“Bahrain has witnessed many development strides in the administrative sciences,” Dr. Ban Suk Kim, head of the International Institute of Public Administration, in speech at the opening ceremony of the 29th International Conference of Public Administration, said.
Dr Ban stressed the great benefits the participants gained from this conference, thanks to which, he added, Bahrain has become a gateway to Administrative Sciences in the Middle East. The President of the International Institute highlighted the importance of public administration in shaping the parameters of outstanding government policies with the aim of the developing human societies.
“The world is in urgent need for prospective leaders who are fully aware of the basics and advanced skills of the science of public administration, without which they cannot guarantee a prosperous future for the present and upcoming generations. Besides, President of the International Institute thanked the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the organization of this conference and for their warm reception and gracious hospitality.
Earlier, Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister opened the 29 International Conference of Public Administration, hosted by Bahrain from June 1 to 6, and organized by Bahrain Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) in collaboration with the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration (IASIA) at the Gulf Convention Centre.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of ministers, officials, dignitaries and heads and members of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration from around the world. Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa conveyed the greetings of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister and his wishes of success for the conference as well as his congratulations to IIAS and IASIA Chairmen and members on the election of their new boards. He said that the Government of Bahrain supports training programs, research and consultancy in the field of public administration so as to enhance the operational efficiency of government agencies and enable them to keep abreast with regional and international developments. HE added that the directives of the wise leadership has contributed to the upgrading of all areas of public administration in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and that the directives of His Majesty the King have been a source of motivation and a catalyst for the development of public administration in the government sector, stressing that the Prime Minister has paid special attention to raising the capabilities of the human element and the efficiency of the employees of the public sector, and that his close follow-up is a guarantee for reaping the fruits of plans and programs for the development of public administration.
BIPA Director General Dr. Raed Mohammed bin Shams welcomed all the participants in the conference saying that since 2009 BIPA has sought to develop public administration and training in the ministries and institutions of the Kingdom of Bahrain and has contributed to the preparation and training of leaders and specialists in accordance with the requirements of training, development, research and consultancy programs so as to ensure upgrading of public administration and supports the plans for economic and social development in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Bin Shams attributed the success of BIPA efforts to the unlimited support it receives from His Majesty the King and the keen assistance offered by the wise government and close follow up by the Crown Prince and First Deputy Premier. “BIPA is doing its best to offer the best of training programs to achieve its strategic mission, based on sustainable training, education and private sector development,”, he added.
BIPA’s most recent initiative that goes hand in hand with the aforementioned strategy supports public administration-related scientific research and calls on all government and academic institutions, individuals and students concerned with public administration to take part in, he noted, pointing out that BIPA has organized, over the past 5 years, almost 1250 training courses totaling more than 17 thousand training hours that availed 11600 male and female trainees from all official institutions in the kingdom. “The leadership and Institution’s ambition remains far beyond this level,” he added.
Bin Shams said that Bahrain’s hosting of this conference comes in response to the requirements of the next stage which consist of doubling international efforts to enhance government efficiency and public policies, pointing out that the Kingdom of Bahrain have internationally proved itself in the field of public administration thanks to keeping up with new developments and advanced sciences.
President of the World Association of Schools and Institutes of Public Administration Dr. Michelle Ferris also delivered a speech in which he talked about the importance of public administration at a time when many countries in the world are suffering from political crises, conflicts and wars. He said that the success of these countries in solving their problems requires the presence of leaders who are fully aware of the science of public administration and who are also skillful practitioners. IASIA President also said that his association has succeeded in enriching the science of public administration by providing its members and its followers with all experiences and skills needed to improve their work in public administration, stressing that this conference is a quality addition to Bahrain and the Middle East region as a whole.
At the end of the opening ceremony, commemorative gifts were presented to Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa and the sponsors and supporters of the conference including Culture Minister Shaikha May bint Mohamed Al Khalifa and State Minister for Information Affairs Samira bin Rajab. Also honored were Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), Economic Development Board (EDB), Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas), Akhbar Al Khaleej and Al Watan newspapers and Mina Telecom were honored.
On the sidelines of the Conference during workshops experts discussed sub-topics such future strategies, leadership in the future and creation of innovative services were held today, the third day of the conference, and it is expected that a number of sessions and workshops highlighting the remaining topics will be held on Tuesday, the fourth day of the conference.