Lalitpur:More than 300 delegates from 15 countries are set to participate in the International Conference on Public Administration and Governance in South Asia, which begins tomorrow. The event will be held from November 4 to 6 at the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), Jawalakhel, Lalitpur.
According to National News Agency RSS, the conference is organized under the theme ‘Reimagining Public Administration in South Asia Ethics, Inclusion and State Capacity.’ It is jointly hosted by NASC, the Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN), and the South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA).
The conference aims to bring together academics, policymakers, senior government officials, researchers, development partners, civil society representatives, and public administration practitioners. The primary objective is to encourage scholarly and policy dialogue on contemporary governance challenges in South Asia, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and innovative practices to improve the capability, accountability, inclusivity, and responsiveness of public institutions to citizens.
Specifically, the conference will focus on making public institutions more ethical, inclusive, capable, and citizen-centered. Discussions will center on strengthening public trust in government institutions, improving public service delivery, empowering citizens and communities, and translating public commitments into tangible development outcomes.
For Nepal, the conference presents a vital opportunity to reflect on its experiences with democratic transformation, federal governance implementation, institutional reforms, and public service delivery, while also learning from the experiences of other South Asian countries.
The conference program includes contributions from academics and researchers from various countries, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Over three days, approximately 145 research contributions will be presented across 33 technical parallel sessions and four thematic panels.
Beyond academic exchanges, the conference aims to strengthen long-term collaboration among public administration institutions, universities, researchers, and policy practitioners across South Asia. It seeks to generate insights relevant to public policy formulation, strengthen regional research networks, encourage collaborative research and academic publications, and promote innovative approaches to public administration education and capacity development.
Furthermore, the conference will allow Nepal to showcase its governance, democratic transformation, and public administration reform experiences to the international academic community. The organizing institutions believe that developing ethical, inclusive, accountable, and capable public institutions is fundamental to strengthening democratic governance, improving citizens’ quality of life, and advancing sustainable development across South Asia.
The outcomes of the conference are expected to contribute to more effective future initiatives in public administration education, research, policy dialogue, and institutional reform across the region.