Hanoi (VNA) – The 2023 conference of the EasternRegional Organisation for Public Administration (EROPA) opened in Hanoion October 17 under the theme "The Role ofPublic Governance in Socio-Economic Recovery and Development toward Sustainable Development Goals".

The event, hosted by the National Academy of PublicAdministration (NAPA) and chaired by the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs,is attended by representatives of diplomatic agencies of nine state membersof EROPA, the EROPA Secretary General, and about 500 Vietnamese andinternational delegates who are scholars and managers.

In her opening remarks, Minister of Home AffairsPham Thi Thanh Tra said that Vietnam and many other countries are facing anumber of impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on growth andsustainable development. Therefore, the selection of “The Role of Public Governance in Socioeconomic Recovery and Development” as the theme of theconference reflects EROPA’s role and sense of responsibility toward regionaland global development issues.

Duringthe pandemic, the slow response to development, climate change, andnon-traditional security issues revealed shortcomings of global governance, shesaid, noting that in the face of the pandemic and development bottlenecks atthe national and international levels, public governance is expected to havesufficient capability to deal with crises and create an effective nationalgovernance model.

This showsthat together with global governance, national governance should be a true “launchingpad” for development, Tra went on.

Sustainabledevelopment is becoming a global trend while many countries are opting for thedigital economy, circular economy, and green growth. To promote sustainabledevelopment, the role of public governance and public administration in eachcountry should be affirmed and reflected more fully, the minister added.

EROPA Secretary General Alex Brillantes Jr. saidthe 2023 conference aims to promote public administration to acceleratesocioeconomic recovery and ensure the realisation of the SustainableDevelopment Goals.

The world is encountering numerous challenges,from the public health crises to concerns over environmental issues and social inequalities.To solve those challenges, public administration, public governance, and publicservices are becoming more necessary than ever, he remarked.

On October 16, the EROPA Executive Council convened a meetingto adopt the agenda of the 68th EROPA conference, elect the chairand vice chairs of the council for 2024 - 2025, and discuss the host country ofthe 2024 EROPA conference.

NAPA Director Assoc. Prof. and Dr Nguyen Ba Chien was electedChairman of the EROPA Executive Council for 2024 - 2025.

EROPA, an international organisation of states, groups andindividuals in the region of Asia and the Pacific, was founded in 1960 as aresponse to the common desire among developing and developed countries topromote regional cooperation in improving knowledge, systems and practices ofgovernment administration to help accelerate economic and social development.

It was the first organisation in the region to bedevoted to the development of public administration in order to advance theeconomic and social development of countries in Asia and the Pacific./.