Trans-European Dialogue 2027

The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) actively participated in the 24th session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), held in New York from 7 to 11 April 2025. This year’s session was centered on the theme "Governance and institutional perspectives on advancing sustainable, inclusive, science and evidence-based solutions for the SDGs."

Represented by Director General Sofiane Sahraoui, IIAS contributed to Agenda Item 8 on public sector workforce matters with a written statement titled "New Administrative Reforms, Public Sector Workforce Issues and the IIAS Agenda." This year’s contribution was built on the outcomes of IIAS’s major recent conferences: the IIAS 2025 Conference in New Delhi, the EGPA 2024 Conference in Athens, and the IASIA 2024 Conference in Bloemfontein. By linking the overarching theme of the IIAS 2025 Conference — Next Generation Administrative Reforms — with the workforce challenges discussed by the UNCEPA working group, IIAS strengthened the intellectual bridge between its academic initiatives and the global governance agenda.

The session also served as an opportunity for IIAS to deepen international collaboration through a series of strategic engagements:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the Kazakhstan Permanent Mission to the United Nations between IIAS and the Astana Civil Service Hub, represented by Dr. Ali Khan Baimenov.
• Director General Sahraoui held meetings with IIAS presidential candidates Dr. Sh. Rana Al-Khalifa and Dr. Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chair of CEPA, discussing future leadership and strategic priorities for the Institute.
• Discussions with Dr. Alex Lopez, Director of International Relations at the Latin American Centre for Development Administration (CLAD), led to a mutual agreement to strengthen collaboration and ensure active participation in upcoming IIAS and CLAD events.
• A meeting with Professor Juraj Nemec, Chair of the ICAPA Steering Committee, to discuss certification of professional training programs, reinforcing the Institute’s role in promoting quality standards in public administration education.

On the sidelines of the CEPA session, IIAS also participated in the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) meeting, presenting its ongoing activities and forthcoming initiatives, and exploring new avenues for collaboration within the global governance community.

IIAS’s contributions to the 24th CEPA session reaffirm its leadership in shaping innovative, evidence-based approaches to public sector reform and demonstrate its continued commitment to improving public governance research, education, and practice worldwide.