Capacity Building

Capacity building is the process of increasing the skills, resources and competency of an organization or community to effectively and independently meet its development needs.  Rather than focusing on one activity, capacity building involves expanding and improving capabilities across a range of interconnected areas, such as human resource development (education, skills and training); organizational development (building effective legal, financial, management and administrative structures and procedures); institutional strengthening (improved governance, policy development and implementation) and building collaborative partnerships and networks to deliver programs and services. 

The increased focus in recent years on capacity building in international development reflects the move away from funding stand-alone aid projects and the trend toward implementing long-term, sector-wide programs and strengthening civil society as a whole. The United Nations Development Program has defined capacity building as:

• the creation of an enabling environment with appropriate policy and legal frameworks;
• institutional development, including community participation (of women in particular);
• human resources development and strengthening of managerial systems.

International aid donors and development agencies now routinely provide assistance for capacity building programs in addition to financial and technical assistance, to increase aid effectiveness and foster sustainable development in less developed countries. Capacity building initiatives may be implemented to address gaps and strengthen the public, private or NGO sectors, as well as community groups.  Examples of a range of capacity building programs can be found at the Development Gateway Foundation’s dgCommunities Capacity Development webpage, available at: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/capacitydevelopment

Sources and online resources:

Development Gateway Foundation, dgCommunities: Capacity Development, http://topics.developmentgateway.org/capacitydevelopment (Accessed 20 Feb. 08)

The Interagency Emergency Capacity Building Project, http://www.ecbproject.org/ (Accessed 20 Feb. 08)

McKenzie, J., (Ed) (2007) Capacity Building Resource Manual, Canberra: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HCC/07-102sum.html (Accessed 19 Dec. 07)

UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, http://www.unesco-iicba.org//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=en (Accessed 19 Dec. 07)

UNIFEM Discussion Paper (September 2007), ‘Capacity Development for Promoting Gender in the Aid Effectiveness Agenda: Lessons from Sub-regional Consultations in Africa http://www.unifem.org/attachments/products/GenderEqualityInAidEffectiveness_AfricaLessons_eng.pdf (Accessed 20 Feb. 08)

World Health Organisation Food Safety Capacity Building Initiative, http://www.who.int/foodsafety/capacity/en/ (Accessed 20 Feb. 08)