Human development cannot be sustained without good governance. Governance cannot be sound unless it sustains human development. UNDP defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country's affairs at all levels. Governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, mediate their differences and exercise their legal rights and obligations.
Good governance has many attributes.
It is participatory, transparent and accountable. It is effective in making the best use of resources and is equitable. And it promotes the rule of law. Governance includes the state, but transcends it by taking in the private sector and civil society. All three are critical for sustaining human development.