The spread of transparency regimes across the globe during the first decade of the 21st century has been phenomenal. Today, nearly a hundred countries have taken steps towards developing a transparency regime or are considering the idea of establishing one.
While transparency laws have been passed in India (2005), Nepal (2007), and Bangladesh (2009), each of these countries is still in the process of developing systems and support for the effective implementation of their transparency regimes. Among the other South Asian countries, while Pakistan passed an ordinance in 2002, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka have yet to pass a law or any other instrument for transparency.
To help the countries of the region to strengthen their governance programs and provide better services to their citizens by establishing and promoting systems for transparency, a regional workshop is being organised by Indian Institute of Public Administration in collaboration with the World Bank-funded Governance Partnership Facility (GPF).
The workshop, “Towards More Open and Transparent Governance in South Asia,” is being held on April 27-29, 2010 in New Delhi. It will include participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as international experts. This is the first major event at the regional level to discuss transparency issues and share best practices.
A key goal of the workshop is for participants to define country priorities, learn from each other, and identify opportunities for regional collaboration. Discussions will cover a range of experiences from South Asian countries as well as lessons from other regions, particularly from South Africa, Mexico, and Canada.
Participants will be encouraged to contribute and actively engage in the deliberations so that each country delegation returns with a set of actionable priorities and a process within which to implement them.
In addition to increasing their knowledge, the workshop seeks to create a support group of experienced and committed regional leaders in the field of transparency which will enable them to carry out their work within their respective countries and across the South Asian region as a whole.
Click Here For More Information on RTI |
RSS