Civil Administration Reform: Accord for a Firm and Lasting Peace

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Civil Administration Reform: Accord for a Firm and Lasting Peace

Implementations

Civil Administration Reform – 1997

The accord provided for the professionalization of civil servants in an attempt to modernize the government service, establish a career civil service, promote integrity and accountability, strengthen and modernize the comptroller’s office and sanctioning acts of corruption and the misappropriation of public funds. Nevertheless, no serious steps were taken to reform civil administration in 1997. Proposals for a new civil service act were past due without the Follow-up Commission’s approval for rescheduling.1 Nevertheless, the government had secured the Private Participation in Infrastructure Technical Assistance Loan from the World Bank to prepare selected infrastructure sectors – ports, power, telecommunications, highways, and the postal service – for concession and privatization, within a sound legal and regulatory framework.2 The implementation of these programs was expected to modernize and improve the efficiency of government services. The project was expected to complete by 2000.

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/52/757), February 4, 1998.
  2. “Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR),” World Bank Vol.1 of 1 (Report No: 25429), June 19, 2003.

Civil Administration Reform – 1998

The State continued modernizing, improving the implementation of social policy, and working to weed out corruption and inconsistencies.3 According to a report, the government was focusing on decentralizing government services, especially in the education and health sectors, and institutional restructuring of the ministries. It was reported that the Integrated Financial Administration and Monitoring System was in place, which was said to implement government’s social policy as well as strengthening of anti-corruption mechanisms. The judiciary was mostly ineffective and corrupt. Nevertheless, there were efforts to overhaul the judiciary system by enacting an act to establish the Defender’s office in criminal matters. The pace of reform, however, was very slow.4 The Commission on the Strengthening of the Justice System, submitted its report.

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/53/421), September 28, 1998.
  2. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/52/757), February 4, 1998.

Civil Administration Reform – 1999

Following the report from the Commission on the Strengthening of the Justice System, an ad hoc commission to implement the recommendation in the report, was established. The judiciary continued to implement its modernization plan but it was very slow.4 Other reforms initiatives also continued at a slower pace.

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/54/526), November 11, 1999.

Civil Administration Reform – 2000

The Private Participation in Infrastructure Technical Assistance program, carried out by the World Bank, was completed and was said to improve efficiency and modernization in public service.

The network of local development councils was not living up to its intended purpose of engendering broad social participation in municipal and community projects. Despite reform measures enacted by the Executive Branch designed to foster local participation in the selection of leaders, gubernatorial candidates put forward by non-governmental members of development councils were largely sidelined.5

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/55/175), July 26, 2000.

Civil Administration Reform – 2001

The President of the Republic established the Presidential Commissioner for the Modernization and Decentralization of the State, which took over all decentralization efforts. Prior efforts were poorly coordinated and unevenly enacted.6

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/55/973), June 1, 2001.

Civil Administration Reform – 2002

The Government made significant improvements in the decentralization of civil administration. With the passage of three new laws, previously excluded segments of the population were drawn into local decision-making structures and the decisions of Departmental Development Councils were respected by the Government.7

  1. “United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/59/307), August 30, 2004.

Civil Administration Reform – 2003

A 2003 external review of several civil service systems is generally not positive. It reported that the “recruitment conditions do not tally with the real capabilities of the candidates, the necessary guarantee mechanisms and procedures needed to avoid arbitrariness in the admission process have not been established, the selection instruments have not been adequately designed, and promotion practices do not match with previously systematized criteria.”8

  1. Francisco Longo, “Comparative Institutional Diagnosis of Civil Service System: Summary of 17 Country Evaluations,” Inter-American Development Bank, 2003, accessed 23 May 23, 2012, http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=623664.

Civil Administration Reform – 2004

No further developments observed.

Civil Administration Reform – 2005

No further developments observed.

Civil Administration Reform – 2006

No further developments observed.