• Sector:
  Governance
• Project name:
  Regional Workshop on Governance, Capacity-Building and Cultures of Sovereignty
• Country:
  Cambodia and various countries of East Asia
• Project location:
  Phnom Penh
• Name of client:
  The Japan Foundation Asia Center

Description of project:
The Regional Workshop, involving 25 participants from government, business, the media, NGOs and international development assistance donor organisations in the East Asian region.

The outcomes of the program include:

• To explore the cultural context of governance in the countries of East Asia
• To identify key factors that determine the effectiveness of governance initiatives in the countries of East Asia
• To develop regional networks to identify needs and opportunities for specific governance projects in regional countries
• To develop proposals for these projects in partnership with in-country actors, both for implementation and for funding
• To explore the development of a regional lexicon of key governance terms, principles and issues
• To promote constructive dialogue between government, civil society and aid donor organisations on effective governance issues

The workshop was designed to stimulate discussion on some fundamental questions about how governance is conceived and addressed.

These include:

• What do different societies and cultures understand by "governance"?
• What are the features of good governance?
• What are the proper roles and functions of public and private sectors in governance?
• What is the role of non-government organisations and civil society in governance?
• What is the relationship between governance and development how are governance programs evaluated for their effectiveness in promoting positive change?

Services provided:
Design and delivery of regional workshop including: program development and research; management of participant identification and invitation process; liaison on local logistics with Cambodian partner; facilitation of workshop; identification of potential collaborative innovative governance projects; preparation of publication.