A/HRC/25/27 5. There is no universally recognized definition of “public service”. Public service is often broadly bracketed with public administration and public sector governance. According to the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), “Public administration refers to: (1) The aggregate machinery … funded by the state budget and in charge of the management and direction of the affairs of the executive government, and its interaction with other stakeholders in the state, society and external environment; (2) The management and implementation of the whole set of government activities dealing with the implementation of laws, regulations and decisions of the government and the management related to the provision of public services.”2 Closely linked with this is the notion of public sector governance which, according to the Definition of basic concepts and terminologies in governance and public administration (E/C.16/2006/4), “has been defined as regimes of laws, rules, judicial decisions and administrative practices that constrain, prescribe, and enable the provision of publicly supported goods and services” (para. 26). 6. While definitions vary, this report focuses specifically on those aspects of public administration and public sector governance that relate to delivery of and equitable access to public service, transparency in budgets and public finance, responsiveness to the views of the people, their participation in decisions that concern them and enhanced accountability. 7. Various themes that fall within the rubric of good governance are inextricably linked with the promotion and protection of human rights. Four prominent themes are: (a) strengthening democratic institutions; (b) improving service delivery; (c) the rule of law; and (d) combating corruption.3 Notably, “in the realm of delivering State services to the public, good governance reforms advance human rights when they improve the State’s capacity to fulfil its responsibility to provide public goods which are essential for the protection of a number of human rights, such as the right to education, health and food.”4 B. Good governance and human rights: complementarity and convergence? 8. The relationship between good governance and human rights is a complex one, given the different origins and usage of the concepts. In earlier connotations, the good governance concept had a technocratic bias which was aimed at creating the best possible conditions for economic development. 9. A seminar on good governance practices for the promotion of human rights, jointly organized in 2004 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNDP, concluded that that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between good governance and human rights (E/CN.4/2005/97, p. 2). “Human rights principles provide a set of values to guide the work of Governments and other political and social actors … Moreover, human rights principles inform the content of good governance efforts: they may inform the development of legislative frameworks, policies, programmes, budgetary allocations and other measures. However, without good governance, human rights cannot be respected and protected in a sustainable manner. The implementation of human rights relies on a conducive and enabling environment. This 2 3 4 4 UNDP Public Administration Reform: Practice Note, pp. 1–2. Available from www.undp.org/content/dam/aplaws/publication/en/publications/democratic-governance/dgpublications-for-website/public-administration-reform-practice-note-/PARPN_English.pdf. Good Governance Practices for the Protection of Human Rights (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.07.XIV.10), p. 3. Ibid., p. 2.