WIREDGOV

The National School of Government recently hosted a visit by three senior Afghan government officials. The visit formed part of the National School’s contribution, with other UK government departments, to developing the skills and expertise of the Afghan public service. Here Stephen Penfold, who directed the visit, describes the visit and explains how it support the overseas priorities of UK government by contributing to the development of good governance in Afghanistan:

The Afghan government is keen to build up its Civil Service capability as an integral part of the overall process of stabilisation. This study visit formed part of their continuing education about how public administrations are organised and function in other countries. Our Afghan colleagues value the UK model as an example of good governance, and particularly admire our systems and processes of government and the way that the Civil Service supports government to create the conditions for better services to be provided to citizens. The relationship between Afghanistan and the UK is well summarised in the tag line they use on emails and other correspondence – ‘Shohna ba Shohna – Shoulder to Shoulder.’

The delegation was led by First Deputy Minister (FDM) Nazari from the Afghan Ministry of Defence (MoD). The FDM is the closest equivalent to our Permanent Secretary grade but in Afghanistan there is a less distinct separation between ministers and officials than is the case in the UK. The FDM is a lawyer by background, and in addition to his ‘day job’ Mr. Nazari plays a key role as one of the chief prosecutors in cases of alleged corruption. The delegation also comprised a brigadier general, a military assistant (a colonel from the US Air Force), a secondee from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) who is based in Kabul, and two interpreters.

Getting the UK perspective
The visitors received briefings and held discussions at the National School of Government and subsequently with the MoD, the two UK departments working closely together in the design and preparation of the visit to ensure that the visitors benefited from a complementary and coherent programme. The National School’s contribution included the structure of UK government and how it works; how public servants are recruited and appointed; public sector ethics and values; the Civil Service Code; professional skills for government; and leadership and management development. Open forum sessions were also held about the Afghan MoD civilian core competency programme and the challenges faced by the Afghan MoD civilianisation initiative. In all of the sessions the focus was on sharing the UK’s experience and expertise in areas where the Afghan government’s capability building priorities lie.

In the MoD, the delegation received detailed briefings from the Permanent Secretary, Ursula Brennan, and from her staff about how the department is organised and managed. They also heard how the MoD manages its dual role as a supreme military command headquarters and a department of state.

The value of the visit
The UK, along with its allies, is committed to help the Afghan government build its capability to provide strong government and, through citizen engagement, to counter terrorism and international crime. The visit was well received by participants, who are now exploring how the lessons learned can best be applied in their own reform context. From a UK perspective, while this particular visit related to the defence sector, the National School of Government continues to make a range of contributions to Civil Service capability building and stabilisation in Afghanistan, and the UK stakeholder agenda. Most recently, Graham Davy, one of the National School’s leading policy experts, and I worked in Kabul in 2010 at the invitation of the Department for International Development (DfID) to develop proposals on how the UK could help to develop policy making capacity and capability at the heart of the Afghan government. Underpinning all of the work is the commitment to help Afghanistan to build the skills, expertise and confidence of its own government officials, and to be able to reduce the reliance of the public service on direct support from its allies.

Stephen Penfold is a recently retired senior civil servant and is an associate of the National School, where he was seconded to from the MoD between 2006 and late 2009 as a Strategic Relationship Manager and in the National School’s Centre for Strategic Leadership.

Enquiries

Ann Hall, Head of Communications & Marketing
Telephone: 01344 634 818
Email: ann.hall@nationalschool.gsi.gov.uk, tel: 01344 634 818

Notes to Editors:

The National School of Government
As the Government’s centre of excellence for learning and development, the National School of Government became a government department in January 2007. Under the leadership of Rod Clark, it strives to ensure the highest professional and academic standards in public service organisational and people development.