On April 5th 2018, National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA); Regional Institute of Administration of Metz, France; and Vietnam Institute of Economics, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences co-organized the international workshop “Building an enabling, integrity government in the process of acceleration the national industrialization and modernization, international integration”.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trieu Van Cuong, Vice Minister of Home Affairs; Dr. Dang Xuan Hoan, NAPA President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Thanh Cuong, NAPA Vice President; Mr. Jean Francois Verdier, President of Administrative Council, Regional Institute of Administration of Metz, France; Assoc. Prof. Dr, Tran Dinh Thien, Director of Vietnam Institute of Economics co-chaired the workshops.
Dr. Dang Xuan Hoan, NAPA President giving a speech in the seminar
Attending in the workshop were international participants, including Professor, Holger Muehlenkamp, Rector, University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, Germany; Professor Yoon Byeong-soo, National Human Resources Development Institute, Korea; Dr. Harri Laihonen, Research Director, Faculty of Management, University of Tampere, Finland; representatives of Embassies of foreign countries in Vietnam including Italy, Korea, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
The seminar also had the participation of representatives of ministries, central departments and agencies, local authorities including Dr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Minister of Home Affairs; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac, Vice President, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Dr. Pham Chi Thanh, Editor-in-Chief, National Political Publishing House; Mr. Nguyen Van Suu, Permanent Deputy Chairperson, Hanoi People’s Committee; scholars, practitioners, mass media.
Dr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Minister of Home Affairs delivers a speech in the seminar
Professor Holger Muhlenkamp, Rector, University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, Germany presents in the seminar
Mr. Jean Francois Verdier, President of Administrative Council, Regional Institute of Administration of Metz, France delivers a presentation in the seminar
Professor Yoon Byeong-soo, National Human Resources Development Institute, Korea delivers a speech in the seminar
Dr. Harri Laihonen, Research Director, Faculty of Management, University of Tampere, Finland delivers a speech in the seminar
Participating in this video-conferencing workshop were Dr. Vu Thanh Xuan, NAPA Vice President, former NAPA leaders, NAPA staff and lecturers from all campuses throughout the country, including Hanoi, Hochiminh City, Hue City, and Tay Nguyen.
Dr. Dang Xuan Hoan, NAPA President emphasized in his keynote speech that the 4th industrial revolution has opened up many opportunities as well as challenges which requires a country to rethink about their development and development drivers. In this context, each country will have to renovate its public governance, transform for adaptation, anticipate and respond to changes, and actively embrace new opportunities. He also stated that the new Government’s Prime Minister delivered a message of building an enabling, integrity government, serving citizens and businesses which will help Vietnam to complete the national industrialization and modernization. Pillars of an enabling government and initiatives for an enabling government have been discussed. The recent achievements in public governance and economic development in Vietnam have proven that an enabling government is a right direction for the state administration.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Thanh Cuong, NAPA Vice President delivers a presentation in the seminar
However, the current weaknesses of the public administration and tough challenges require great efforts, breakthrough solutions, and a holistic approach in order to build an enabling, integrity government. The workshop focuses on the following sub-themes including:
- (1) Approaches to an enabling government in the process of the national industrialization and modernization.
- (2) Review of the recent process of building an enabling government in Vietnam, analysis of the context of achievements and difficulties in this process, identification of challenges in building an enabling, integrity
- (3) Experience in building an enabling government, an enabling state, and a development administration.
- (4) Solutions and ideas to build an enabling, integrity government; to communicate values of an enabling, integrity
The workshop was structured into 3 sessions:
Session 1: Theoretical issues and approaches in building an enabling, integrity, serving government.
Session 2: An enabling, integrity Government in accelerating industrialization, modernization, and international integration;
Session 3: Solutions and ideas to build an enabling, integrity, serving government.
Dr. Dang Xuan Hoan giving a speech at the end of the seminar
There were many contributions from practitioners, professionals, and both domestic and international scholars. Vice Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan emphasized that this international workshop promotes NAPA’s research reputation in administrative sciences and its status as a special non-business unit of MOHA. He stated it is necessary to discuss not only an enabling government but also an integrity, action, people-serving government and link this issue with the training of public servants who are the key actors in the building of an enabling, integrity, action, people-serving government. Followings are the summary of the workshop contributions:
Firstly, an enabling government will fully take responsibility for public governance which is based on the rule of law; uses culture and public ethics as measures, national development as the criterion for performance evaluation.
Secondly, the relationship between the state, society, and market is harmonized where the government has predictability; is capable to set up institutions for economic and social stability and resilience to external shocks which occur with more regular frequency in the context of globalization; creates new motivations; and opens up opportunities for development. Non-traditional security is arising issues in public governance.
Thirdly, an enabling, integrity government requires that public servants are the enabling, integrity actors with future management skills and qualities. As the “national guards”, public servants need to be enhanced in both competency and ethics.
Fourthly, the building of an enabling government should be implemented comprehensively at both central and local levels in terms of promulgating and executing institutions; a mechanism for reviews and evaluation of institutions and policies with the engagement of enterprises and citizens in evaluation of policy effectiveness; regulations on accountability of the Government.
Fifthly, international experience including both successful and unsuccessful stories in the region and around the world provides valuable implications but cannot be copied and replicated without adjustment. It stems from the fact that Vietnam enters the market economy, international integration, industrialization and modernization in an international and national context which is different to that of developed countries and countries in the Southeast Asia region.
The contribution of researchers and professionals in the workshop will be used as valuable materials for research and training activities at NAPA as well as provide advice to the Ministry of Home Affairs in building an enabling, integrity government in the context of the 4th industrial revolution.
