(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) A Regional Conference on Public Administration in the Arab States, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), concluded Thursday.
Over 100 high-level decision-makers and practitioners from the Arab world worked for four days together to enhance the sharing of knowledge and expertise in the field of public administration across the region.
The aim of the conference, held under the title "Stronger networks for responsive institutions € how to achieve effective and accountable public administration in the Arab region, was to shed light on, and raise awareness of the role of the public sector in the development path of countries to ensure citizen's ability to live peacefully with opportunities and access to public services.
The Conference has also created a space where networks and alliances can be forged for the benefit of countries in the region that are facing similar dilemmas and can learn from each other's experiences and approaches to important issues.
These include the development of a high-performing civil service with integrity and capacity to deliver the services people need; using the instruments of public institutions to mitigate the impact of crises and making sure all groups € including women, a growing number of young people and innovators working on solutions to social problems € are included in decision-making and the development of potential solutions.
Minister of Public Sector Development, Khleif Al-Khawahldeh, said in opening remarks that public administration reform has become a necessity and a supportive approach for comprehensive political, economic and social reform. He also emphasized the importance of an efficient public administration to achieve democratic transformation, which requires building the institutional and functional capacity of various government entities.
UNDP Regional Office Representative, Khaled Abdelshafi, pointed to the establishment of the Regional Hub of the Programme in Amman to lead sustainable human development in the region and to support the Programme's offices in 18 Arab countries. He indicated that the Conference came shortly after the adoption of the agenda of sustainable development 2030 by the leaders of the world.
Zena Ali Ahmad, UNDP Jordan Country Director, highlighted the role the UNDP plays globally, regionally and nationally through supporting its partners in developing specialized projects on public administration and local government administration and in supporting institutions to improve its responsiveness and accountability.
The forum was joined by a Swedish delegation, represented by Folke Bernadotte Academy in Stockholm. Working more than 25 years in the region; the Swedish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Jan Thesleff called the participants and their institutions to "take the world into their hands" by embracing new and innovative ways of moving forward and being more responsive and accountable.
With world leaders recently adopting the global Sustainable Development Goals € including Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong, Effective Institutions, Thesleff emphasized that respect for principles of the rule of law in public service delivery is one such key pillar in ensuring accountability.
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