E-Newsletter, August 2010, Volume 2, Number 2

What We Do

Matching Canadian expertise with international democratic development needs
Deployment for Democratic Development (DDD), launched in May 2007, is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and implemented by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) in collaboration with Rights & Democracy (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development). DDD serves the democratic development needs of CIDA branches and their local partners. We recruit and send Canadian democratic development experts to Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in response to requests for assistance from CIDA partner countries.
Click here to learn more about what we do.


Why does DDD have such a unique impact?
DDD is a rapid-turn-around, results-oriented program that provides high-level Canadian expertise in response to CIDA requests for immediate and practical development assistance. The flexibility of DDD to provide stand-alone, short-term, modestly funded support within tight timelines and a complex environment has led to significant results—good value, quality experts, rapid mobilization, geographic and sectoral diversity—for the money spent. Canadians also embrace the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise in developing countries. By partnering with local organizations, DDD ensures successful implementation and long-term sustainability.

What's New?

DDD Case Studies

Strengthening Tanzania’s Public Leadership Code of Ethics Act
As part of DDD’s commitment to knowledge sharing, a series of case studies on individual projects and cross-cutting themes has been produced and is available free of charge online.The newest study, Strengthening Tanzania’s Public Leadership Code of Ethics Act, is the fourth in the series and tells the story of a DDD project in Tanzania on ethics and conflict of interest legislation. The study is written by Mary Gusella, former Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, who worked in close collaboration with the Ethics Commissioner, Honourable Justice Steven Ihema, to revise Tanzania’s Public Leadership Code of Ethics.

Budgétisation sexospécifique : Influer sur les choix en matière de politiques au Niger et en Ukraine
Gender Budgeting: Influencing Policy Choices in Niger and Ukraine addresses two country attempts to increase the gender-responsiveness of government policy and budgetary choices. As a result of the DDD initiative, analysts in the Office of the President in Ukraine now assess the state budget using the project-produced Budget Analysis Manual, which includes a chapter on gender impact assessment. In Niger, three pilot ministries have adapted Quebec’s model on collecting gender-differentiated data in order to understand the differential impacts of ministry policies and programs on men and women. Although published in English last year, this case study is now available online in French. Click here for your free copy.

Spotlight on our Canadian Experts

Here are a few of the outstanding experts who have shared their expertise with developing country partners on behalf of DDD:

Norma Chhab Alperin: Improving the Quality of Bolivia’s National Statistics

Norma heads up the Government Allowance Indexes Section at the Consumer Prices Division at Statistics Canada. She is an expert in time series analysis and prices and has shared her expertise on international development projects in South America, Europe, China and the Caribbean. On behalf of DDD, she is working closely with Bolivia’s National Statistics Institute (INE), which, much like Statistics Canada, produces and disseminates official statistical information. She is providing technical advice, developing methodologies and training INE personnel to help strengthen their statistical system.

John Read: Ensuring Transparent Procurement Procedures in the East African Community
John Read is a federal procurement policy expert, with experience in situation analysis, options development, and presentation of recommendations. On behalf of DDD, John worked closely with the Secretariat of the East African Community, based in Arusha, Tanzania, to ensure transparent procurement procedures. He produced comprehensive procurement policies and processes, with a guiding manual, supporting documentation and training.

Lise Veilleux: Strengthening the Microfinance Sector in Burkina Faso
Lise Veilleux has over a decade of experience in strengthening microfinance institutions in developing countries and for the past 20 years has been a Manager at the Quebec-based Desjardins Group. She has been contracted by DDD to work with Burkina Faso’s Association of Microfinance Institutions to address the economic development of vulnerable groups (namely women), meet their financial services needs and ensure their participation in decision-making processes.

News from the Field

Cameroon: Strengthening Internal Audit Reforms
As part of its efforts to modernize public finance management, Cameroon’s Ministry of Finance has requested DDD assistance to strengthen its institutional and technical capacities in quality internal audits. Canadian finance expert, Jacques Leduc, will help design training modules on performance audits, and will support the ministry in the creation of a guide and accompanying training module for monitoring and auditing of the operations budget.

Guinea: Supporting the Electoral Process
DDD recently deployed elections coordinator Claude Parent to facilitate the observation of the first democratic presidential election held in Guinea since independence in 1958– an election which has been applauded by the international community as democratic, inclusive and transparent. Claude is working closely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)—the body responsible for election administration—to implement free, fair and transparent elections. He will also assist with the parliamentary elections planned for later this year.

Honduras: Establishing a Truth Commission
Officially launched on May 4, 2010, Honduras’ Truth Commission will probe the numerous claims of human rights abuses surrounding the June 2009 coup d’état when the military ousted former President Manuel Zelaya from office and expelled him from the country. The Truth Commission will establish the basis for national reconciliation and strengthen democracy in Honduras, by investigating what happened before, during and after the coup and allowing all parties involved to present their views. This DDD project will enable Michael Kergin, former Canadian ambassador to the US, to serve as one of the international commissioners. He has been named by Honduras to help carry out the Commission’s mandate and contribute to the drafting of the Commission’s report.

Jamaica: Strengthening Development Capacity and Management Practices in Foreign Affairs Policy
Jamaica is transforming its public sector to ensure an efficient, effective and economical government. DDD Experts Paul Crookall and Suzanne Laporte will support the Government of Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its efforts to build the capacity of its civil servants in policy analysis and development; strengthen the management skills, including coaching skills, of its middle and senior level staff to become effective decision makers; and develop a model for succession planning.

Jamaica: Monitoring and Evaluation in the Public Sector
DDD expert Gerry Westland will assist the Government of Jamaica in establishing a results-based monitoring and evaluation system that will assess whether senior executives are performing at the expected level in accordance with the government’s Accountability Framework and agreed upon performance targets. Working closely with the Public Sector Transformation Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister, Gerry will help design the agency specific aspects of the monitoring and evaluation system and conduct workshops for senior executives on the new system and its implementation.

South Sudan: Crisis Recovery Mapping and Analyses (CRMA)
The CRMA is a UNDP-led project to customize a common and sustainable information sharing platform between the Government of South Sudan, federal, state and local authorities, and the relevant international development actors. Working with the Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics and Evaluation, DDD expert Gerald Barber will help build and maintain a crisis recovery platform consisting of multiple integrated databases. He will provide technical support and training to the CRMA team on information management, and will support interoperability and data exchange by identifying existing databases. This project will also support local development planning and programming by conducting gender and age sensitive socio-economic risk mapping in the 10 Southern Sudan states to show how different threats and risks affect women, children and other groups, within different areas in Southern Sudan.

Sudan: Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Process
An integral part of Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of National Unity and the Government of South Sudan, the DDR process will help establish a secure environment in Sudan by focusing on the reintegration of ex-combatants and women associated with armed forces into civilian society. The first phase will focus on the reintegration of 34,000 people, mainly women, the elderly and the disabled. The second phase, scheduled to begin in 2011, will downsize the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and create a regular standing army. DDD has deployed monitoring and evaluation expert Ron Compton to ensure effective implementation of gender-sensitive, transparent and accountable systems; identification of key challenges for women’s economic and social reintegration; efficient use of resources; provision of technical advice and training on monitoring and evaluation, satisfaction/perception surveys, and development of monitoring and evaluation tools.

Sudan: Strengthening Agri-based Options in Sudan’s Reintegration Process
Southern Sudan remains a mainly agrarian-based economy; thus a significant portion of participants in the reintegration program will likely select agriculture, agri-business or livestock options. The key purpose of this DDD initiative is to support sustainable and productive agriculture livelihoods, by increasing the quality of support to those ex-combatants and women associated with armed forces who choose agriculture as their economic reintegration plan. DDD contracted Roger Samson, Executive Director of REAP Canada, to provide technical advice and training on the delivery of economic reintegration support in the agricultural sector; support monitoring and evaluation of agricultural-related projects, including training and material packages; foster inter-agency cooperation and collaboration; identify key constraints to women's participation in agriculture and identify opportunities to strengthen their livelihoods in this sector.

Cuba: Improving Economic Planning
In an effort to address its many economic challenges, Cuba’s Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) is adopting a number of new policy approaches, such as decentralizing decision-making authority to provincial and municipal administrations and identifying measures to stimulate investment and growth. MEP’s agency, the National Institute for Economic Planning and Research (INIE), is the key body providing evidence-based information to influence policy and mid- to long-term economic planning. INIE has requested DDD technical assistance and training in the areas of economic analysis and policies with a focus on introducing modern and innovative approaches for the Cuban economy.

Upcoming Events

REGISTER NOW for IPAC’s 62nd National Annual Conference
IPAC’s 62nd annual conference, Guardians of Our Communities, from Local to Global, is being held from August 22 to 25, 2010 at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. It is Canada’s premier public sector learning and networking event, attracting senior officials from federal, provincial, territory and municipal levels of government, as well as senior representatives from academia and the private sector. For conference details, please visit the conference website. To register online, click here!

Recent Highlights

IPAC Bids Farewell to CEO Gabriel Sékaly
Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Sékaly has left IPAC to return to the Ontario Public Service. For the past four years, Gabriel has implemented strategic directions for IPAC’s offices in Toronto and managed its day-to-day operations. He was known for his regular blog devoted to public administration and policy issues in Canada and around the world. He will be sorely missed by staff and the board of directors, who wish him well in his future endeavours as Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ontario Ministry of Education. Michael Fenn will be interim CEO of IPAC until a replacement is announced in the fall. To read Gabriel’s farewell blog, click here.

University of Toronto’s new School of Global Affairs
In September 2010, the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto will welcome its first class of students into its new professional program: the Master of Global Affairs (MGA). The Munk School of Global Affairs is a center for discussion in global affairs and training in analytical methods and practical management skills. It helps graduates accelerate their careers in business, government and NGOs, as these sectors pursue their strategies in an increasingly interconnected and multi-polar world. For more information, please visit their website.

Guyana: World Press Freedom Day
DDD is currently working with the Guyana Press Association (GPA) to improve the state of media governance in Guyana. On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, the GPA urged journalists and the press to “be vigilant; to seek to be informed, then inform; to know the truth and then make it known”. In its message, the GPA stated that press freedom can only be sustained by a dynamic, strong and vibrant press and “consistent and persistent investigative work by our journalists to ensure that the tenets of our democracy remain strong”. To read their message in its entirety, click here.

Tools and Trust: Building a Citizen-engagement Savvy Public Service
At the request of IPAC, Paul Crookall, Management Consultant and Editor Emeritus of Canadian Government Executive Magazine, delivered a presentation at the United Nations Conference e-Government and New Technologies: Towards better citizen engagement for development held in Geneva, Switzerland on May 14, 2010. Click here for a copy of his presentation. A more comprehensive report is available on the IPAC website.

Minister Beverley Oda Stresses More Accountability in International Development
On June 16, 2010, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, delivered the keynote address at a two-day conference on Governing Global Development: The Role of the G-8 in Health, Nutrition and Food, held at the Munk School of Global Affairs, prior to the start of the Muskoka 2010 G-8 Summit. As G8 countries represent almost 70 % percent of worldwide international development support, Minister Oda outlined the importance of the need for more accountability in global development. For a copy of her speaking notes, click here.

IIAS/IASIA hold Joint Congress in Bali, Indonesia
From July 12 to 17, 2010, the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) held the 28th International Congress of Administrative Sciences in Bali, Indonesia to address contemporary issues of public administration. The two major themes are: Public Administration Facing New Dynamics: Constraints, Innovation and Sustainability), and Public Sector Strategies for Overcoming Growing Global Inequality. Denise Amyot, IPAC’s incoming President, represented IPAC at the Congress. For additional information, please visit the the Congress website or read the invitation brochure.

Worth Browsing!

The World Bank Data Finder
The Data Finder allows you to find, search, share and interact with key development data, all in one place. Use world maps to visualize and compare 54 key development indicators country-by-country and year-by-year. Then, take your findings to-go using export and embed features.

Centre for Intercultural Learning
Established in 1969, the Centre for Intercultural Learning is Canada's largest provider of cross-cultural and international training services for internationally-assigned government and private sector personnel. The Centre works with government departments and agencies, NGOs, as well as private sector enterprises with international involvement. It organizes Intercultural Facilitation & Organizational Development (iFOD) workshops and the International Personnel Assessment (iPAss) for managers of intercultural projects and human resource professionals who wish to acquire the intercultural skills vital to a successful international experience.

Docuticker
DocuTicker is a daily E-mail newsletter that provides information about free, authoritative resources that have recently become available on the Internet. These resources include a selection of reports and publications from government agencies, NGOs, think tanks and other public interest organizations. Registration is free.

Get Involved!

DDD recruits Canadians with expertise in democratic governance, freedom and democracy, human rights, rule of law and accountable public institutions. We draw on innovative and experienced practitioners from various sources and networks, as well as from organizations with expertise in democratic development. Interested organizations can register directly with DDD by using our Institution Registration Form. Individuals can send their resume to international@ipac.ca.

Stay Informed

We invite you to stay up-to-date on DDD’s latest news.
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