High Level Conference on Contemporary Challenges in Public Service and the Role of Partnership for Reaching Solutions
Skopje, 25 and 26 October 2018 – The Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) co-organised with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration of the Republic of Macedonia, United Nations Development Programme and Astana Civil Service Hub (ACSH) the high-level conference on Contemporary Challenges in Public Service and the Role of Partnership for Reaching Solutions.
The high-level event was attended by the ministers in charge of public administration of the Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia and Kosovo*[1] and high-level representatives from the Western Balkans and Central-Asian governments. Representatives of the OECD/SIGMA, UNDP, ACSH and civil society organisations also actively participated in different panels.
In the opening address, Mr Manchevski, Minister of Information Society and Administration of Macedonia, and Mr Ružić, Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia, praised the support provided to their respective administrations by ReSPA. Ms Ratka Sekulović, ReSPA Director, explained the importance of regional cooperation in the implementation of public administration reform and highlighted necessity of partnership building and networking among peers in searching solutions.
Within the panels, a number of topics were elaborated and discussed by the participants: Improvement of Public Service with Regional Support, Role of Partnership for Reaching Solutions in Public Administration, Organisational Improvement in Public Administration, Civil Service Development, Challenges and Future of Professional Development in the Public Administration, PAR Implementation and Challenges and Modernisation and Innovation in the Public Sector.
At the margins of the Conference, Director Sekulović and Mr Alikhan Baimenov, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the ASCH, discussed modalities of future cooperation among the two organisations and agreed to proceed with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which would define the collaborative framework.
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and ICJ Advisory opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of independence
