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Public Services Can Maximise Benefits Of Globalisation

15 July 2004

Cox
"Canada has shown that the institutions of effective democracy and good governance have to be and can be nurtured by a competent civil service"
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox said it is important for countries to respond to the forces of globalisation and economic liberalisation to maximise the benefits and minimise the losses from these processes, noting that the public services can play a contributory role. 

Mr Cox, who was speaking at the opening of the Cabinet Secretaries Leadership Seminar in Ottawa, Canada, on 5 July 2004, urged the public service to maintain its focus on core values of service to the community and to adopt business practices and principles, besides promoting partnerships with the private sector. He commended Canada for being a model for the development of a non-politicised professional public service. Drawing on this example, he stressed the need for constant reform, with improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness of public service delivery mechanisms across the Commonwealth. 

"Canada has shown that the institutions of effective democracy and good governance have to be and can be nurtured by a competent civil service, which remains a dominant player and a driving force in national development. Its performance is central to all facets of a country's socio-economic and political development," said the Deputy Secretary-General at the seminar co-organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division and the Public Policy Forum of Canada. 

The 15 heads of Public Services from across the Commonwealth who participated in the meeting discussed various issues including the implications of political appointments on the professionalism and neutrality of the public service. They recognised the importance of maintaining a politically neutral public service, which is fundamental to safeguarding the democratic institutions of government. The delegates agreed on the need to strengthen public service capacity to manage the smooth transition of governance during a change in government, and acknowledged the role of the public service in facilitating continuity during the transition from one political party to another. They discussed the importance of clarity, sustainability and feasibility of public service programmes and the capacity to implement them. The participants noted the impact of conflict on public service structures and human resources, and the need to accelerate development of the senior civil service cadre.

 

CNIS -    the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 192   14 July 2004

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