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37 
 Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XI, Nos. 1 (January-June 1999)
SETTING THE AGENDA FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE 
Setting the Agenda for Global Governance
GUIDO BERTUCCI,Department of Economic and Social AffairsUnited Nations
A Global Agenda
MANY OF THE problems and issues facing humankind at the dawn of the 21
st
Century havedramatic global dimensions. Without taking the global dimension seriously, we muddleabout solution hunting at our peril. From global warming to poverty alleviation to economicgrowth, we are confronted with daunting realities. What happens in other parts of the worldaffects other parts. To use a dramatic local example, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the1990s led to climate alterations in most parts of the world, as the clouds of soot drifted acrosswhole oceans and affected crops, health and pollution. Current issues of protracted conflict,child soldiers and landmines likewise do not respect national borders. Definitely, partnershipsare necessary; for example among government, between public and private sectors, andbetween officials and community individuals and groups. Global issues beget globalgovernance.The six major United Nations (UN) conferences of the 1990s and the resumed 50
th
session of the General Assembly on public administration and development taken together,set out an ambitious agenda for action to solve the major global economic and social problemswithin defined time periods. Most of the recommendations adopted were directed atgovernments. Usually, the most taxing issue is whether governments will endorse UNconference recommendations and whether the governments will develop national and localpolicies complementary to the international recommendations. However, a more fundamentalissue is whether or not the national and local governments have the human, financial andinstitutional capacity to implement these recommendations. Moreover, people andorganizations in communities need to be aware, knowledgeable and active in support of theserecommendations, if we will see the day when “thinking globally” is truly translated into“acting locally.”
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The importance of public administration in the realization of the outcomes of theseconferences was recognized by the General Assembly in its resolution 50/225, which“Recognizes the importance of the major United Nations conferences and urges thedevelopment of the necessary capabilities to enable public administration to implement thecommitments agreed upon in an affective and coodinated matter” (para. 10).
A New Transparent, Accountable, and Participatory Public Administration
The conferences themselves recognized the importance of effective public administration inthe implementation of their recommendations for action. As the preamble to Agenda 21states: Agenda 21’s “successful implementation is first and foremost the responsibility of Governments. National strategies, plans, policies and processes are crucial in achievingthis.” Additionally,
 
 Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XI, No. 1 (January-June 1999)
 
38ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 
good management that fosters the association of effective, efficient, honest, equitable and accountable publicadministration with individual rights and opportunities is an essential element for sustainable, broadly baseddevelopment and sound economic performance at all development levels (para. 32).
Similarly, the Habitat Agenda states a commitment to
(enable) local leadership, (promote) democratic rule, (exercise) public authority and (use) Public resources in allpublic institutions at all levels in a manner that is conducive to ensuring transparent, responsible, accountable, just, effective and efficient governance of towns, cities and metropolitan areas (para. 45 [a]).
There is an additional commitment to
(decentralize) authority and resources, as appropriate, as well as functions and responsibilities to the level mosteffective in addressing the needs of people in their settlements (para. 45 [c]).
The task of implementing the recommendations of international conferences is difficult.Each conference produces documents made up of negotiated texts which are long and complex.Each reflects the interests of the constituencies represented and the issues with which they areconcerned. Taken as a whole they total thousands of pages of diagnosis, norms and specificactions to take. However, because of the imperative felt by governments to use agreedlanguage consistently, the results of the conferences are remarkably similar; most importantly,they represent an agreement among states.The imperatives developed through these conferences involve all levels of participants:international and local, as well as NGOs private sector and communities.Although some recommendations involve duties that most governments would agree are“standard” such as adequate education and health care, most recommendations requestgovernments to move into policy areas that are new or to adopt new governance mechanisms.They are expected to deliver services in a gender-sensitive way. They are expected torespect human rights in their exercise of police powers. They are expected to be modelemployers. They are expected to build into their procedures ample public participation andto decentralize their activities to the level of government closest to the people.Most of these imperatives are not single organization tasks, but require intra-governmental,as well as inter-sectoral, partnerships. A first approach to examining what the programs andplans of action require is to look at the government sectors that are called upon to take theactions. For each sector in which a recommendation is made, an example is given of thetypes of imperatives suggested in the respective conference document.Recommendations are made in all of the main sectors of government social activity(education, health, social welfare and labor), but less in the economic sectors (trade, agriculture,industry, and education). Few recommendations are made in conferences about the “flag”functions of foreign affairs and defense. However, recommendations are made in mostconferences about finance, planning, legal matters, local government and general governmentadministration.
 
39
 Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XI, Nos. 1 (January-June 1999)
SETTING THE AGENDA FOR GLOBAL GOVERNANCE 
For the areas of traditional government involvement, like education and health, the clearemphasis is on increasing the delivery of services to meet needs. Most of the conferencesmake reference to achieving the internationally agreed targets. For example, the BeijingPlatform for Action (para.106 [i]) recalls a series of targets in the area of health:•Achieve world wide the agreed upon goal of reducing maternal mortality byat least fifty percent of the 1990 levels by the year 2000 and a further onehalf by the year 2015;•Ensure that the necessary services are available at each level of the healthsystem and make reproductive health care accessible, through the primaryhealth-care system, to all individuals of appropriate ages as soon as possibleand no later than the year 2015.Similar recommendations are made regarding universal education, provision of agriculturalextension services, collection of statistics. There is an assumption that governments will dowhat they are expected to do.
Forging New Partnerships
The main types of re-orientation specified in the various plans, programs and platforms foraction have to do with the relationship or partnership with civil society. There are frequentrequests for increased popular participation in decision-making, involvement of beneficiariesin the design and management of programs and bringing decision-making closer to the pointof service delivery. This often includes decentralization, strengthening local authorities anddeveloping innovative partnerships with non-governmental organizations and with the privatesector in implementing programs.Some new activities are technology-related. A number of recommendations call upongovernments to use, and disseminate, new information technologies as a means to enhancinggovernment services and improving participation. Governments are requested to promote theuse of technology. This is particularly evident in the context of government efforts to protectthe environment.Other activities involve government programs to deal with new areas where governmentis expected to take actions. Two areas stand out: general government efforts to monitor theimplementation of human rights standards and efforts to identify, prevent and sanction violenceagainst women.The plans, programs, and platforms of action themselves are not particularly specificabout how public administration is expected to respond to the increased, modified or newtasks set out in the documents. However all are consistent with the principles set out inGeneral Assembly 50/225: that resolution called for public administration that is transparentand accountable (para. 6); sound, efficient, and well equipped with appropriate capacities andcapabilities (para. 7); having enhanced efficiency and productivity, accountability and
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