Transparency, accountability
and corruption –
This is the second
time we are giving the course on Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
All of you have to analyze one evaluation and answer a set of questions. Most
of you have access to evaluations through your work. Others have encountered
serious problems. In
Evaluations deal with
the use of scarce resources and how to use these better; obviously an area of
interest to a larger public in
The Government of
Mozambique has a general policy of transparency but in practice it is often not
adhered to. – Students from this and the other course, without the necessary
political connections, have not been able to obtain evaluations from the public
sector.
I have waited for an
opportunity to start a serious discussion about the transparency and
accountability issues and I am challenging the position of the official of the
European Commission.
What are your views on
this exchange of e-mails:
EC is taking my concerns seriously. However, the e-mail sent to me today, 17 March,
has a note that it is private and confidential. It is a bit confusing to me. How
can an e-mail sent through the EC mail server be private and personal? Anyhow, I
will meet Barbara KERSTIENS,
Section Head, on Thursday.
EC reply 16 March: Transparency2.htm
Here it starts: My comments are in red:
-----
Original Message -----
From: COOKE
Noel (RELEX-MAPUTO)
To:
Tom Alberts
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008
Subject: RE: My student's request
Dear Mr Alberts
I would like to clarify the situation. A student arrives unannounced in the reception of the EC with no credentials telling us he is from the UEM, asking for copies of external evaluations of ‘rural development’ projects. You got surprised! - And as a good civil servant of the EC you would obviously try to help this student. - And he could easily have presented a letter from UEM certifying his status as a student of the MSc programme. - In my view this is not necessary. Any citizen of Mozambique should have access to the evaluations. - This is the policy of the Swedish Government. I do not know to what extent you and your superior(s) share this basic norm of conduct of EC civil servants.
As you might understand, these are internal disagree completely documents that might contain sensitive information. Inevitable and good Furthermore, in the case of NGOs, it is not the EC that commissions these evaluations, but the implementing agency. This we need to discuss Plus I am extremely busy we are all, and cannot attend the needs of every unsolicited visitor immediately. For these reasons I explained to the gentlemen that I would get back to him when I had a) consulted with my section head to see whether it was possible and b) identified a suitable evaluation. Indeed I did get back to him, to remind him that I had not forgotten.
I am not sure this qualifies for being accused of a lack of transparency and accountability. I expressed a concern not an accusation!
To regularize the situation, I suggest that the UEM wrote formally to the EC asking for help in providing evaluations. Good governance policy of EC, subsidiarity principle etc? - do you really require a formal letter from the UEM?
Kind regards
Noel Cooke
From: Tom Alberts [mailto:tom_alberts@yahoo.com]
Sent: 13 March 2008 21:51
To: COOKE Noel (
Cc: Reis Muando
Subject: My student's request
Dear Mr. Cooke,
I am a bit concerned about the issue of transparency and accountability of the EC. My students at the UEM programme in Rural Development are having difficulties in obtaining evaluations from your office. It seems to me rather strange that evaluations are not freely distributed and that you claim to have to await instructions from your superior on this matter.
For your information, I am a visiting professor at UEM. Please feel free to visit my Web Site where you will also find information for my students at UEM.
I am sure that there must be some misunderstanding and that you promptly will give my students access to the evaluations commissioned by the EC.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Tom Alberts
PS I am leaving for South Africa tomorrow for a few days.