About

SIGMA (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management) is a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union (EU), principally financed by the EU. Its key objective is to strengthen the foundations for improved public governance, and hence support socio-economic development through building the capacities of the public sector and improving the design and implementation of public administration reforms.

The team of around 20 experts provides assistance in six key areas:

Improving the public governance systems of SIGMA partners, especially strengthening the rule of law, is essential to stabilisation and integration into the rules-based global economy. SIGMA provides methodologies and tools to partner administrations in transition to help them create a stable democracy and access the benefits of a free market economy. This enables partners either to fulfill key requirements for EU membership or to create a closer relationship with the EU.

Concretely, working with SIGMA means: 

• Access to a team of 20 interdisciplinary experts, including from EU national public administrations.
• Experience working with countries in transition since 1992.
• Long-term relationships with in-country partners.
• Practitioner-to-practitioner support.
• Flexibility in project design and implementation.
• A combination of EU and OECD expertise.
• Support that complements other EU institution building instruments.

In partnership with the European Commission Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) and the Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA), SIGMA currently works with:

• Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine as EU candidate countries and potential candidates.
• Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia as EU Neighbourhood countries.

SIGMA works with centre of government and key co-ordinating ministries, state agencies (for example related to public service or public procurement), independent oversight bodies (such as supreme audit institutions, ombudsmen) and parliaments.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99 and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.