Democratic Governance in Europe & CIS

Democratic Governance

Sustainable human development cannot be achieved without strong political and legal institutions. This is true for those countries that underwent dramatic transitions from Soviet-era structures after 1989, as well as for other countries in UNDP’s Europe and CIS region, such as Turkey.

Despite the momentous changes of recent years, economic growth in Europe and the CIS has not always translated into measurable human development, and progress towards achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals is slower than desired. Many countries suffer a lack of political will and capacities to implement pro-poor policies. Governments do not always deliver effective services, nor see themselves as accountable to citizens. Perceptions of corruption remain high, and the level of citizen participation in governance processes is low.

UNDP’s Regional Democratic Governance Practice, based in Slovakia, addresses these deficits by helping 24 country offices in Europe and the CIS improve their programming and policy advisory services in the following areas:

• Human rights and access to justice;
• Local governance and decentralization;
• Public administration reform and anti-corruption.  

In each area, the Practice takes a ‘capacity development’ approach, strengthening the capacity of institutions at the national, regional and local levels to deliver public goods and services more efficiently and effectively, and in a sustainable manner. 

Furthermore, the Practice assists those countries that have completed the transition – in particular, the new members of the European Union – in sharing their experience with countries less developed than they (East-East cooperation).

Through its work supporting country offices, integrating lessons learned from global practices, and building partnerships, the Regional Democratic Governance Practice has helped governments improve their planning and budgeting, deliver more effective public services and foster greater political participation – particularly among ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups.