The WB Public Administration Award Winners' Community of Practice: Strengthening Regional Progress Through Collaboration, Innovation, and Knowledge Sharing
11 – 12 March 2025, Kolašin, Montenegro
ReSPA and SIGMA brought together public administration champions across the Western Balkans—winners of three cycles of the Western Balkans Public Administration Awards—to foster deeper collaboration, exchange best practices, and drive transformative governance initiatives.
During the two-day event, participants seized the opportunity to network, form strategic partnerships, and explore ways to replicate their award-winning initiatives regionally. The gathering served as an opportunity for learning and catalyzing institutional innovation, knowledge sharing, and cross-border cooperation, reinforcing the commitment to excellence in public service delivery.
Adam Mollerup, an expert in the Digital Transformation of Public Services, provided key insights into fostering regional cooperation through service delivery initiatives.
Jelisaveta Tasev and Bojana Bajić from ReSPA, alongside Jose Diaz from SIGMA, challenged participants to brainstorm innovative approaches for enhancing cooperation and establishing a dynamic regional community of practice—whether through in-person meetings or via ReSPA’s Knowledge Management Platform.
Experts Goran Paštrović and Tamara Srzentić led hands-on sessions on governance in a digital age, leadership in times of rapid change, and strategies for adaptive, resilient leadership and agile teams, equipping participants with problem-solving, risk assessment, and decision-making skills and ensuring they are ready to continue leading reforms in the region.
Jelisaveta Tasev, ReSPA Programme Manager, emphasized: "This event reaffirmed our commitment to advancing public administration excellence and fostering sustainable regional cooperation. Over the last very dynamic days, we have built upon the Western Balkans' community of practice to further expand, innovate, and shape the future of governance of our region."
Since 2020, ReSPA and SIGMA have been recognizing and celebrating trailblazing public administration initiatives through the biannual Western Balkans Public Administration Awards. These awards have honoured outstanding reforms and laid the foundation for a thriving regional community of practice—a platform for cross-border knowledge exchange, collaboration, and replication of best practices.
With three successful editions (2020, 2022, 2024), the awards have become a driving force behind public sector innovation in the Western Balkans, strengthening institutional resilience and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in governance.
