• areas of focus cover activities concerned with civil service reform, decentralization, intergovernmental relations, the changing role of government in economic development and capacity building.

Public Sector Management Theme

• Workshop on decentralization, February (4th week 1998), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• ECA/DESA Conference on Governance 2-6 March 1998, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Enterprise Performance in Africa May 1998,(Venue to be determined).
• GCA/OAU/ECA Governance Conference 25 May 1998, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• African Governance Forum ECA-UNDP, 1 June 1998, Accra, Ghana.

1997 Publications

"Source Book of African People's Organizations"

"Documenting successful NGOs experience"

"Small Business Management - A training Manual" No. 6.

"Special Initiative on Governance in Africa - Consultation Report"

"People First": Vol. 7, No. 1,

"Etudies sur le developpement participatif - cas du Niger" - No. 6

"Training Workshop on project formulation methods and resource mobilization strategies"

"Leadership Training: Consultative Symposium on Strengthening Capacity for Gender Initiatives and Sub- regional Co-operation"

Upcoming Publications (1998)

Public Sector Management Theme

• Development Management Newsletter.
• Comparative Study of Civil Service Reform Policies, Strategies and Effectiveness in Other Countries and Lessons for Africa.
• Effective Systems of Ethics and Accountability in African Public Services.

"Source Book of African People's Organizations"

The Division has published a two Volume Source Book on African People's Organizations. The Source Book has over 2000 entries of people's organizations and contains essential information and Scope of Programme activities. It is designed to facilitate networking among and contacts with a rapidly growing number of people's organizations in Africa.

"Documenting successful NGOs experience"

A case study of Ethiopia". This is the first of a series of case studies that will be prepared on the performance and affectiveness of African NGOs. This particular issue looks at the famine period in Ethiopia and the international community's response to assist drought and famine victims. A great deal of the relief assistance was carried out by the NGOs and /or channelled through them by donor agencies. A large number of international NGOs came to Ethiopia to undertake relief operation and to assist in rehabilitation efforts. A number of local NGOs emerged during the same period to join the massive program assistance. This case study seeks to investigate and draw useful experiences from the operations and development efforts of selected NGOs, both international and indigenous, and particularly their efforts to improve the quality of life of the rural and urban poor in Ethiopia.

"Small Business Management - A training Manual" No. 6.

The promotion of small-scale enterprise as a vehicle for growth and poverty alleviation in Africa is an area that is gaining wide acceptance by experts and policy makers. As the role of the NGOs and POs is slowly shifting from relief types of activities to a more complicated development oriented actions, the need to have a through understanding of how income generating units operate has become very crucial. The manual puts forward a "how to" guide on ways NGOs can assist new and emerging community based small and medium enterprises with organizing and managing their financial affairs. The manual has already generated considerable interest among NGOs engaged in income activities as expressed by the increasing demand for the publication.

"Special Initiative on Governance in Africa - Consultation Report"

This was an NGO/CSO Regional Consultation on Governance in Africa. UNDP and ECA shared responsibility under the UNSSIA for improving coordination in the areas of capacity building, peace-building, conflict resolution and national reconciliation, and strengthening civil society for development, all linked to the governance agenda. Effective good governance and sustainable development is predicated on efficient public sector management systems and practices; establishment of appropriate legal frameworks that guarantee the rule of law; instalment of systems that ensure both economic and financial accountability; and ensure transparency. The consultation noted both the state and non-state sectors must reach a consensus on a common definition, priority agenda and practical modalities for popular participation in governance. It also noted that defining the nexus between popular participation, governance, peace, and development must invariably include the collaborative initiatives of various actors including ECA, UNDP, and the OAU on one hand and representative African governments, African NGOs and other civic organizations in the continent.

"People First": Vol. 7, No. 1,

This Newsletter is published twice a year by the Popular Participation in Development of the Development Management Division. It is intended to facilitate dialogue among the development community on issues related to participation and development in Africa. This particular issue focuses on Analysis of conflict in Africa. Topics highlighted in the current volume include: The Kampala Peace Conference; The United Nations agenda for Peace; Emergence of Local Peoples Organizations in Time of conflict: Lessons from the Somaliland; and UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa.

"Etudies sur le developpement participatif - cas du Niger" - No. 6

Without the active involvement of people and their organizations in the development process, improvements of human conditions can neither be achieved nor sustained. The study is designed to promote and facilitate the institutionalization of participatory processes and enhance people's involvement in the political, social and economic lives of the country and the sharing of experiences, ideas, concepts, institutional mechanism and organizational forms on participatory development.

"Training Workshop on project formulation methods and resource mobilization strategies"

This training workshop was particularly targeted and organized to NGOs operating in Ormomia Region in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The program was developed as a result of a need assessment mission organized by members of the Technical Committee for Reintegration Programme in Oromia region. In this training workshop, trainees were exposed to a comprehensive approach of project preparation and design that is based on the "logical framework" methodology.

"Leadership Training: Consultative Symposium on Strengthening Capacity for Gender Initiatives and Sub- regional Co-operation"

Two major issues which must be addressed in order to realize meaningful economic empowerment for women include: access and control of productive resources; and, integrating women into economic related decision making structures. Yet in Africa, no appreciable development, so far, taken place to demonstrate narrowing of the gender-gap. A lot remains to be done. Recommendations of the Global and Regional Platforms of Action, provide the framework for dealing with gender equity. Due to the importance of this issue, several initiatives, actors and mechanism are in place in several African countries and more continue to emerge. The symposium provided a forum for the actors' stakeholder to address the critical issues of economic empowerment for gender equity in the Eastern African sub-region, and formulate policies, strategies, alternative mechanism etc. to address this critical issue.