Fair and equitable governance: the partnership approach between the URL and UNOPS

With a view to promoting the exchange of experiences, scientific innovation, the professionalization of state entities and fair and equitable public management, Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala (URL) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) signed an inter-agency collaboration agreement on March 29, 2022.

The signing of the agreement was attended by the Rector of the URL, Father Miquel Cortes Bofill, S.j, the Director of the UNOPS office in Guatemala, Mr. Andrea Calvaruso, and university officials, as well as UNOPS officials. The objective of the agreement is to facilitate collaboration between the academic sector and the projects implemented by UNOPS in Guatemala and Latin America and the Caribbean, based on the approach called Fair and Equitable Public Management (GPJE), through the exchange of knowledge, good practices, and innovation.

The GPJE assumes that good government administration impacts on the structural causes of inequality, corruption, and poverty. Hence, the role of academic centers of excellence, such as Rafael Landivar University, is essential in improving public goods and services for citizens. The production and management of knowledge is fundamental in the implementation of programs and public policies that address the needs of the population, contributing to the construction and support of the general good.

The scope of the UNOPS-URL partnership implies collaboration for events and actions that promote research and academic input within the framework of the projects that both institutions are implementing in the country. It also prioritizes issues related to social protection and strengthening public health systems, access to medicines, telemedicine and the promotion of original health therapies; sustainable management of fiscal spending; and good practices of government procurement. In addition, issues related to civil infrastructure and technology platforms; natural resource management, with emphasis on water and sanitation; and social inclusion, a gender perspective, and compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNOPS and URL authorities agree that this partnership will effectively contribute to academic reflection on priority issues for the country; it will strengthen the national training and capacities of young professionals, engaged and

consistent with the challenges of social reality, as well as of the faculty and researchers of the University, facilitating the exchange between specialists and academics. Similarly, the agreement will allow joint efforts to be made, as well as the promotion of transparency, efficiency, and innovation.