International Conference on Public Administration and Governance Begins tomorrow

More than 300 delegates from 15 countries are taking part in the International Conference on Public Administration and Governance in South Asia that begins tomorrow. The International Conference is being held from November 4 to 6 at the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. Organized under the theme “Reimagining Public Administration in South Asia: Ethics, Inclusion and State Capacity,” the conference is jointly hosted by the Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN), and South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA).

The conference will bring together academics, policymakers, senior government officials, researchers, development partners, civil society representatives, and public administration practitioners working in the fields of public administration and governance.

The primary objective of the conference is to encourage scholarly and policy dialogue on contemporary governance challenges in South Asia and to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and innovative practices that can help make public institutions more capable, accountable, inclusive, and responsive to citizens.

The conference is expected to facilitate critical discussions on how public institutions can become more ethical, inclusive, capable, and citizen-centred. Particular attention will be given to 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 offers an important opportunity to reflect on its experiences of democratic transformation, the implementation of federal governance, institutional reforms, and public service delivery, while learning from the experiences of other South Asian countries.

The conference programme includes scholarly contributions from academics and researchers affiliated with universities and institutions in South Asian countries, including Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The three-day conference will feature approximately 145 research contributions presented across 33 technical parallel sessions and four thematic panels. Beyond academic knowledge exchange, the conference is expected to strengthen long-term collaboration among public administration institutions, universities, researchers, and policy practitioners across South Asia.

More specifically, the conference aims to generate knowledge and insights relevant to public policy formulation and implementation, strengthen regional research networks, encourage collaborative research and academic publications, and promote innovative approaches to public administration education and capacity development.

The conference will also provide an opportunity to present Nepal’s experiences in governance, democratic transformation, and public administration reform 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 ideas, experiences, and conclusions emerging from the conference are expected to contribute to more effective future initiatives in public administration education, research, policy dialogue, and institutional reform across the region. (RSS)