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Capacity Building in Practice: Experiences and Challenges Met

This presentation by Canada at the World Trade Organization explores Canada's experience in international technical assistance and capacity building. It discusses the challenges faced, adjustments made, and lessons learned. The presentation also highlights the importance of donor and beneficiary collaboration and the need for a comprehensive approach to capacity building.

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Capacity Building in Practice: Experiences and Challenges Met

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  1. CAPACITY BUILDING IN PRACTICE: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES MET World Trade Organization - Geneva A presentation by Canada November 6-7, 2002

  2. Overview • Canada’s experience • What was missing? What was wrong? • Adjustment in Canada’s approach - Why? • Lessons learned • Donors and beneficiaries: possible avenues for change • What it means for beneficiaries/donors • An example

  3. Canada’s experience • Canada provides international technical assistance and capacity building • Valuation, Origin, HS • Valuation: • Assisted 15 countries since 1997 • 10 more countries planned in near future

  4. Canada’s traditional approach • In past, mostly technical assistance activities • One-off courses • Seminars • Minimal communication with other donors

  5. What was missing? What was wrong? • Needs analysis not thorough enough • Practical examples missing • Recipient infrastructure to sustain effort was weak • Inconsistency between messages of different trainers • Organization changes: trainees are displaced • Commitment and readiness for change lacking

  6. Adjustment in Canada’s approach - Why? • Need full commitment from recipient • Valuation agreement trade facilitating: need many stakeholders • Lasting change effort required • Recognize Impacts: customs, traders, other government departments • Need to identify challenges of implementation at the outset • Need to focus on ability of the beneficiaries to help themselves

  7. Lessons learned • Need to invest in capacity building • Create a Technical Assistance Framework • Assistance must be: • demand-driven • geared to capacity building • based on a plan • in partnership with recipient and stakeholders • Objectives must enhance capacity and ownership • Deliver through partnerships: regional, multilateral, bilateral • Involve business and other government departments

  8. Lessons learned • Assist recipients in assessing needs and priorities • Listen to recipients • Integrate in larger customs reform and modernization project • Use knowledge and skill transfer approaches • Encourage country to: • Develop staff and own expertise • Institutionalize through written policies/procedures • Partner with traders • Must conduct evaluation/post-implementation follow-up • No “one size fits all”

  9. Donors and beneficiaries: possible avenues for change • Framework for prioritizing demands • Multi-year plan • Structured approach of cooperation: traders, donors, recipients, international and regional organizations • More emphasis on beneficiary ownership in needs identification • Improve evaluation mechanisms

  10. What it means for beneficiaries • Taking more responsibility: • Place request in broader national context • Select appropriate staff involved in change effort • Involve private sector in implementation • Cascade knowledge and skills • Lead on implementation and monitoring of plans • Evaluate progress: peer assessments

  11. What it means for donors • Need to change approach: • Coordinate better – work with other donors • Adopt new principles: • Foster participation of stakeholders • Embrace capacity building • Improve own skills: building institutions, needs analysis, group facilitation • Systematic exchanges of each other’s programs and experiences • Invest in follow-up and evaluation

  12. An example • Customs Valuation: capacity building in APEC • Partnership: Australia, New Zealand, USA • Jointly planned, developed and implemented technical assistance and capacity building • Modular but comprehensive approach to knowledge and skills transfer • Needs analyzed using diagnostic tools • Obtained commitment for change at high level • Coordinated efforts; reduced costs and duplication • Worked with banker: APEC Secretariat

  13. An example (ctn’d) • Customs Valuation: capacity building in APEC • 3 Modules developed • Infrastructure of the Valuation Program • Complexities of the Agreement • Post-importation environment

  14. The way forward • Pursue aggressive timetable for a comprehensive capacity building strategy in customs valuation • More cooperation amongst donors • Define role of all partners and stakeholders in capacity building

  15. In short • Identification of needs + • Commitment to change = • Key to success

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