On October 16, 2023, at the National Convention Center, Hanoi, the 68th EROPA Executive Council held a meeting to approve the program for the 68th EROPA Conference in 2023 and elect the Chair and Vice Chair of the EROPA Executive Council for the 2024 – 2025 term.
An overview of the meeting.
Dr. Achakorn Wongpreedee, Associate Dean for Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand and Acting Chairman of EROPA Executive Council; Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., Secretary-General of EROPA; Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, President of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), Vice Chair of the EROPA Executive Council, co-chaired the meeting.
The Presidium chairing the meeting.
Delegates attending the meeting included Dr. Xu Wei, Deputy Director, Academy of Personnel Science, Head of the Chinese delegation; Prof.Dr. Adi Suryanto, Chairman of the National Institute for Public Administration, Head of the Indonesian delegation; Dr. Muhammad Taufiq, Deputy, Policy Competency Development, Indonesia; Mr. Toshiaki Miyachi, President of Local Autonomy College, Japan; Atty. Ryan Alvin Acosta, Commissioner, Civil Service Commission of the Philippines, Representative to the President of the 28th EROPA General Assembly; Mr. Juwon Lee, Specialist, Second Class, International Cooperation, National Human Resource Development Institute, South Korea; Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Professor, Meiji University, Japan, Chairperson of the EROPA Future Plans and Programs Committee; Dr. Vincent Wong, Vice President of the Hong Kong Public Administration Association, Chairperson of the EROPA Resolutions Committee; Dr. Peter K.W. Fong, President of the Hong Kong Public Administration Association; Dr. Akio Kamiko, Professor, Ritsumeikan University, Japan; Dr. Kristoffer Berse, Deputy Secretary-General of EROPA; members of the EROPA Secretariat.
Dr. Achakorn Wongpreedee, Associate Dean for Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand and Acting Chairman of EROPA Executive Council, moderating the meeting.
To start the meeting, Dr. Achakorn Wongpreedee, Associate Dean for Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand and Acting Chairman of EROPA Executive Council, welcomed the delegates to the 2023 EROPA Conference and the 68th EROPA Executive Council Meeting. He declared the meeting open and encouraged the delegates to share their views and thoughts on how countries, organizations, and individuals can make EROPA a better organization and a leader in public administration in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. He also stated that at the 68th Executive Council Meeting, the EROPA Secretariat prepared a tentative agenda, which is open for discussion related to the theme of the 2023 EROPA Conference.
Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., Secretary-General of EROPA reporting on EROPA’s activities.
Reporting to the 68th Executive Council, Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., Secretary-General of EROPA, emphasized that EROPA’s activities in recent times have continued to focus on good governance and development on national, regional and international scales. The organization’s activities have continued to revitalize and make the organization more relevant than ever. EROPA consistently introduces innovations in the public sector, forges new partnerships with various organizations to support common goals of good governance and drives the development of public administration. Strengthening and expanding the reach of the EROPA network has been one of the key driving forces for the organization during this period.
In his report, Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr. mentioned the activities conducted by EROPA from September 13, 2022, to September 15, 2023, during the post-Covid-19 pandemic period. The EROPA Secretariat continued to organize, conduct and participate in various events related to organization and networking, including (1) conducting the 67th Executive Council Meeting and Conference on “ Governance and Public Administration in Covid-19 Pandemic: Learning, Innovations, and Reforms in Managing Global Changes”; (2) jointly conducting the 2022 Human Resource Seminar with the theme “Digitalization Enabling Human Resources Management and Development in Public Organizations” with the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science, the EROPA Human Resource Development Center in China, and the School of Public Administration and Policy of Renmin University of China; (3) preparing for the 68th EROPA Executive Council Meeting and Conference on “The Role of Public Governance in Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Towards the Sustainable Development Goals”; (4) providing support for dissemination of needs assessment surveys to National Government Training Institutions (NGTIs) hosted by the Chandler Institute of Governance, Singapore; (5) co-organizing the Training of Trainers (ToT) on Innovation and Digital Government for Public Service Delivery led by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) together with the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA); (6) co-organizing a hybrid workshop on “Smart City: The Role of Government” with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and the University of Canberra; (7) co-organizing the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Global Initiative on Building Capacities of Public Servants for SDG Implementation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA); (8) co-hosting the book launching of “Covid-19 and the Structural Crises of Our Time” by Dr. Lim Mah Hui (Malaysia).
Mr. Juwon Lee, Specialist, Second Class, International Cooperation, National Human Resource Development Institute, South Korea, reporting at the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Juwon Lee, Specialist, Second Class, International Cooperation, National Human Resource Development Institute (NHI), South Korea, reported on maximizing the benefits of both online and in-person learning through a combined program design. Blended learning not only reduces the burden on participants but also improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning experience. Through their relentless efforts, NHI has welcomed 161 participants through 9 training programs from 2022 to 2023 as the world began to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. NHI takes pride in its global alumni network of 6,368 government officials representing 152 countries. NHI has also signed many new memoranda of understanding with partners from Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
NHI is planning to host the 2023 Global Public Human Resources Conference and the 2023 NHI Human Resources Leadership Forum, both of which are scheduled to take place at the end of 2023. The themes for these conferences will be “Exploring a New Paradigm for Public HRD in Times of AI-triggered Innovation” and “The Impact of Digital Technology Developments on the Public HR Sector”.
Dr. Xu Wei, representative of the EROPA Human Resource Research Center in China, reporting on the Center’s activities.
Dr. Xu Wei, representative of the EROPA Human Resource Research Center in China, reported on the Center’s activities from August 2022 to September 2023. During this period, the Center organized an international workshop on digitalization to support HR management and development in public organizations. The workshop aimed to focus on innovative practices in public HR development in Asia-Pacific countries through academic exchange. The workshop attracted more than 190 representatives of agencies, departments, sectors, universities and research organizations from seven countries. The workshop was jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science and Renmin University of China.
In 2023, the EROPA Human Resource Research Center in China plans to organize an online international workshop with the support of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science by the end of the year.
Mr. Toshiaki Miyachi, President of Local Autonomy College and Director of EROPA Local Government Center in Japan, reporting on the Center’s activities.
Mr. Toshiaki Miyachi, President of Local Autonomy College and Director of EROPA Local Government Center in Japan, reported on the Center’s activities from 2022 to 2023: (1) International training program of the Center focused on local governance. This program was designed for local and central governments abroad to provide training for local government officials and academic staff, primarily from Asia. Lectures were conducted at the Local Autonomy College, and training included field visits to local governments at the district and city levels. In 2022, most of the lectures were delivered online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, the Center will launch an online training program for participants from Japan. (2) The Center also organized a half-day program for international delegates to visit and work at the Center. This program included lectures and field visits to enhance delegates’ understanding of the local government systems in Japan and the local government cadre training system. (3) Regarding the Center’s publishing activities, since 1984, the Center has published a series of comparative administrative research publications. They have published a compilation of articles from 13 experts from EROPA state members on topics related to challenges of local governance.
Dr. Muhamad Taufiq, Deputy, Policy Competency Development, Indonesia, reporting at the meeting.
Dr. Muhamad Taufiq, Deputy, Policy Competency Development, Indonesia, reports on the activities of the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) as the EROPA Policy Studies Center. He highlighted that since 2018, NIPA has expanded its network of activities to strengthen its research program called the Policy Cycle Network. NIPA has not only signed cooperation agreements with domestic universities but also with foreign universities, such as INHA University of South Korea and the University of Science and Technology in Cambodia. These agreements aim to establish collaboration to promote the practice of public governance and public administration through joint academic research.
NIPA also organized dialogue forums to address practical issues of public administration through online policy analysis lectures. These forums involve remote participation by thousands of experts and scholars from various academies, with the goal of sharing experiences and knowledge about local policy issues.
NIPA has also developed a Policy Quality Index as an effort to measure the quality of policies developed within government organizations. This index serves as an assessment tool for policy quality throughout the policy-making process, from policy formulation to implementation and evaluation. The measurement was carried out at the end of 2021, and a follow-up measurement is planned for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Following reports from representatives of South Korea, China, Japan and Indonesia, Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr. reported on research and publications, special projects, and EROPA membership in the coming time.
Dr. Kristoffer Berse, Deputy Secretary General of EROPA, reporting on EROPA’s audit work in 2022.
Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Professor of Meiji University, Japan, Chair of EROPA’s Future Plans and Programs Committee, reporting on the EROPA’s future plans and programs.
During the meeting, the delegates listened to Dr. Kristoffer Berse, Deputy Secretary General of EROPA, report on EROPA’s audit work in 2022, and Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Professor of Meiji University, Japan, Chair of EROPA’s Future Plans and Programs Committee, present EROPA’s future plans and programs.
The delegates exchanged ideas and engaged in discussions regarding the future host of the 2024 EROPA Conference. Additionally, they conducted the election for the Chair and Vice Chair of the EROPA Executive Council for the 2024 – 2025 term. Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President, was elected as Chair of the EROPA Executive Council for the 2024 – 2025 term.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, representative of the host country of the 2023 EROPA Conference, introducing the Conference program.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, representative of the host country, introduced the 2023 EROPA Conference program. He expressed that this is a great honor for NAPA of Viet Nam and also a great responsibility for NAPA in the next two years, especially considering the rapidly changing and unpredictable global context. To move towards effective and transparent public administration systems in the region, EROPA members need to further strengthen their proactive participation and effective collaboration in exchanging information and ideas. They should also find creative solutions for the common prosperity of the region and the world. It is believed that with the efforts of each EROPA member and mutual collaboration, they will contribute to a prosperous and sustainable development region in the future.
* On the morning of October 17, 2023, the Opening Ceremony of the 2023 EROPA Conference, with the theme: “The Role of Public Governance in Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Towards the Sustainable Development Goals” will be held at the National Convention Center, Ha Noi.
A group photo of the delegates.
