Sector: Governance and Public Sector Reform
Region: North and Central Asia
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Total Value: C$17.1 million
Partners and Counterparts:
Ministry of Commerce
China, Policy Options Project (POP): October 2006–April 2015
Purpose
To support the Government of China’s policy reform agenda that contributes to sustainable development and poverty reduction in the areas of equitable growth, environmental sustainability, human rights, democratic development and good governance.
Challenge
China has made great strides in developing policies that support good governance to attract foreign partners and investors. However, it continues to face challenges in implementation because of limited organizational capacity and enforcement, particularly at the provincial and county levels. While there is still a real need for further policy formulation, there is a greater need for mechanisms that will provide opportunities to test and implement policy throughout the system.
Approach
Agriteam has developed an extensive network of Canadian expertise that enables us to identify highly qualified specialists. This network includes Canadian partner organizations contracted to implement sub-projects on the China Public Sector Reform Program (PSRP)/ Public Policy Options Project (PPOP) projects, federal and provincial government agencies, and Canadian universities, colleges, and technical institutes. All the individuals and agencies within the network have been entered into a database, use of which facilitates timely identification of Canadian Implementing Partners for specific sub-projects. Agriteam particularly endeavors to engage government partners; their expertise is frequently the most appropriate and there are significant cost savings to the sub-projects.
Project Description
POP will build on the results, practices, goodwill and linkages established through the PPOP and the PSRP. These projects assisted China in understanding a broad range of policy options that are both responsive to the Chinese desire to move forward on socio-economic reform and reflective of Canada’s development assistance policy. They have enhanced Canada’s reputation as a country to look to for solid advice and experience on democratic development practices based on the rule of law.
With these projects as a foundation, POP will distinguish itself via an approach based on the progress that China has already made and the new needs that such progress implies. POP will continue to support policy formulation using Canadian expertise, but it will focus on how such expertise is used and its ultimate impact on progress toward the goals of the Government of China and CIDA’s Country Development Policy Framework.
The aim of POP is not only to assist China with information and advice, but also to provide the capacity development support that enables such advice to produce tangible and measurable outcomes. This emphasis means that stakeholders will work together to find creative ways of identifying appropriate partners, developing results-oriented projects, applying innovative strategies to implement these projects and more vigorous ways of supporting, monitoring and measuring results.
Results
- Senior Canadian federal and provincial ministries, NGOs, universities and private sector missions to China have had the opportunity to engage with Chinese client ministries in ways which would not otherwise have been possible.
- We have recommended that more balanced approaches be taken in the planning process for the environmental and economic plans of small towns.
- Four draft regulations to support the implementation of the Revised Grassland Management Regulations have been formulated.
- Regulations of Free-Grazing Ban, Rotational Grazing and Seasonal Grazing in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Regulations of Collecting and Marketing Liquorice and Other Sand-fixation Plants in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have been approved and will be declared by Ningxia Government in 2008.
- Six Occupational Health and Safety-related regulations and policies incorporating Canadian concepts have been formulated.
- Three teaching bases have been set up for case studies on recycling economy on enterprises, urban development and industrial parks.
Project Director
Robert Francis
rfrancis@agriteam.ca