The Public Administration Division of the United Nations : A Brief History
| Author | Louis E. Hosch |
| Published date | 01 September 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002085236403000301 |
| Date | 01 September 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The Public Administration Division of
the United Nations : A Brief History
by
Louis E. HOSCH,
Chief of Personnel and Training Section
of the Division for Public Administration,
Department of Economic &
Social Affairs.
UDC 541.123 : 341.232.4
In one sense the United Nations program-
economic and social progress and devel-
me of technical assistance in the field of
opment is one of the principle objectives
public administration stems from the very
of the Charter of the United Nations,
first Article of the Charter of the United
(b) The lack of expert personnel and
Nations.
The broad language of sections
lack of technical organization are among
three and four of Article 1 certainly provide
the factors which impede the economic
a general frame of reference within which
development of the under-developed
the programme functions :
areas,...
,
- Article 1.
The purposes of the United
Decides to appropriate the funds neces-
Nations are :
sary to enable the Secret a ry-General to
perform the following functions...
3. To achieve international cooperation
(a) Arrange for the organization of in-
in solving international problems of
ternational
an
teams consisting of experts
economic, social, cultural, or humanita-
provided by or through the United Na-
’
rian character, and in promoting and
tions... for the purpose of advising those
enrouraglng respect for human rights
governments...
and for fundamental freedoms for all
(b) Arrange for facilities for the train-
without distinction as to race, sex, lan-
ing abroad of experts of underdeveloped
guage or religion; and
countries through the provision of fel-
4. To be
lowships for study...
a center for harmonizing the
actions of nations in the attainment of
(c) Arrange for the training of local
these common end
technicians within the underdeveloped
countries themselves... -
»
EARLY ORIGINS
.
The resolution then instructed the Secret-
ary-General to undertake the performance of
The idea within the United Nations of
these functions; to provide technical assist-
helping governments to improve administra-
ance to governments requesting it, for and
tive practices is as old as the technical
through them; to meet needs of the country
assistance programme itself. A little over a
concerned and in the form that each country
decade ago the General Assembly of the
desires; and to provi.de assistance of high
United Nations in its third session in Decem-
quality and technical competence.
ber 1948 first approved a programme of
technical assistance under the regular budget.
It is significant that, on the same day, at
General Assembly resolution 200, which pro-
that session of the General Assembly a reso-
vided in.ter alia :
lution (GA resolution 246 [III] of 4 Decem-
ber 1948) was adopted that marked the initial
c Considering that
recognition of the need for training in ,public
(a) The promotion of conditions of
administration. The resolution:
232
« Recognize( d ) the need for internation-
In 1949 the recognition of the need for
al facilities which will provide adequate
assistance in the field of public administra-
administrative training for an increasing
tion shifted from the idea of centralized
number of candidates of proved ability
training by provision oi « international facil-
recruited on a wide geographical basis,
ities s, to a programme that carried activities
but mainly from the countries in great-
into the countries requesting assistance. ’This
est need of access to the principles, pro-
shift was for the most part initiated by the
cedures and methods of modern admin-
Assembly resolution 253 (IX) in 1949 which
istration,
.
requested the Secretary-General to coordin-
ate the
Resolve( d) that
original purposes with those of the
broader and more general programme of
1.
An International Center for Training
technical assistance.
in Public Administration shall be estab-
lished under the direction of the Unite
Nations;
THE EMERGENCE OF
BROADER FUNCTIONS
2. The Secretary-General shall report
detailed arrangements for such a center
In 1950 and in the following few
to the Economic and Social Council for
years the
association of the
consideration;
programme in public ad-
ministration with the broader programme of
3. The Secretary-General shall include
technical assistance administration resulted
in
,:
his budget estimate for the financial
in an extension of the programme to include
~.
year 1950 a programme implementing the
functions other than training. As outlined
objectives of the present resolution ’.
above, new functions were addled. It was
then possible to extend the programme under
Thus, concern with public administration
the 1948 and 1949 provisions of the program-
was initiated with the concept of an inter-
me for technical assistance for the economic
national center for training in public admin-
development of underdeveloped countries ~· as
istration. The original idea of an internation-
defined by the General Assembly and by the
al center proved, however, to be In>practical
Economic and Social Council ( in GA resolu-
at the time.
tion 200 of 1948 and ECOSOC resolution
222A (IX), 14 August 1949).
THE’ EARLY YEARS
In 1950 the Economic and Social Council
During 1949,
gave further recogniton to the programme
a minimum a programme y to
for public administration by a resolution
provide training in public administration was
(292 [XI)) that recommended that addition-
outlined in the Secretary-General’s report to
al activities in the field of public administra-
the ninth session of the Economic and Social
tion should be considered under the
Council and
expanded
a budget of $149,500 for 1950
technical assistance programme. Thus, the
was approved by the General Assembly in its
channel was opened for an
fourth session. The
expanded pro-
programme was appro-
ved by the General Assembly in 1949 and
gramme that was confirmed and continued by
the General Assembly in 1951 by resolution
comprised :
518 (VI).
(i) Seminars on administrative problems
Late in 1951 the Public
for
Administration
senior civil servants;
Division was established within the Technic-
(ii) Fellowship and scholarships in pub-
al Assistance Administration.
Examination
lic administration;
of each of the six duties of the new Division
(iii) Assistance through experts to gov-
shows how the 1949 concept of the total pro-
’
ernments
in
the development of
gramme had evolved by the lat.ter part of
public administration training facil-
1951. By the end of 1951 the duties of the
ities ;
Public Administration Division were as de-
(iv) Advice and assistance to Member
scribed below.
For each, the significant
’
States in arranging bilateral exchange
change from the previous statement of func-
of civil servants; and
tion is noted.
(v) Encouragement and financial assist-
ance to the International Institute of
A. The emergence of the function of advice
Adminiarative Sciences ( IIAS ) for
’
and assistance (experts)
exchange of in.formation on public
administration subjects.
The first of the six new functions was :
233
a (i) to develop and administer a pro-
This new function marked the beginning
gramme of technical assistance in public
of a programme that could be developed in
administration, including seminars, con-
subsequent years by employing various meth-
ferences and working groups on subjects
ods of study, investigation and research in
of importance for the improvement of
support of technical assistance operations. It
public administration, and advice and
made possible the use of preparatory surveys
assistance to governments in the impro-
and the systematic compilation of certain
vement of public administration and in
types of information on a regional or problem
the establishment or reform of national
area basis in order to aid individual countries
and regional training systems and insti-
in the solution of various types of problems.
tutions in underdeveloped areas ~·.
A comparison of this function with
C.
r a pro-
Expansion of the. exchange of information
function
gramme of seminars on administrative pro-
lems for senior civil servants as authorized
The third function was an
in
expansion of an
1949 reveals a marked expansion of pur-
earlier idea and was defined as :
poses and the introduction of additional tech-
niques. Most important was the addition of
«
(iii) to stimulate and facilitate the
a advice and assistance to governments in
collection and exchange of information
the improvement of public administration ».
in collaboration with the International
This first new function charged the Divi-
Institute of Administrative Sciences and
sion with responsibility for c developing and
other appropriate institutions x.
administering a programmes
»
that included
The
c establishment or reform of national and
significant addition here was the
regional training systems and institutions in
c collaboration with IIAS and other appro-
under-developed countries. This enlarge-
primate institutions rather than a dependance
ment is of significance for two reasons :
upon encouragement and financial assistance
to the institute alone for exchange of infor-
(a) it provided a frame of reference for
mation on
the establishment of
public administration subjects.
regional and na-
tional training systems, thus extend-
Expansion of this function made it possible
ing assistance in training to regional
for- the Division to utilize other international
and national levels, and
non-governmental organizations (such as the
(b) it used the...
To continue reading
Request your trial