CONFERENCES

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2010 African Regional Conference: Good Governance, Accountability & Trust

Date: May 17, 2010 Registration Document: Download PDF Online Registration Price(s):    Member: $1000    Non-Member: $1200    Registration with individual membership: $1140 The success of democracies, international alliances and even individual relationships, depends on a solid framework of trust. As early as 500 BC, Confucius recognized that “... without trust, there can be no government.” For many countries, the decline in public confidence in government has been fuelled by high profile ethical failures in the public and private sectors, and citizen disappointment as governments struggle to address key issues such as poverty, economic development, employment security, and global pandemics. However, trust cannot be asserted, demanded or legislated. It must be earned through demonstrated accountability, integrity, values and ethics. To build public confidence, governments must commit to improving efficiency in service delivery, eliminating the perceived culture of entitlement by senior officials, and to involving citizens in governance processes. This conference will examine the effectiveness of these and other strategies in strengthening trust and accountability between citizens, political leaders and the public service. The conference will explore three key relationships involved in building trust and accountability in governance. These relationships will introduce the following themes: The relationship between Citizens and Political Leaders: • How does electoral reform strengthen citizen trust and participation in governance processes? • How can we improve citizen engagement, both in the process for developing policies and programmes and in the handling of complaints and concerns? The relationship between Political Leaders and the Public Service: • What forms of leadership are required to build and strengthen public service ethics and to challenge corruption? • How can we strengthen the political-administrative interface by building the dynamics of trust and responsiveness? • Are the systems for accountability and performance management adequate for Ministers and public servants? The relationship between the Public Service and Citizens: • How can we build and foster a service oriented culture in the public service? • In an environment of limited resources, what are the strategies for improving both the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery? • Given the diversity of citizen populations, how can government better customize service delivery mechanisms to meet and measure changing citizen’s needs?