OECD / SIGMA programme Marian Lemke summarized the results of the conference, expressed hope for positive results of the assessment the state of affairs in the field of public administration and public service in Ukraine and thanked all present for participation in the event.
State Secretaries of Ministries, representatives of the Central Government Authorities, Ministries, Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, judicial system, European Union countries, OECD / SIGMA programme, civil society, expert environment and international organizations took part in the event.
For reference: SIGMA programme (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management) — is considered to be one of the most prestigious analytical centers of the European Union that was launched in 1992 with the initiative of the OECD and the EU.
2017 sees the 25th anniversary of SIGMA, the result of a successful long-term partnership between the OECD and the European Union (EU). In that period, SIGMA has developed into a recognised centre of excellence of public administration reform (PAR) and has worked with more than 30 partner countries to help them to establish professional public administrations, effective financial management and economic development. The most active cooperation was with Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.
The main goal of the OECD / SIGMA Programme is:
- strengthening the foundations for improved public governance;
- support socio-economic development through building the capacities of the public sector;
- enhancing horizontal governance;
- improving the design and implementation of public administration reforms.
Technical assistance of the OECD / SIGMA Programme is carried out within the framework of 6 areas:
- public financial management, public procurement and external audit;
- public service and human resource management;
- policy development and coordination
- public administration reform;
- service delivery
- accountability.
Support of the OECD / SIGMA Programme in the area of modernization of public administration can be carried out by means of
- administrative structures analysis
- development and implementation of administrative system reforms
- analysis of the draft laws and programmes suggested
- training organization and information
- preparation of technical assistance action plans.
