Speech by Luiz de Mello, OECD, given at the conference on The Principles of Public Administration: A framework for ENP countries. The event was co-organised by SIGMA with the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the EU, it took place at the Dead Sea, Jordan 10 May 2016.

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Dear Minister Fakhoury, Director Koehler, Ambassadors, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here in Amman to introduce The Principles of Public Administration: A Framework for ENP
Countries to such a prominent audience, particularly key decision makers from so many countries, who are steering
and promoting public administration reforms in their own administration.
I think we all know very well that good governance and good public administration do matter for economic
development and inclusive growth. Representing a significant share of our economies, the public sector is vital to
all aspects of well-being. An effective and accountable public service is essential to support the businesses that
create jobs, equip young people with the skills they need for fulfilling careers, and provide the services that citizens
expect throughout their lives.
I am convinced that the role of the public administration in ensuring well-being is now crucial. Global and
universal commitments such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals require effective and accountable public
sectors to implement them successfully.
Good public governance has a significant impact on government performance and is therefore essential in
building trust in government and delivering necessary structural reforms. In recognition of this, governance
issues have moved to the centre of policy debates in the OECD and its member countries in recent years.
In most OECD countries, growth has slowed significantly over the recent decade, and countries are still struggling
to return to the levels of before the economic and financial crisis in 2008. In parallel, we have seen levels of income
inequality and poverty rise, particularly among children and youth. This has undoubtedly impacted the social fabric
of communities, reducing social cohesion and diminishing trust in public institutions.
The average level of confidence in the national government of OECD countries stood at 43% in 2015, still below
pre-crisis levels. This means that the majority of the population in OECD countries doesn't trust governments. In
some EU countries, trust in government has fallen by more than 20 percentage points. As we can see looking at
current political developments, now more than ever citizens have doubts about their Government’s capacities to
make the right decisions and increasingly, many groups feel disconnected: for example, youth, minorities,
immigrants and women.
Let’s not forget that public trust is one of the most precious assets a country can have. It is the cornerstone of
effective governance, the main ingredient to promote economic growth and social progress. Without trust in
government, no policy, no reform, will be ambitious or effective enough to achieve more prosperous and equitable
societies. Citizens are increasingly aware of the scale of challenges such as inequality, migration and climate
change, and they expect governments to look beyond electoral timetables and bureaucratic silos to find durable and
equitable solutions.
Countries in the MENA region are facing similar challenges in terms of a growing disconnection between the
government and citizens, in particular among the younger generation. The OECD regional report “Youth in the
MENA region: How to bring them in”, which was prepared by the MENA-OECD Governance Programme, finds
that young men and women across the region express less trust in government than their parents. In line with the

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OECD Trust Strategy, which refers to openness as one of the building blocks of restoring trust, the report
recommends that governments should make critical information available to youth, and promote new and
innovative ways to allow for their systematic engagement in public life. As you may know, the MENA-OECD
Governance Programme celebrated its 10th
anniversary last year – a year in which its mandate was renewed for
2016-2020. Let me thank Morocco for the excellent collaboration as the chair of the Programme over the last year
and congratulate Tunisia for taking over the chairmanship.
For the MENA region, the G7 Deauville Partnership has played a major role in promoting more open and inclusive
policy making and citizen participation for restoring trust in government. The OECD is very pleased to work with
the Deauville Partnership on this priority for the region. In November 2015 in Berlin, the Deauville Partnership
endorsed the first Civil Society Charter with the participation of the EU [You may wish to turn to Michael Koehler
from the EU with whom you met in the Berlin conference].
Many Eastern European countries are also facing a crisis of public trust in their state institutions. According to the
OECD regional report "Anti-Corruption Reforms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Progress and Challenges,
2013-2015", despite many reform efforts, state institutions remain weak, while poor governance and corruption
limit social and economic development. However, the reform efforts taken have helped to identify effective tools
which allow increasing integrity and the building of transparent and effective public institutions. The OECD
regional study "Prevention of Corruption in the Public Sector in Eastern Europe and Central Asia" presents a
number of these tools, which have shown positive results in some countries and could be applied to others who
seek to boost integrity, transparency and the quality of their state bodies.
It is therefore time to take action and re-build confidence in our public institutions. Good governance needs good
public administration. Strengthening the public administration through structured reforms is an essential
foundation for restoring trust in public institutions. This requires that we review our institutional arrangements to
support inclusive growth - including giving voice to citizens, getting the design right for better and more
sustainable interventions, ensuring capacity for delivery and strengthening accountability. All of these aspects were
agreed in Helsinki during our Public Governance Ministerial, where Ministers called for a new vision for Public
Governance.
The European Commission’s strengthened focus on public administration reform in European Neighbourhood
countries is a great step forward in this direction. I am particularly pleased that the Principles of Public
Administration have been developed jointly by the OECD and the European Commission through SIGMA, which
has been a successful partnership initiative of the two organisations for almost 25 years.
This co-operation has made it possible to combine EU Neighbourhood Policy dynamics with OECD public
governance expertise and to converge decades of experience from both OECD countries and EU member states,
including former EU accession countries.
The Principles of Public Administration provide a definition of good public administration. And I should
emphasise that they only outline basic and fundamental requirements that should be in place, not what some
would describe as the “nice to have”.

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It may sound easy, but we all know that the implementation of fundamental reforms is a paramount task; it takes
time, and requires dedication and persistence from the political and administrative leadership of the country.
The Principles offer a framework for governments and policy makers, but also for senior managers responsible
for reforms, which will enable them to design, monitor and steer reforms in the area of public administration. The
framework also provides tools to analyse what has been achieved and whether the outcomes of the work of the
administration have improved.
There are 38 Principles presented in both the booklet and the more comprehensive publication that you have been
given. I would like to highlight some of the key elements, which help to determine the success of reforms.
First, implementation of the Principles has a direct impact on trust in government. In particular, recent research by
the OECD illustrates that openness, inclusiveness, accountability and reliability in a country determine whether or
not citizens have trust in their Government. These values are the cornerstones of the Principles.
Second, we recently held discussions with top decision makers from the centres of government of OECD countries
on how strong leadership is crucial for successful reforms. It is in your hands to guide and deliver reforms within
your own country and to motivate others in your own administration. To achieve that, it is necessary to create an
environment which promotes innovation and a degree of risk taking, and rewards top managers who are successful
in the implementation of reforms.
Third, successful reforms take into account financial circumstances and are designed to be financially sustainable,
especially after donor assistance is phased out. Therefore, proper planning of implementation costs and a close link
between policy planning and management of public finances is crucial.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Principles are designed as a toolkit for decision makers who strive for good
administration in their countries. Although the challenges of each country differ and depend on multiple factors, the
framework provides a general direction and helps to prioritise reforms. Through a strong focus on implementation
and the collection of evidence on actual performance, the Principles provide a set of building blocks for reforms
within a defined framework that I really believe can assist you in designing and implementing a public
administration reform vision.
The sharing of experiences is a key component of good public governance - learning from what has worked and
what has not, and of course adapting these lessons to specific contexts. This is at the heart of the OECD/SIGMA
programme which, as you know, supports reform delivery. I would like to give the floor now to the Head of
SIGMA, Ms. Karen Hill, who will provide further insight into the Principles and the role of SIGMA in the process.
Thank you very much.
Luiz de Mello,
Deputy Director, Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development, OECD