Workshop for the launching of a project on the assessment of the level of inclusiveness of public policies in Niger

This workshop – the second to be organized in Africa as part of this program, after the one that will take place in Burkina Faso on June 10th and 11th 2013 - will bring together approximately forty participants in Niamey.

They will be given the opportunity to master the terms of reference related to the assessment of public policies which will be conducted, but also to complete and validate the methodology proposed by a multidisciplinary team of consultants. They will also decide on the composition of the Council Committee set up to assist the team that will take the lead for the assessment.

The objective of this team is to support the national capacity building of countries in which the assessment will be conducted, helping governments to evaluate, compare and reform their national and local public policies, as well as the regulatory frameworks in which those policies are being implemented, in order to increase their level of inclusiveness.

All in all, the final objective of this exercise is to promote harmonized national and/or local policies and regulatory frameworks that are conducive to inclusive societies and guarantee equal opportunity for all.

The main results expected from the assessment conducted in Niger, as of those to be conducted in Burkina Faso and Senegal include:

The formulation, validation and dissemination of a methodology on the assessment of the level of inclusiveness of public policies and regulatory framework in the concerned jurisdictions;

A coordinated and participative approach of public policy assessment that fosters consensus around the principles chosen for national assessments, the identification of good political practices and gaps and the formulation of genuine “roadmaps” for the reform of the assessed public policies;

To this end, governments and all key stakeholders in these public policies definition and conduct processes – including NGOs and other concerned groups – will receive technical support and advice for the implementation of recommendations and political scenarios, and for the formulation of socially inclusive policies and policy planning processes.

In Niger, as in the two other Sahel countries where this assessment will be conducted, workshops will be organized for the restitution and validation of the results of the assessment, to ensure a large participation of the concerned population and enable a wider appropriation of the validated results.

The assessment of Nigerian public policies and regulatory frameworks, launched by the workshop organized in Niamey on June 19th and 20th, should thus contribute to make social inclusion a general objective and an essential component of all Niger’s public policies.

Its final objective is to promote harmonized policies and national regulations that will conduce to inclusive societies and guarantee equal opportunity for all.

Building inclusive societies is indeed needed. It is a long-term commitment from the international community and particularly from UNESCO, which has made it one of the priority theme of its Management of Social Transformations (MOST) program for 2012-2013.

In 1995, the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen has defined inclusive society as a society for all, in which each individual has an active role to play. This community is based on fundamental values of equity, equality, social justice, human rights and freedoms, and on principles of respect of diversity. It is also equipped with the necessary mechanisms that enable citizens to participate in decision-making processes that have an impact on their lives, and finally determine their common future.