Ethics, Transparency and Protection of Children

1
Ethics, Transparency and Protection of
Childrens Rights -An institutional and
rights-based approach

• Governance, human rights and social policy
  approach (MDGs).
• Rhea Saab
• GPS UNICEF

2
UNICEF MTSP 2006-2009

• focus area five
• Policy advocacy, partnership and participation
• children and poverty reduction
• socio policy agenda based on evidence and
  analysis
• partnerships

3
Present dilemmas of focusing on Ethics and
Corruption

• Corruption affects a broad range of issues
• principles cause of poverty and obstacle
• impedes good governance, exacerbates social
  exclusion
• impacts negatively on social policy
  implementation
• Can consolidate poverty trap and çompunds
  marginalisation political exclusion

4
Rights holders and duty bearers and
Accountability in Education

• How to tackle corruption increasing government
  accountability, fostering greater credibility
  and trust in state institutions and delivery of
  services (MDGs plus)
• What does this affect the education sector
  education reform
• foster public policy dialogues with gvt and all
  stakeholders
• emphasis on accountability, transparency and
  ethics
• women, child and adolescents rights
• universality and non-discrimination
• best interest and participation of children and
  adolescents
• Rights holders, duty bearers and accountability
  in education
• the accountability chain in education
• policy-planners and policy makers as duty
  bearers, families and communities as duty bearers
  and parents and legacy of rights denied

5
Challenges Promoting ethics, good public
policy for education

• Corruption exacerbate social exclusion,
• obstacle in overcoming poverty,
• Increase government accountability
• anti-corruption may lead to greater credibility
  and legitimacy of state institutions
• trust in state institution's capacity to deliver
  services (MDGs) and greater oversight and
  participation of stakeholders

6
Transparency and Education

• Childrens Right to Education-Not limit
  definition of education
• development of children and adolescents full
  potential
• formation of social values governing behaviour
• Equal Opportunities (Non-Discrimination)
• Access
• Attendance
• Attainment
• Achievement
• Child-Centered Education (Best Interests)
• Expectation of Families, Communities the
  Development Vision of Societies

7
Country Cases EcuadorPrioritizing children and
young people in social policy - focus on
accountability

• Corruption is de-legitimizing state institutions
• UNICEF (et al.) participation in budget
  monitoring and evaluation
• Anchoring a human-rights based approach in the
  institutional framework
• Promoting human-rights framework
• Citizens as monitors and evaluators, meaningful
  participation of children/young
  people/communities/ civil society. observatorio
• Raising awareness and social mobilization
• Government support, (ie collaboration between
  ministries, support of the executive)
  Multi-sectoral approach and local government
  involvement
• See Kenya experience focus by government/ civil
  society/stakeholders and other relevant partners
  at national and local level (ie gender sensitive
  approach to policy)
• Ie allocating grants to schools and encouraging
  increased accountability of school government
  boards and management of expenditures (ie capital
  grants to schools to buy books etc)

8
County cases Mongolia

• TI Mongolia ranks 85th out of 159 countries
  on corruption
• Nomad society, High literacy rates -
• ? Very different context, what forms of
  participation? What institutions?
• Government-driven initiatives
• prioritizing MDG 9 (human rights, democratic
  governance)
• Addressing corruption in local contexts

9
UNICEFS Public policy approach Addressing
root-causes of marginalization

• Transparency and information necessary but not
  sufficient
• Accountability, learning process for next
  generations
• Context is crucial (see Ackerman)

10
A case-to-case approach
From Ackerman study for World Bank
11
Learning from country and civil society
experience ( ie TI, CIPPEC )

• Case to case approach
• Argentina NGO young professionals and
  stakeholders interested in contributing to an
  equitable distribution of wealth/equal
  opportunities and upholding the need for strong
  public institutions
• Promote public policies which uphold an
  equitable distribution of wealth, equal
  opportunities and accountable and transparent
  public institutions.
• The challenge is to translate the best ideas that
  emerge from the areas of education policy, fiscal
  policy, healthcare policy, transparency, and
  justice into concrete action.

12
CIPPEC and TI experiences

• CIPPECs recent successes include
• Influencing the text of the Law on Educational
  Funding.
• Realistic financial goals for Education and
  Fiscal Policy, CIPPEC recommended inter-alia
  (a) to have realistic financial goals as the
  original proposal would have entailed
  non-fulfillment of the law in instances of
  economic stagnation and (b) including an article
  calling on monitoring and generating information
  on legislative implementation. Both
  recommendations were introduced in the law
  sanctioned by the Senate.
• See also TI Stealing the future and work on
  indicators

13
CONCLUSIONS

• Accountable political institutions and
  transparent policy implementation are a necessary
  condition for the achievement of social rights,
  EFA/MDGs(2,3) Context is essential
• There is a need to strengthen civil societys
  capacities to monitor state institutions and
  policies
• this also gives credence to rights based
  approaches way forward for tackling corruption
  and enhancing accountability.
• (see other examples the ombusman office in Costa
  Rica and TI global research/advocacy and country
  chapters need for sustainability, ownership,
  coherence)
• UNICEF fosters partnerships with civil society
  and governments contributing to increased
  transparency
• Documenting experiences learning process Kenya
  and Ecuador