The PDG project to reinforce municipal governance in Guatemala was officially launched on 26 May at the Palacio Nacional, during the annual meeting of the National Council for Urban and Rural Development (CONADUR), which was chaired by the President of Guatemala, Álvaro COLOM.

The project, which aims to help the government establish an inter-agency unit to improve the government's actions to enhance the delivery of essential services by municipalities, is being implemented by both international and local partners. The PDG Advisory Unit has been working with these stakeholders to mobilise and co-ordinate the deployment of international professionals, who will work side-by-side with Guatemalan officials in the inter-agency unit.

During his mission to Guatemala City, the PDG Director was invited to a private meeting with President Álvaro COLOM.

During the meeting,  President Colom expressed his gratitude to PDG members and to the OECD for responding to the needs of his administration, as well as his personal satisfaction with the start-up of the project.  Mr. Pomianowski's request for the president's continuous personal involvement and oversight during project implementation, as a way to ensure broad support within his government, was accepted with great deal of understanding.  
 

In April, the OECD Secretary-General received a letter from the Prime Minister of Haiti, H.E. Jean-Max Bellerive, which called for greater OECD collaboration with the Government of Haiti based on the dialogue and support the PDG has initiated there since 2008 and enhanced following the 12 January earthquake.

On 4 June, the Chief Economist in the Office of the Prime Minister of Haiti, Dr. Jean-Palème MATHURIN, addressed the PDG membership in Paris. Dr. Mathurin underlined the importance of improving the delivery of basic social services, which has been the key area of focus for the PDG's work in Haiti. In light of the PDG's ongoing dialogue and support on the basis of its policy note on service delivery in Haiti, Prime Minister Bellerive has now requested the PDG to provide technical support to his Government in its efforts to strengthen its capacity to deliver basic social services and to optimise its collaboration with Non-State Providers. This support will take the shape of the PDG's technical support and participation in the upcoming Government of Haiti workshop on "Reinforcing the Capacity of the Government of Haiti to Deliver and Co-ordinate Basic Social Services," to be held in Port-au-Prince on 8-9 July 2010. For more information on the PDG's work in Haiti, please visit our website.

PDG members approved the OECD-PDG Handbook on Contracting Out Government Functions and Services in Post-Conflict and Fragile Situations during their meeting in Paris on 4 June. The Handbook, which is now being published, will be available in September both online and in print.

In order to illustrate the complex issues associated with contracting out in fragile situations, the PDG is developing a multimedia support in the form of a short documentary film to accompany the Handbook. This film will provide viewers with a first-hand look at the realities of contracting out, as shown in three case studies. A trailer for the documentary, which shows the example of the education sector in Haiti, is available for viewing online.

On 4 June, the PDG Steering Group heard from the Director of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Marc AMBLARD. During his speech, Inspector General Amblard provided an update on the priorities of the LNP, where the PDG has been advancing a planned project to strengthen training and co-ordination within the nation's police force. By working with the Police to develop its own trainings and co-ordinate funding, the PDG hopes to support the capacity of the critical and under-funded justice sector as part of the wider stabilisation efforts in Liberia.

The PDG's second publication, Contracting Out Government Functions and Services: Emerging Lessons from Post-Conflict and Fragile Situations, was included in the American Library Association's list of Notable Government Documents for 2009. This distinction, which was initiated in order to promote awareness of government publications, recognises the agencies involved in producing "excellent sources of information".

In its citation, the ALA noted that "the lucid text makes this scholarly work accessible to undergraduates". This year's ALA list also included publications from the EC, ILO, IOM, UNDP, UNEP, UNHRC, UNICEF and the World Bank.

For more information on this publication, please visit the OECD Bookstore, or contact the PDG Advisory Unit to request an electronic copy.

The PDG Advisory Unit will launch a call for proposals in the coming weeks for a study on "Capacity Gaps at Centres of Government: Strategic Planning, Co-ordination, Implementation, Monitoring and Communications in Post-Conflict and Fragile Situations". The main objective of the study will be to advance knowledge on the policy environments and the policy management systems within post-conflict and fragile states; to contribute to better approaches to strengthening strategic planning, policy co-ordination and implementation monitoring; and to examine which forms of international support are best suited to strengthening the capacities of the centre of government in post-conflict and fragile contexts. Interested members of the PDG community of practice should contact the PDG Advisory Unit for more information on the study.

The Partnership for Democratic Governance Steering Group met for the sixth time in Paris on 4 June. The major items on the Group's agenda were issues related to the future of the PDG, which is nearing the end of its initial three-year mandate. The Group received an independent evaluation report and discussed the sequence of work to be undertaken by both the PDG Advisory Unit and the Members over the next several months.

This meeting was also the last to be co-vice-chaired by Australia. The United States now joins Turkey and UNDP as co-vice-chair of the PDG Steering Group.

During his missions to Japan and Korea in April, PDG Director Jerzy POMIANOWSKI participated in seminars hosted in Tokyo and Seoul, respectively.

In Tokyo, the JICA (Japan International Co-operation Agency) Research institute organised a seminar on "A Practical Approach to State-Building in Fragile States", to which the PDG Director was invited to deliver the keynote presentation. Following the PDG's mission to Tokyo last year, the JICA seminar provided another important opportunity to bring a broad group of JICA Institute researchers, government officials and aid practitioners closer to the work of the PDG.

Two major events were also scheduled in Seoul. The PDG was invited to provide an extensive briefing and to address the Q&A session during the Forum on Multilateral Diplomacy, chaired by Deputy Minister Hyun CHO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The PDG Director was also invited to address the Development Co-operation Forum, which is regularly organised by Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA). Both meetings provided the PDG with an important opportunity to directly introduce major Korean government institutions, aid practitioners and academia to the work of the Partnership.

During an event organised on the margins of the African Development Bank's Annual Meeting, which was held 27-28 May in Abidjan, the PDG was invited as a panellist to present emerging lessons from its work on the contributions of diasporas in post-conflict and fragile situations. Other panellists included the Finance Minister from Sierra Leone, the Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry of India, and the president of the Korea Institute for Development Strategy. These lessons were drawn from the PDG’s preliminary study, which looks at the circumstances under which diaspora return can make an effective contribution to strengthening the capacity of governments to perform core functions and deliver basic services. For more information on the study, please contact the PDG Advisory Unit.

The Advisory Unit continues to extend its invitation to all interested parties to join our community of practice by creating a PDG Online account today. PDG Online is a unique, custom-built web platform where users can comment on and participate in an ongoing intellectual debate, learn more about the latest work of the Partnership and more. The website is also being enriched with a new series of discussion papers from a number of development experts on issues ranging from contracting out to the role of non-traditional donors and South-South co-operation. Users are also invited to post comments on this content in order to further the ongoing debate.