Steering Group Meeting at technical level

STEERING GROUP MEETING AT TECHNICAL LEVEL, PARIS, 4 JULY 2007

The Steering Group Meeting at Technical Level of the Good Governance for Development (GfD) in Arab Countries Initiative was held on 4 July 2008 at the OECD conference center in Paris. It brought together the Chairs and Co-chairs of the Initiative’s Working Groups, the Arab National Co-ordinators and other Arab and OECD stakeholders. Participants List

The Steering Group provided strategic directions and guidance to the implementation of the Initiative in 2008-10 and endorsed the detailed programme of work for the Working Groups. During the meeting, the delegations from Arab countries presented the progress made in their national public governance reform agendas. Arab and OECD countries expressed their strong commitment to the Initiative and underlined the important added value of the GfD to the process of governance reform in the Arab region.

The meeting was chaired by H.E. Dr. Ahmed Darwish, Minister of State for Administrative Development, Arab Republic of Egypt, chair of the GfD Steering Group. H.E. Ambassador Mr. Chris Hoornaert, permanent representative of Belgium to the OECD took office as new Co-chair of the Initiative on behalf of the OECD member countries. The meeting outcomes are summarised in the Chair's Conclusion (English-Arabic)

Documentation:

• Meeting Agenda (English-French-Arabic)
• Terms of Reference for the GfD Working Groups and Detailed Programme of Work 2008-10
• Principles of a good judiciary

Opening session:

• H.E Mr. Aart DE GEUS, OECD Deputy Secretary-General
• H.E. Ambassador Mr. Chris HOORNAERT, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the OECD
• Ms. Katarina RANGNITT, Counsellor, Delegation of Sweden to the OECD

Session 1: Setting Priorities for GfD regional activities and supporting linkages to national reform agendas

• Projet de plan d'action du Groupe de Travail sur la Fonction Publique et l'Intégrité
  Mr. Azzeddine DIOURI, Secretary General, Ministry of Public Sectors Modernisation, Morocco
• E-government for administrative simplification and open government in Korea
  Ms. Jinha PARK, Senior Officer International Cooperation Team, Ministry of Public Administration and Security, Korea
• Draft Strategic Agenda for the Working Group on E-government and Administrative simplification 
  Mr. Abdullah AL MAJID, e-Government Programme Director, Civil Service Bureau, UAE 
• Priorités thématiques et prochaines du Groupe de Travail sur la Prestation des Services Publics, Partenariat Public-Privé et Réforme Réglementaire  
  Mr. Abdellatif HAMAM, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Prime Ministry, Tunisia
• Joint Learning Initiatives, tools for implementing reforms
  Mr. Christian VERGEZ, Head of Innovation and Integrity Division, Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, OECD
• Morocco judicial capacity development 
  Mr. Mohamad AL AYOUBI, Ministry of Justice, Morocco
  

Session 2: Strategic issues related to the second phase of the GfD Initiative

• Programme Stratégique à Moyen Terme pour l’Institutionnalisation de l’Egalité entre les sexes dans l’Administration Publique
  Mr. Abdellah INRHAOUN, Head of the Innovation Division, Ministry of Public Sectors Modernisation, Morocco
• Background information on the progress of public governance reform
  Mr. Carlos CONDE, OECD-MENA Governance Programme Coordinator, OECD