Civil Administration
The establishment, reform and consolidation of an effective civil administration as well as democratically legitimized government institutions on a local, regional, and national level are key tasks in peacebuilding processes.
Institutionally, the establishment of work flows and the division of competencies and responsibilities remains crucial. Human resources need to be built through education, training and transfer of knowledge to civil servants and employees.
Civil administration activities in peace operations can take various forms. In operations without executive mandates, the role of international personnel is to monitor, advise, train, and support. Within so called “executive mandates”, such as in Kosovo or East Timor, the functions of government and public administration are temporarily exercised by the international personnel. Simultaneously, local capacities are strengthened in order to take over. It is particularly important to promote local ownership during and after the transition from interim international responsibility to national institutions.
International civilian personnel perform a broad range of tasks in public administration. Generally, it is critical that experts have hands-on experience and expertise in the delivery of public services, the development of governmental institutions as well as in the training of civil servants and public administration staff.
Tasks and Functions
Administrating, managing and providing capacity building in the following areas:
- Local, regional, and national administration
- Budget management and finance
- Medical care
- Civil registry
- Cadastral registry
- Educational system
- Social services
- Basic infrastructure (water, electricity, communication, and transport)
- Waste disposal
updated September 2009