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The GfD Initiative was formally initiated on 6-7 February 2005, when heads of government, ministers and civil society representatives from Arab countries joined ministers and senior officials from OECD countries at the Dead Sea Launching Conference, hosted by His Excellency King Abdullah the II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In the presence of Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, HE Mrs. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi, UNDP Assistant Secretary-General, and Donald Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD, they signed the Programme’s Dead Sea Declaration, confirming their strong commitment to the Initiative and setting out its objectives, working method and implementation steps.
The Launching Conference, attended by well over 600 participants, was a strong affirmation of the fundamental legitimacy enjoyed by the Initiative as a regional effort complementing and reinforcing existing programmes. The EU was pleased with the strong Arab ownership and timeliness of the Initiative, and stressed that OECD and UNDP support for it was clearly in line with the EU’s New Neighbourhood policy towards the Middle East and North Africa. Likewise, the Secretary General of the Arab League offered close co-operation.
As part of the agenda, the Jordanian hosts had organised a special session for NGOs to debate the role of civil society and the media in the reform process. During this session, participants stressed the particular importance of NGO involvement, and civil society participation was seen as a key ingredient for strengthening the design and implementation of such ambitious reforms throughout the Initiative.
Subsequent to the plenary sessions, six panels were set up according to the Initiative’s Working Group structure. They engaged in a first round of discussions on key issues for regional policy dialogue, producing a first set of policy recommendations to be refined in future Working Group meetings:
• Civil Service & Integrity (Chair: Morocco, Co-chair: Spain);
• E-government, Administrative Simplification & Regulatory Reform (Chair: Dubai; Co-chairs: Italy, Korea);
• Governance of Public Finance (Chair: Egypt; Co-chairs: Netherlands, United States);
• Public Service Delivery (Chair: Tunisia; Co-chair: United Kingdom, Turkey);
• Role of the Judiciary & Enforcement (Chair: Jordan; Co-chairs: United States, France);
• Civil Society & Media (Chair: Lebanon; Co-chairs: European Union, Canada).
The joint chairmanship of both an Arab and an OECD country for each of the Working Groups marked the beginning of a partnership that will be one of the defining features of the Initiative’s approach.
The Launching Conference resulted in several modifications to the Programme Document, such as the shift of the topic of Regulatory Reform from Working Group 2 to Working Group 4 (Public Service Delivery), as participants saw stronger synergies here. It concluded with the signature of the Dead Sea Declaration, with participants confirming their strong commitment to the overall Initiative and to engaging in governance reforms. Participants agreed to hold the First Steering Group Meeting in Spain in April 2005 to coordinate the Working Groups’ next steps.
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