ASTANA – The governments in the region and Kazakhstan’s government, in particular, are working to improve service delivery and are reviewing European best practices, experts involved in reforming Kazakhstan’s civil service said during an Oct. 3 roundtable meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan titled, “Effective Public Service Delivery.”.
“The governments of the region are working hard to further improve the delivery of public services,” said George Mirogiyannis, team leader of the European-funded project “Support Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan” (CSR), which aims to improve quality of life in Kazakhstan. “All the necessary components, such as political will, public consent and resources are available,” he said.
The meeting provided a platform for the discussion of the latest trends and challenges associated with public services delivery, including the development of a mechanism for public control over the quality of services delivered, the role of senior executives and evaluation of the activity of government authorities as a tool for improving the quality of public services. Mirogiyannis spoke about international trends, recent achievements and future priorities for the effective delivery of public services. The CSR project is supporting the government of Kazakhstan through sharing of best practices of Europe and the world in the field of public service, he said.
Representatives of government authorities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Georgia and Mongolia, as well as international organisations that are members of the regional public service hub took part in the discussion. Jean-François Lengellé, project manager for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Eurasia Competitiveness Programme; Stephen Tull, UNDP resident representative in Kazakhstan; Alikhan Baimenov, chairman of the Steering Committee of the Regional Civil Service Hub in Astana and Bahram Khalilov, chairman of the Civil Service Commission of Azerbaijan, also participated in the meeting.
Following the meeting, a study tour of the Asan Service Centre of Azerbaijan was organised, and a Steering Committee meeting of the Regional Hub was held.
The Regional Civil Service Hub was established in Astana in March 2013 with the aim of building an institutional framework and a permanent platform for the exchange of information and experience in public service between countries of the region.
