Public Administration Reform Conference – Brcko Distrtict of BiH
10/11th November, 2006
Public Administration Reform Conference, titled "Public Administration Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina – development directions", held on the November the 10th and 11th in Brcko, rounded in the presentation of the previous results and guidelines for future actions. This event gathered significant number of the representatives from all government levels institutions, directly involved in the reform process.
The event was officiated by the presence of: Mr. Srdja Vranic, national PAR coordinator, Mr. Brano Jovicic, PAR coordinator for Brcko District, Dr. Raffi Gregorian, OHR District Supervisor, Mr Mirsad Djapo, Mayor of Brcko District, MR. Jeroen Willems, EC PAR coordinator, and MR. Folkert Milch, EC Technical Assistance to PAR Program’s Team Leader. Also, the representatives of Public Administration Coordinator’s Office (PARCO) were present as well as the representatives of numerous institutions interested in this process.
Furthermore, numerous members of Working groups, which were involved in the creation of System Reviews of BH public administration that were the milestone and base for PAR Strategy and Action Plan, also took part in this event.
The organizer of the conference was the Brcko District Government, with MR. Jovicic as its representative. Financial support was also provided by the EC Delegation in BiH through its Technical Assistance project and the Team Leader of that Project, Mr Folkert Milch. Of course, PARCO, headed by State coordinator, Mr. Vranic, also actively helped in preparation, organization and subsistence of the conference.
The conference was held in the conference room of the Grand Posavina Hotel in Brcko, and it gathered around 70 participants during two days. Thematically, it was divided in two working days: first working day include presentation and discussion of actual activities in this area in BiH, and second day was reserved for the Brcko District development directions of PAR. The importance of this conference was primarily reflected in the fact that, with regard to successfully finished process of the Strategy adoption at all government levels, the implementation methodology of the first Action Plan was presented for the first time, together with the representation of concrete steps in the implementation of the reform. Also, concrete activities and concrete implementation measures from the Action Plan as the key document for operational directing of the PAR process, was presented.
The schedule of the conference was established in order to enable the presentation of all important and actual questions during this event, which were open for discussion for other paticipants after the presentations. After the inauguration and welcoming speeches of the distinguished guests, thematic part followed, completed with multimedia presentations of certain areas of Strategy implementation, conducted by the moderators.
In that respect, first day comprise the following presentations:
Strategy for Public Administration Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held by Mr. Vranic, where he comprised creating of the Strategy, its origination, forming of working groups, cooperation with experts from Brcko and theirs contribution in creating of that comprehensive document. He also gave short introduction to area of Reform and the methods which will be used in the implementation of Action Plan measures
Action Plan for PAR implementation in BiH, witm Mr. Suad Music, State coordinator Deputy as a moderator.
PAR Strategy and Euro integration process, presented by Mr. Jeroen Willems, PAR Project Manager within EC Delegation in BiH.
Implementation mechanisms for six pillars of Par, including vertical coordination and donors coordination, with moderator, Mr. Folkert Milch, Team Leader of EC Technical Assistance project.
After that, next thematic part, titled "PAR in BiH – development directions", followed. It embraced reports of specific areas of PAR. Within this part, experts From PARCO, headed by Mister Vranic, held shortened presentations of implementation measures for certain areas of public administration. So, together with global presentation, partial presentation was also held:
PAR fund as a one of the reform’s main sources of financing, with Miss. Jadranka Cecar, Expert Associate for finance, coordination, monitoring and evaluation in the PARCO as a a moderator;
Human resources management: current situation, key Strategy areas and reform priorities in following period, moderated by Mr. Aleksandar Karisik, Expert Associate for Human Recourses management area in PARCO;
PAR in BiH – Administrative procedure area, moderated by Mrs. Dragica Lakic, Expert Associate for Administrative Procedure area in PARCO.
Second day of the conference was dedicated to the Brcko District PAR, with introduction presentation of BD PAR coordinator, Mr. Brano Jovicic. He adverted on current situation, progress and results in this area, as well as the trend of reform process itself. That included trend of public administration structure reforming in District, which was even representing some kind of pilot project for public administration reform elsewhere in BiH. Important accent was put on the fact of engaging of foreign professional consulting companies, which conducted projects for improvement of certain public administration areas and created draft of measures to be implemented.
After the exposure of Mr. Jovicic, representatives of two consulting companies engaged in District held the presentations of their projects, activities and final results. Exposition included the presentation of so-called process approach in the shaping of the overall organizational structure of Brcko District administration, and special consultant propositions for organizational redesign in the area of education structures.
This new approach of outsourcing in the area of such complex measures and steps foreseen by the Strategy, should contribute to the opening of new dimensions of thinking to all institutions involved in reform process. It could also create base for some new approaches in conducting of reforms in different area of public administration.
All in all, presented methods of outsourcing and achieved results created interesting institute for future planning of reform activities and initiated numerous questions about that approach’s justification and efficiency. Most of the presentations, during both days, were accompanied with numerous questions, comments, discussions, and they resulted with certain quality recommendations, advices and critics, in the public administration structures reform, and it will certainly be listed in further shaping of implementation measures and structures within the reform process.
Final conclusion heard from majority of participants was that the conference was successfully held, and fulfilled its basic purpose – improvement of public administration reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Click on the link below to see images from the conference:
http://www.parco.gov.ba/cms/index.php?option=com_ponygallery&Itemid=50&func=viewcategory&catid=5