Myanmar Civil Service Reform (CSR) Strategic Action Plan

Transcription

1 Myanmar Civil Service Refrm (CSR) Strategic Actin Plan Cncept Nte A. Backgrund and Ratinale The New Gvernment f Myanmar (GM) is priritizing civil service refrm (CSR) as a means t transfrm the administrative machinery, making it mre respnsive t peple s needs and mre accuntable and effective in the management f public resurces and delivery f services. The GM has stressed thrugh its plicy directives n the need t establish an efficient gvernment, which wuld wrk fr the benefit f the peple and strengthen rule f law and establish a sciety free f crruptin. In additin t its traditinal cntributin t refrming the system thrugh cmbatting crruptin and enhancing the efficiency f the state, CSR is t be seen as an underlying success factr r limitatin f the establishment f a decentralized and federal system in Myanmar. The Civil Service is indeed part f the brader spectrum f plitical transfrmatin and there is a need t ascertain civil service capacities and skills as a means t strengthening sub-natinal gvernance. With directives frm the new plitical leadership, the Unin Civil Service Bard (UCSB) has already engaged in identifying ways t transfrm and mdernize the civil service, allwing it t embrace a new paradigm, dynamics and pririties. The UCSB launched an internal assessment f its current mandate and capacities and started elabrating plicies t instigate a new civil service culture based n the principles f prfessinalism, accuntability, meritcracy, inclusiveness, efficiency and service rientatin. The UCSB rganized n 2-3 May 2016 an internal Training Review Wrkshp fcused n assessing its training mandate and in-huse capacities. Majr recmmendatins f the wrkshp included: (i) establishing a Civil Service Academy (CSA) 1 t enhance the quality f knwledge and skills, (ii) fcusing UCSB s training mandate n public plicy and public management, (iii) replacing the military syllabus with physical exercise and team building activities and (iv) imprving the learning envirnment and training delivery capacities. Simultaneusly t the wrkshp and based n recmmendatins frm the Ministry f Educatin, Dr. Win Thein, Chairman f UCSB, issued with permissin f the President Office an executive decisin t terminate the refresher training curse fr basic and higher educatin teachers. This decisin came in line with recmmendatin (ii) afrementined. These training curses, deemed mre technical in nature, wuld be rganized by the Ministry f Educatin. It is anticipated that many ther decisins intended t clarify the mandate and scpe f wrk f the UCSB 2 wuld fllw. The new Gvernment has hence marked its first 100 days with strng emphasis n the Civil Service 1 The CSA is envisined t prvide tw types f diplma and a Master degree: (1) the Pst-Graduate Diplma fr gazetted fficers; this wuld imply a specializatin f the CSA in academic certificatin fr entry level, middle and senir level fficials. The CICS wuld cntinue prviding 4 regular curses: (i) basic curse prmting nn-gazetted t gazetted fficers, (ii) clerical supervisrs curse, (iii) junir fficial curse and (iv) clerical staff curses. 2 The UCSB has mandate ver (1) civil service regulatry framewrks, (2) the selectin and appintments f gazette fficers and (3) training and capacity develpment, as reflected in the 2008 Cnstitutin (Art 246, Sectin 1), the Civil Service Act f 2013 and frm the UCSB Law (2010) and Bylaws (2011). Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 1 f 6

2 Refrm agenda and with resunding decisins that are setting the stage fr prmising regulatry, prcedural, systemic refrms and mindset change. This said, the civil service in Myanmar remains largely supply-driven and lacks a client-riented and service culture. Despite an verall prmtin f the principles f meritcracy, fairness and accuntability thrugh existing rules and regulatins, these principles have a relatively limited applicatin in practice 3. Neptism and favritism are cmmn phenmena that characterize decisin making within the service 4, and this undermines the inclusivity f the service and the prvisin f services t the general public in a fair, equitable and transparent manner. There is hence an urgent need t change thinking patterns and mre bradly the rganizatinal culture and practice in the civil service. The GM hence needs t determine a new CSR Visin and a plan f actin that wuld reflect the plitical will and enable t Civil Service t assume its rle in the verall mdernizatin f the cuntry. The UCSB, based n its mandate as lead entity n CSR, has determined the need t facilitate the develpment f a whle f gvernment CSR Strategic Actin Plan that wuld gradually address inherent rganizatinal and cultural biases. The Strategic Actin Plan wuld als allw UCSB t determine specific entry pints t uphlding highest levels f integrity, prfessinalism, inclusiveness and efficiency in the service. It is als imprtant t highlight that the Strategic Actin Plan shuld mbilize all entities within Gvernment and frm civil sciety and is t be cnsidered as the prduct f a multi-stakehlder cnsultatin prcess and nt a plan fr the UCSB. T this end, the UCSB with supprt frm UNDP is rganizing a tw-day cnsultative wrkshp with the aim f develping the CSR Strategic Actin Plan. B. The Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan a. Objectives and Anticipated Results The CSR Strategic Actin Plan aims at supprting the GM in frmalizing a hlistic visin fr CSR in Myanmar and determining a result-riented plan f actin serving as a strategy dcument t establish a mdern and cmpetent Civil Service. The Strategic Actin Plan is expected t cntribute t the fllwing results: ü Mdernize the civil service and enabling it t supprt and effectively cntribute t the plitical and scietal transfrmatin f Myanmar; ü Transfrm the Civil Service and its persnnel int a trusted partner f the Myanmar peple uphlding the highest standards f integrity, equality and accuntability; ü Supprt the psitining f UCSB and ther gvernmental and nn-gvernmental institutins in supprt f the fulfillment f the transfrmatin f the Myanmar Civil Service. 3 Demnstrated by the UCSB-UNDP Perceptin Survey n Ethics, Meritcracy and Equal Opprtunities in the Myanmar Civil Service, Ibid. Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 2 f 6

3 b. Substantive Fcus The CSR Strategic Actin Plan will be primarily infrmed by plicy cnsideratins set by the New Gvernment. It is hence expected t put strng emphasis n the new service delivery paradigm and n respnsiveness t citizens, while uphlding accuntability and efficiency in system and prcedural reviews. The Actin Plan wuld als benefit frm a Plitics, Ecnmics, Scial, Technlgy, Legislatin and Envirnment (PESTLE) analysis, which wuld prvide a brader analytical framewrk fr devising activities. i. The Visin Statement The visin statement fr CSR in Myanmar wuld reflect the cre values determined by the new plitical leadership, namely Integrity, Hnesty, Objectiveness and Impartiality. It will als need t prvide a platfrm t prmte the principles f Prfessinalism, Equality Inclusiveness, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Meritcracy, Accuntability, Respnsiveness, Client and Service Orientatin. The Cnsultative wrkshp will need t discuss and validate a first draft f the Visin Statement that has been develpment by the UCSB, as fllws: Ethical, merit-based, inclusive and respnsive Civil Service prmting public participatin and strengthening the trust f the peple. ii. CSR Entry Pints The belw identified themes have been drawn frm varius analytical dcuments and are herein prpsed as main cmpnents f the Plan. They wuld prvide entry pints fr the refrm prcess and wuld need t be translated int activities and targets. Theme 1: New Civil Service Gvernance Client and service riented culture: Regulatry and prcedural amendments Delineating the mandate and rle f the Unin Civil Service Bard and ther Unin and State and Regins Institutins Theme 2: Twards a merit-based and perfrmance-driven culture and systems Making recruitment, selectin, prmtin and psting mre meritcratic, transparent and gender sensitive Mtivating civil service persnnel thrugh allwances and benefits systems Mdernizing perfrmance management systems Human Resurces Management rganizatinal structures Theme 3: Effective and Efficient Civil Service Revisiting and upscaling training and learning methds and envirnment in Myanmar Innvative ways t building the skills f natinal expertise and mbilizing internatinal experts Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 3 f 6

4 Investing in engendered leadership prgrammes M&E and Quality Cntrl Theme 4: Prmting Transparency and Accuntability in the Civil Service Whistleblwers and cmplaints mechanisms within the system Checks and balances acrss the civil service (Emphasis n the rle f the UCSB) Ensuring effectiveness f public cmplaints and grievances c. Prcess The develpment f the CSR Strategic Actin Plan wuld fllw a strategic planning apprach, whereas the visin statement wuld infrm the plan and determine specific utcme(s) r results t be achieved. This apprach emphasizes strng mnitring and evaluatin mechanisms that wuld need t guide and assess the implementatin f the plan and achievements f results. The belw prcess wuld guide the develpment f the CSR Strategic Actin Plan: i. Determining a CSR Visin: The CSR visin wuld be hlistic t all the civil service. It wuld be presented t and discussed with all cncerned internal and external stakehlders, including civil sciety and the private sectr. The UCSB based n its mandate n CSR will prpse a draft visin statement and validate it thrugh a brad cnsultative basis. ii. Translating the CSR Visin int Results and Specific Actins: The secnd phase f the prcess wuld be t develp the results statements that wuld be aligned t the visin. This prcess wuld need t be as cnsultative as pssible and invlve all cncerned stakehlders. In rder t ensure brad-base cnsultatins, a natinal cnsultative wrkshp will be rganized that wuld facilitate the identificatin f results/utcmes fr CSR. These results wuld be elabrated int utputs and activities with indicatrs f achievements. iii. Identifying SMART indicatrs and Mnitring and Evaluatin (M&E) Mechanisms: The utcmes, utputs and activities embedded in the plan will require a dedicated mnitring framewrk that wuld need t be institutinalized early in the prcess. There is a need first t determine Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bund (SMART) indicatrs, based n which a M&E plan and framewrk wuld be devised. This framewrk will include respnsible parties/persns t ensure that the results are reached and the frequency f mnitring. iv. Establishing a timeframe fr implementatin: The activities in the plan need t be priritized and scheduling and sequencing f activities carefully examined, given the interrelated character f many activities that wuld be retained in the plan. The timetable is a crucial element fr the M&E framewrk and determines the expected actins by the invlved stakehlders. v. Devising management arrangements and determining inputs and resurces: In supprt f the different activities retained in the plan, inputs and resurces wuld need t be determined in rder t identify what are the requirements fr implementatin. Stakehlders fr implementatin will need t be identified and assigned the task f management/implementatin f activities until results are reached. External supprt fr the Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 4 f 6

5 implementatin f sme activities might be required, and the identificatin f external technical assistance wuld need t be reflected in the plan. C. Cnsultative Wrkshp fr Develping the CSR Strategic Actin Plan The Cnsultative Wrkshp n Develping the Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan aims at supprting the GM in frmalizing a hlistic visin fr CSR in Myanmar and determining a resultriented plan f actin serving as a strategy dcument fr natinal and sub-natinal levels t establish a mdern and cmpetent Civil Service. a. Objectives and Anticipated Results The Cnsultative Wrkshp is expected t yield the fllwing results: ü Instigating brad-base stakehlder discussins n the Myanmar s Civil Service refrm and mdernizatin requirements; ü Ascertaining a Natinal visin fr CSR that wuld enable the State t supprt and cntribute t the plitical and scietal transfrmatin f Myanmar; ü Identifying a plan f actin fr CSR, inclusive f SMART bjectives, utputs and agreed-upn timelines; ü Determining technical and institutinal strengthening requirements in supprt f the delivery f the Actin Plan. b. Frmat The Cnsultative Wrkshp has been designed in manner t prmpt discussins based n factual diagnstic and existing assessments/studies perfrmed r nging in Myanmar, but als t instigate innvative thinking in identifying changes and imprvements thrugh the discussin f internatinal lessns learned f new public management practices. The fllwing prvides the basis fr the frmat f the wrkshp: i. Plenary Discussins have been included at the beginning f each f the tw days in rder t prvide participants with best practices and innvative ways t mdernize and transfrm the civil service. Panel discussins with internatinal and natinal schlars and practitiners will highlight new trends in the public service/civil service and wuld prmpt participants t cnsider new appraches t CSR. ii. Parallel sessins will be rganized t treat the fur themes. Parallel sessins wuld include presentatins by natinal and internatinal experts addressing CS related assessments and studies perfrmed in Myanmar. The Myanmar stakehlders will als be prviding the parallel sessins with presentatins f the current regulatry and institutinal reality gverning the specific tpic/theme discussed. iii. Apprpriate space fr discussin and cnsultative avenues wuld be prvided during the parallel sessins, and discussins in the parallel sessins will help t reach cnsensus n the elements f the CSR Strategic Actin Plan. Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 5 f 6

6 iv. Parallel sessins will be facilitated by prminent Myanmar experts and practitiners and will cmprise dedicated nte takers t recrd discussins and inputs t the CSR Strategic Actin Plan. c. Participants The natinal wrkshp will cmprise gvernment and nn-gvernment stakehlders, including dnrs and develpment partners (as listed belw). Unin Parliament, including staff; Unin Ministries and Gvernmental Institutins/Agencies; States and Regins Gvernments; Civil Sciety Organizatins; Academia and Think Tanks; Media institutins; Dnrs; Develpment Partners; Unin Civil Service Bard (UCSB) and Central Institutes f the Civil Service (CICS). d. Duratin and Scheduling The Natinal Cnsultative Wrkshp will take place ver a perid f tw (2) cnsecutive days, n Thursday and Friday August e. Venue The Wrkshp will be cnvened at the Myanmar Internatinal Cnventin Center (MICC) II, in Nay Pyi Taw. Cncept Nte - Myanmar Civil Service Refrm Strategic Actin Plan Page 6 f 6