Bangkok, Thailand – On 27th April 2009, UNDP and SNV organised a High-Level Ministerial Capacity Development Dialogue Session. Ministers of all Asia-Pacific countries were present.

The statement prepared for the Capacity Development Dialogue emphasises the need to invest more strategically in capacity development at the sub-national level.

The statement reads, in part:

“Investments of time, people and money should now focus on enabling governments, civil society and private sector organisations at all levels to deliver basic services and stimulate local economic growth …

“Such efforts, however, demand a radical overhaul of the ways in which we currently develop capacity. This is not just about training individuals – it is about changing mindsets and transforming organisations, it is about bringing a range of diverse actors together in a process that leads to better services, thriving markets and thus a better quality of life for all people in the region, especially ethnic minorities and women.”

“In this time of crisis, prioritising your National Capacity Development Strategies could be the most important decision you make.”

The “Investments in Capacities for National Development” statement is the culmination of three years of practice, study and dialogue on investments in capacities for national development by SNV and UNDP.

To read the full statement, click here

To support the Capacity Development Dialogues at country level, a documentary film with stories of capacity development in practice “More with Less” is being developed. The film features the results of investment in local capacity development that the SNV-UNDP partnership has made around Asia.

To prepare for the statement and to create a critical supporting mass for the Capacity Development Dialogues, SNV, UNDP and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) had hosted a gathering of capacity development practitioners from 10 countries in the region in Bangkok on April 22nd. Participants included senior representatives of government, civil society, development partners and academia.

For more information about the workshop, read this article by Leonor Magtolis Briones for ABS-CBN News.