Media Center

Press Release

The OAS and ESAP of Colombia Sign Agreement to Promote Effective Public Management

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Escuela Superior de Administración Pública of Colombia (ESAP) today signed a cooperative inter-institutional cooperation agreement to facilitate the exchange of experiences as well as promoting the education, training and research of leaders and public managers in the region.

During the signing ceremony at OAS headquarters in Washington DC, Secretary General José Miguel Insulza said that the challenges facing the governments of Latin America are changing and new problems in terms of public management have become increasingly apparent. "These new challenges are more evident and complex in municipalities and at the level of local governments, because people who are elected to manage these institutions do not have sufficient knowledge to properly carry out their work," he said and stressed the importance of initiatives focused on institutional strengthening of public administration and facilitating the operation of networks of authorities and experts, creating educational and training opportunities.

"This is an example of the kind of cooperation that the OAS provides in the field of training public officials in close cooperation with its member countries," said the leader of the hemispheric institution. As examples of the initiative, Secretary General Insulza cited institutional reorganization programs, public management research conducted in 15 countries in the region, and the Inter-American Prize for Innovation in Effective Public Management, among others.

The Secretary General also explained that the instrument signed today "seeks to strengthen local government through the preparation of human resources in the design and implementation of programs aimed at the modernization of municipal management, training of staff through the Virtual Campus and the development of courses for senior public administrators in management.”

For his part, the Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS, Ambassador Andres Gonzalez, described as "fundamental" for the countries of the region "strong ties of cooperation aimed at good governance, proper public management and better institutions.” "In this area, the contribution of the OAS is crucial," added Ambassador González, and thanked the hemispheric institution for the initiative that allows for the implementation of the Resolution on the subject, adopted at the last General Assembly, which aims to strengthen public management in OAS member states through dialogue, mutual learning and technical cooperation.

"This is a significant step towards the creation of a network of public, academic and private sectors to contribute to the effort of improving training through better institutions," said the representative of Colombia, and concluded by noting that "today we move forward by combining the efforts of the OAS and the ESAP, an exemplary institution in the training of local and national government leaders."

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org

Reference: E-274/13