Basis for action
13.7. Building the capacity and self-reliance of countries to undertake concerted
national action to promote sustained economic growth, to further sustainable
national development and to improve the quality of life for the people is a fundamental
goal. This requires the retention, motivation and participation of appropriately
trained personnel working within effective institutional arrangements, as well
as relevant involvement by the private sector and non-governmental organizations.
The lack of adequate management skills, particularly in the least developed countries,
critically reduces the ability for strategic planning, weakens programme execution,
lessens the quality of services andthus diminishes the usefulness of programmes
to their beneficiaries. The recent trend towards decentralization of authority
in national population and development programmes, particularly in government
programmes, significantly increases the requirement for trained staff to meet
new or expanded responsibilities at the lower administrative levels. It also modifies
the "skill mix" required in central institutions, with policy analysis,
evaluation and strategic planning having higherpriority than previously.
Objectives
13.8. The objectives are:
- To improve national capacities and the cost-effectiveness, quality and
impact of national population anddevelopment strategies, plans, policies and
programmes, while ensuring their accountability to all persons served, in particular the
most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society, including the rural population
and adolescents;
- To facilitate and accelerate the collection, analysis and flow of data
and information between actors in national population and development programmes
in order to enhance the formulation of strategies, policies, plans and programmes
and monitor and evaluate their implementation and impact;
- To increase the skill level and accountability of managers and others involved
in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national population and development
strategies, policies, plans and programmes;
- To incorporate user and gender perspectives in training programmes and
ensure the availability, motivation and retention of appropriately trained personnel,
including women, for the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
of national population and development strategies, policies, plans andprogrammes.
Actions
13.9. Countries should:
- Formulate and implement human resource development programmes in a manner
that explicitly addresses the needs of population and development strategies,
policies, plans and programmes, giving special consideration to the basic education,training
and employment of women at all levels, especially at decision-making and managerial
levels, and to the incorporation of user and gender perspectives throughout the
training programmes;
- Ensure the nationwide and efficient placement of trained personnel managing
population and development strategies, policies, plans and programmes;
- Continuously upgrade the management skills of service delivery personnel
to enhance the cost-effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the social services
sector;
- Rationalize remuneration and related matters, terms andconditions of service
to ensure equal pay for equal work by women and men and the retention and advancement
of managerial and technical personnel involved in population and development programmes,
and thereby improve national execution of these programmes;
- Establish innovative mechanisms to promote experience-sharing in population
and development programme management within and among countries at subregional,
regional, interregional and international levels in order to foster relevant national
expertise;
- Develop and maintain databases of national experts and institutions of
excellence in order to foster the use of national competence, giving special
consideration to the inclusion of women and youth;
- Ensure effective communication with, and the involvement of, programme
beneficiaries at all levels, in particular at rural levels, in order to ensure
better overall programme management.
13.10. Governments should give special attention to the development and implementation
of client-centred management information systems for population and development,
andparticularly for reproductive health, including family- planning and sexual
health programmes, covering both governmental and non-governmental activities
and containing regularly updated data on clientele, expenditures, infrastructure,
service accessibility,output and quality of services.
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© 2001 by Ulrich Schmitthenner •
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