Representatives of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan participated in the 22nd annual conference of the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee), which took place in Budapest from May 22 to 24. The visit was supported by the EU Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan project.
The conference was attended by more than 350 people from 30 countries, including academy staff. Academy representatives delivered speeches and made presentations regarding Kazakhstan’s efforts to improve public administration and service during the conference. Kazakhstan’s delegation discussed the development of local self-government and e-government. Also, the discussion touched on reforming public administration, efficient public financial management, the training of civil servants in the EU and CIS as well as in other regions.
In the course of the three-day tour, the faculty members from Kazakhstan met and exchanged views and experiences with representatives of higher education institutions from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as with other European colleagues. Also, academy representatives held meetings with the leaders of international organisations dealing with public administration, in particular, President of NISPAcee Professor Mirko Vintar, the President of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Professor Allan Rosenbaum, the President of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA, USA) Professor Ethel Williams and rectors of several European universities.
Holding the NISPAcee Regional Conference in Astana in 2015 was discussed at a meeting with NISPAcee leadership held on May 23. Kazakhstan’s proposal received approval from the head of the organisation. It was agreed to establish a working group on organising and carrying out the conference and the visit of the head of the NISPAcee Secretariat to Astana in June2014 aimed at discussing the details of the conference.
The working group will need to determine the list of participants, dates, transportation arrangements and the contribution of each party to organising the event.
NISPAcee was founded in 1994 as an independent, non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on resolving public administration issues in Central and Eastern European countries. The institution was established for the purpose of promoting cooperation and rendering assistance in conducting joint research activities, improving educational and training programs in the field of public administration and creating a discussion platform between faculty and civil servants. NISPAcee has deep knowledge, experience and information regarding public administration and is recognised as an important international organisation, not only in the region, but worldwide as well.
One of the components of the EU Project on Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan is aimed at providing support in strengthening the institutional capacity of the academy and the development of cooperation with leading European institutions.
