Capacity Building/Development

What is Capacity Building/Development?

International consensus exists around the belief that capacity is intuitively linked to sustainable development through institution building and strengthening, and human resources development. This is particularly the case for fragile situations which, per the most utilized definition of fragility from the OECD, are defined by a lack of capacity and/or will.

Capacity building can be viewed through the lens of training though consensus exists around the fact that capacity development is more of a continuum and is not limited to one specific level of society, but it impacts capacity at individual, institutional, and organizational levels.

A variety of definitions for capacity development exist. Some examples include:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines capacity development as─ “the ability of individuals, organizations and societies to make effective and efficient use of resources, in order to achieve their goals on a sustainable basis”. The Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI) guidelines also use this definition from the OECD.

UNESCO envisions capacity development as a four dimensional process, which includes─ improving the competencies and performance of individuals officers; improving organizational performance (mandate, structure, international management of organizational units); improving public administration to which these units belong (role of public service, rules of civil service management, formal and informal incentives: improving the social, economic and political context (limiting the constraints and strengthening)

UNDP states that capacity development is ─ “the process by which individuals, groups, organizations, institutions and societies increase their abilities: to perform functions solve problems and achieve objectives; to understand and deal with their development need in a broader context and in a sustainable manner”

 

INEE Engagement in Capacity Building/Development

The Working Group on Minimum Standards continues to ensure quality in education programming, while the Working Group on Education and Fragility works to maintain an effective enabling environment for the provision of education.

Capacity Development Issue Paper

Part of the Working Group’s work plan is the capacity development issue paper that was prepared as a joint project of the European Training Foundation (ETF) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). It was undertaken to address the concerns of the ETF with regard to strategies for social cohesion and human capital development in what have been termed ‘fragile states’ and as a priority focus for GTZ, which is a member of the INEE Working Group on Education and Fragility. The capacity development issue paper has been endorsed as an INEE product.

The paper aims to determine particular capacity development needs in education in contexts of fragility. It first examines the discussions on fragility in terms of various categorisations of phases, types and causation. Fragile states are understood as those that lack both capacity and willingness to perform key government functions for the benefit of all. Education can be both a cause and an effect of fragility, with its own problems of legitimacy, of contributing to conflict as well as peace, of having extremes of inequality and of experiencing weaknesses in governance. The main argument of this paper is that ‘capacity development’ in education in fragile states has to focus on state-building at all levels, country, regional and international.

Click the language to download the Capacity Development Issue Paper  (English)  (French)

Click the language to downlad the Summary of the Issue Paper (English) (French)