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7.1 The fundamental objective of CRDB’s capacity development work is to strengthen performance at organisational, managerial and individual levels. This will ensure that CRDB functions as a holistically integrated and competent Government agency capable of carrying out its tasks with efficiency and effectiveness. 7.2 In recent years CRDB senior management has been successful in building core capacity for managing routine tasks, with external support (UNDP/MDSP/JICA) becoming increasingly integrated to provide capacity substitution support to more strategic and policy functions. CRDB has also been successful in reducing attrition and the loss of its staff by significantly improving the working environment. This has included providing senior staff with access to transportation, and providing all staff with the necessary tools required to do their jobs. In addition, external project resources have enabled the provision of performance incentives to selected staff that perform critical functions. 7.3 Nevertheless, CRDB faces significant challenges that need to be overcome if it is to effectively perform its mandated functions. These challenges have many dimensions that include staffing and skills issues; management and budgetary challenges; and those of an organisational nature. Informed by the analysis to date, these may be summarised as follows: Staffing & Skills a) Most prominent of the staffing issues is the lack of permanent staff at CRDB. CRDB is currently staffed by personnel who have been seconded from ministries and agencies, together with staff recruited on a yearly contract by CRDB. Continuing dependence on staff seconded from ministries and agencies has meant that CRDB is unable to promote good performers and/or to take disciplinary action against those who are not satisfactorily performing their functions. b) In view of the administrative issues affecting contract personnel (who constitute more than 50% of CRDB staff), who are engaged in supporting core CRDB functions, there is an urgent need to regularise the employment status of these individuals. At present, all staff recruited on contract are hired at staff level with no opportunities for promotion. If this modality is to be continued then it is important to put in place measures that ensure that the contract staff are adequately rewarded based on performance. c) To build an effective organisation there is now an urgent need for action by concerned authorities to provide CRDB with its own permanent staff. Samdech Prime Minister has already authorised this, however, progress has been slow so far. d) Approximately 20% of the limited staff available to CRDB are away on training courses at any time, some for periods extending from 6 months to 2 years. The Capacity Development Strategy will need to strike a balance between what is needed by CRDB to deliver its functions and the number of staff it can manage to send on training, especially for extended periods. However, it is also worth noting that CRDB's ability to provide access to such training opportunities has been an important factor in reducing staff turnover in recent years and attracting new staff. e) The self-assessment of skills indicated that some of the training has not contributed to improved performance, and that there is further (limited) demand for core skills such as language and IT training. The low completion rate on some training courses has also been noted, possibly explaining why some training has been ineffective. This needs to be contrasted with the individual interviews that were conducted, which revealed that many staff are investing their own resources in training and career development. Clearly there is enthusiasm for training but it needs to be relevant and appropriate to job-defined needs, as well as suited to the career path of the individual. Management & Budgetary Issues f) The current low civil service salary levels make it difficult to attract high quality professional staff and/or to secure the full-time commitment of existing staff to carry out CRDB functions. This was identified by staff during the interview diagnostic work (Table Four) as the single most significant constraint to improved performance. g) The budget resources provided by MEF to CDC are not earmarked for each of the three Boards within CDC. As a result CRDB access to these resources depends on availability and competing demands across CDC at that point in time. This makes planning very difficult. h) Department heads have observed that pressure to perform routine tasks means that they have little time for either staff management, mentoring or for tasks of a more long-term strategic nature. There is no annual workplan for CRDB and therefore no objective way of assessing whether it is on track in supporting national aid management. i) Staff have noted that management is often distant and that a lack of mentoring or guidance, or indeed any form of performance management, results in under-motivation and a lack of clarity on what is required of them. Organisation j) There is a significant communication gap between Departmental heads and senior management that translates into reduced guidance and direction in the organisation. The lack of regular meetings between all Department heads and senior management also results in reduced information sharing and collaboration across Departments. k) The current organisation structure of CRDB has evolved over time and is not suited to delivering all of CRDB's mandated functions, in particular in the areas of strategic and policy related work and preparation of RGC policy documents. Until now, these tasks have been performed by the Secretary General supported by the Senior Advisor and project staff. l) The recent restructuring of the working groups and the creation of the Government Donor Coordination Committee (GDCC) represents a fundamental change in the institutional set up for planning, managing and monitoring progress on the implementation of ODA. This new mechanism has implications for CRDB which has been providing substantive secretariat and strategic policy support to GDCC and chairs one of the 18 TWGs (Partnership and Harmonisation TWG), as well as providing technical support to the TWGs on aid effectiveness issues. m) The Joint Monitoring Indicators and the RGC Harmonisation, Alignment and Results Action Plan provide the main tools for monitoring progress towards increased aid effectiveness. These tools require a tighter and more routine monitoring framework, with CRDB taking the lead as part of its GDCC secretariat function, if they are to be used as a basis for promoting more effective ODA in the context of supporting the NSDP. |