Strengthening Reform Initiatives in the Public Administration (completed)

Context

Since 2011, Egypt has been facing major socio-political, economic and societal challenges. Citizens are demanding a more efficient public administration, stronger protection and promotion of human rights, as well as sound coordination of development projects.

Modernising the human resource management is a top priority in reforming the public administration. While the wages of the estimated six million civil servants account for a quarter of public spending, the civil service still needs to become more efficient, transparent and service-oriented. With the Egypt Vision 2030 and the Civil Service Law of 2016, the government has initiated a comprehensive programme to pursue necessary reforms. However, the responsible institutions need support in enhancing their technical and organisational skills to implement them.

Although human rights are firmly enshrined in Egypt’s 2014 Constitution, many of them have yet to be translated into laws and government practice. The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) is the key state institution for protecting and promoting human rights and acts as a bridge between citizens, civil society and the government. The NCHR is mandated to monitor and report on the human rights situation, advise the government on its laws and policies, examine complaints from citizens, as well as foster awareness in the society. To fulfil its mandate, further strengthening of the NCHR’s institutional capacities and human skills is necessary.

The Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation (MIIC) is the national institution responsible for managing development assistance. It has a key role in ensuring alignment to national strategies and aid effectiveness. Fulfilling this mandate requires to further develop the MIIC’s institutional and human skills.

Objective

Selected public institutions perform their roles more effectively and in better response to needs.

Approach

The project Strengthening Reform Initiatives in the Public Administration supports the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform (MoPMAR) and the Central Agency for Organisation and Administration (CAOA) in introducing an efficient human resource management system in public administration. The partner institutions have piloted new structures and processes in-house and in four other public institutions. With support of the project, they are sharing their experience to reform the human resource management throughout the entire public administration. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH also provides support in the implementation of the new Civil Service Law as well as in digitalisation and e-government.

The project supports the NCHR in promoting greater awareness of human rights, both among the population and within public institutions, for example through improved outreach campaigns. It also supports the NCHR in international exchanges of experience, and assists in improving accessibility, effectiveness and transparency of its complaint mechanism. Moreover, the project provides institutional development measures for selected departments, as well as training in technical and organisational skills for NCHR staff.

GIZ supports MIIC to coordinate and monitor the effective implementation of official development assistance through enhancing its institutional and human skills.

Results

The project supported CAOA in redesigning the performance management system for all civil servants. With support of GIZ, over 1,300 civil servants have been trained in different human resource management skills, such as strategic personnel planning, as well as in key qualifications, such as organisational development.

Moreover, through improved awareness raising campaigns in seven governorates the NCHR sensitised over 200 public officials and over 650 citizens including children and youth on human rights. Over 100 staff of the NCHR from Cairo and nine governorates have been trained in different human rights topics, amongst them in human rights education for children.