The fragmentation of donor approaches and the lack of a unified vision and programming framework for public administration reform interventions in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS) have hindered progress on reforming state structures in countries of the region over the past decade. In 2006, the Hellenic Government and UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre (BRC) entered into a partnership to advance public administration reform (PAR) in the CEECIS. The joint venture was based on substantive convergence in terms of programmatic objectives and complementarities in terms of operational infrastructure and capacities, i.e., BRC’s project development and implementation capacity, as well as UNDP's infrastructure of Country Offices (COs) throughout the region and outreach to local partners. From the UNDP perspective, the partnership has been an attractive and timely opportunity, as it has allowed it to build a more coherent and unified framework for regional programming on public administration reform; reduce duplication in donor-funded activities; consolidate resources; and bring together regional networks, experts databases and knowledge repositories.

The Project has adopted a phased approach. The first phase was inaugurated in July 2006, and subsequently extended to the end of February 2008. It concentrated on strengthening regional cooperation and information sharing on public administration reform. In late 2006, the Project convened the Inaugural Meeting of Regional Networks of Public Administration Reform Practitioners and Experts, where the new Partnership was officially introduced to relevant stakeholders. This included the existing networks of Focal Points, consisting primarily of practitioners and experts from the region, and UNDP’s regional Community of Practice on public administration reform, which were brought together for the first time and invited to engage in joint co-operation in the framework of the new Project. The meeting was followed by the administration of a regional Survey on public administration reform, aimed at laying the foundations for the second phase, to start in spring 2008.

In the last week of February 2008, the Parliament of the Hellenic Republic ratified a Bill guaranteeing US$ 7.1 million in funding for the second phase (2008 – 2013). As outlined in the Project Document 2008 – 2013, the second phase focuses on deepening and broadening the Network of Focal Points in participating countries; setting up the RCPAR as a catalyst for innovation and dissemination of best practices to advance PAR in the region, and developing and implementing multi-country initiatives generated by the network members themselves and implemented in cooperation with UNDP country offices. The purpose of the multi-country initiatives is among other things to i) strengthen capacities for policy making and coordination; ii) improve public finance management and public service delivery; and iii) enhance organisation and staffing in the public sector demand-driven regional cooperation.

The Project offers a flexible framework for demand-driven, participatory regional PAR programming over the next five years, and the UNDP BRC sees it as the major anchor for its regional programme on Public Administration Reform and Anti-Corruption in the coming years. For more information on the regional programme, see the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe Democratic Governance Capacity Statement (version August 2010).