Capacity Development in Europe & CIS

Partners discuss sustainability of training for local governance

STRASBOURG – 25 – 26 September 2008 – Jointly organized by the Council of Europe and UNDP, the conference “Towards sustainable training systems and effective capacity development in local government” brought together government representatives from across Europe, local government associations, and other partners.

The question of the day was: How can training contribute to capacity development?  It was agreed that training is an essential element of capacity development, but to ensure sustainable capacity development, training must be part of an overall capacity development strategy – moving beyond the individual learning of new skills to changing workplace behaviour and enhancing institutional capacity and performance of local authorities.

Training should help authorities develop effective and transparent local governance and deliver local public services of the highest standards. The role of international organizations was also discussed and focused on the importance of national ownership, and meeting national needs through effective coordination. Findings and recommendations from the conference can be found in the Final Declaration, to be submitted to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers for approval whereupon member states would be monitored for compliance and implementation.