Citizens Engagement in Public Sector Management

Participatory Democracy through African Peer Review Mechanism in South Africa

Citizens Engagement in Public Sector ManagementLedule BoschAfCoP Annual MeetingMay 24

Promoting Accountability ThroughAfrican Peer Review Mechanisme (APRM)APRM to encourage conformity among African States on :Political valuesEconomic codesCorporate standardsA self-assessmentAction plan implementation

ChallengesAPRM implementation process spearheaded by a government-designated focal pointUntil 2007: limited collective engagement:Implementation issues due to GovernmentEngagement and partnership were skewed, intermittent, ad-hoc and ill timedLow level and contradictory contributions from all stakeholders Non-compliance to implementation of core documents adopted at the 6th Summit of Heads of State & Government Implementation Committee of NEPAD in 2003

ApproachIncreased trust and transparency of decision-making processOpen and participatory process to engage key stakeholders to facilitate exchange of information to build a national dialogue platform on good governance and all socio-economic development programsPromote full participation of relevant stakeholders in the developmentAPRM provides a platform for RSA government, civil society, NGOs and their external partners to discuss and build consensus on the state of governance at national & provincial levelSystematic review of its performance by other states in order to help the country adopt optimal practicesInternal self-assessment and peer review will lead to the entrenchment of the principles of accountability and transparency that constitute the bedrock of good governance

ResultsIn 2009, extensive consultations in all nine provinces on development issuesCountrys ability to support the principles of participatory democracy and people centered government. Enhanced interaction with citizens:Succesfull launch of the Presidential Hotline in September 2009 Budget documentation available online and in librariesRobust public debate on public sector management and reform issues Collective national citizen-owned self-assessment

PartnersCommittee of Participating Heads of State and Governments Panel of Eminent PersonsAPR SecretariatNational Focal PointNational Governing CouncilInstitutional Technical Partners33 Participating African CountriesNEPADBusiness Sector and general organs of civil society. African Union institutionsAfrican Development Bank United Nations Economic Commission for Africa United Nations Development Programme for Africa

Lessons LearnedAffirmation of Africas political leadership with NEPAD to forge a new partnership with all development stakeholdersDevelopment of strategies to determine how well the APRM indicators balance MTSF priorities for South Africas 12 outcomes, alignment with the MDGs, and activities for which APRM had a comparative advantage in the review process. The RSA APRM results measurement system has anchored in the Continents broader effort to enhance its results orientation. Four strenghts: country-led development, results-based management, and development effectiveness and global partnerships for better results. Self assessment and peer review go beyond the APRM process to sustain a long-term dialogue on governance issues within the country, by its very citizens.