10 -13 February, 2014
A mission consisting of the Minister of National Planning and Development, Minister of Justice, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, State Minister of Education, Deputy Minister of Health, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Director General of the Ministry of Education, Deputy Chairman and current acting Chairman of the Good Governance Commission, Director General of the Presidency, Director of the Civil Service Institute, the Coordinator of Public Finance Reform, the Planning Department heads of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade, and advisers to the Civil Service Commission and Civil Service Institute held a meeting in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia from 10 – 13 February. They were joined by representatives from UK Department for International Development (DFID), Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the World Bank, the European Union and UNDP.
The meeting was organized and supported by DFID and was facilitated by experts from the UK National School of Government International.
The purpose of the meeting was to assess progress of the Civil Service Reform, learn from the experience of other countries and accelerate the pace of the reform. Following two days of intensive discussion, the key decisions made include:
1. To set up a Secretariat to support the Civil Service Reform Committee appointed by the President.
2. To create a National Reform Committee that is responsible for coordinating the various public sector reforms underway including Justice Sector Reform, Public Sector Reform, Civil Service Reform, Decentralisation, Security Sector Reform, and Public Finance Reform.
3. To amend and apply the Civil Service Law and use Presidential Decrees to fill gaps until amendments are approved by parliament.
4. To develop a human resources development plan which involves regular functional-based training for all public servants from ministers to junior staff.
5. To assign the Good Governance Commission the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the Civil Service Reform.
6. To appoint and Preparatory Committee to act immediately on the decisions taken at the meeting.
Words without actions never to heaven to go ! Acountry ruled by Hersi Gaab cannot cultivate the cutlure that is needed, the principle to protect discipline, the notion to develop human resources, the idealogy that can steer the nation out of its political mess, the mentality that can mobilize the people, and the transparency that can bring the trust to the public.