The Programme for Innovation in Public Administration in the Mediterranean Region -InnovMed has broken new ground in promoting policy dialogue on public administration capacity-building among government leaders in the Euro-Mediterranean region, fostering greater awareness of the importance of sharing relevant knowledge to improve public sector performance for socio-economic development. Set up in mid-2003, the InnovMed Programme covers more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the Western Balkans, as well as partner countries from Southern Europe.
The members of the Network of Innovators in Governance in the Mediterranean Region (the Network was formally launched in 2006) have jump started a culture of innovation in their respective countries and are now champions of change pushing towards greater innovation for better governance for all. The Network of Innovators made up of practitioners and experts in governance within the region is the first network of public administrators to have produced avant-garde innovations and genuine collaboration in public administration and governance in the Euro-Mediterranean region. InnovMed and the Network have also helped bridge the theory and practice of innovation in governance through three major publications, already adopted in universities as important reference material. These publications highlight administrative challenges, priorities and public administration innovation. In addition, Governments capacities in the region have been further developed thanks to increased knowledge sharing through meetings and workshops held in Austria, France, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, the Republic of Korea, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, and through the design of pilot projects to transfer innovations. Increasingly, Governments are coming to appreciate the pivotal role of innovative governance and administration in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Several countries in the region have moved innovation in government to the top of their agendas and have expressed great interest and commitment to replicate successful practices in public administration to enhance the quality of life of citizens. Morocco has recently established a Division for Innovation within the Ministry of Public Sector Modernization and Tunisia has set innovation in governance as a top priority in the government’s agenda for the next five years. The Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform in Lebanon (OMSAR) has become the institutional focal point for innovation in governance within the government. Morocco, Lebanon and Egypt have won the prestigious United Nations Public Service Awards over the past years.
InnovMed and the efforts of the Network’s members have also positively impacted government officials’ training and tertiary education in the region. New courses on management change and innovation have been recently introduced at the Ecole National de l'Administration in Morocco and Algeria. Seminars on change management have been introduced at the university level in the Palestinian Authority. In Jordan, the University of Jordan is planning to launch a Mater's degree in Innovation in Governance. In the Palestinian Authority, a "Good Governance Coalition" was established as a Network of civil society organizations where several organizations join efforts to ensure that the government is transparent and accountable to its people. In Croatia, a sub-regional network of innovators has been launched, as well as an Association on Public Governance. The Network’s successes have drawn international attention; a growing number of countries world-wide have sought support from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in replicating the InnovMed programme in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South Asia. InnovMed works with over 20 partner institutions.
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