Trans-European Dialogue 2027

IASIA and UN DESA Host New Regional Workshops to Review the Standards of Excellence for Public Administration Education and Training

Diogo Pereira,

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), in partnership with the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), is actively leading the initiative to review and/or upgrade the Standards of Excellence for Public Administration Education and Training. Established in 2023, this collaborative task force is dedicated to modernizing these standards, which were last finalized in 2008, to ensure their alignment with current global goals and advancements in public administration.

The existing Standards of Excellence, while still relevant, require revision to encompass the insights gained from UN DESA/DPIDG and IASIA's ongoing work in education and training. Importantly, the current standards precede the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes the crucial role of inclusive and equitable education, as well as the need for effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels (Goal 16).

This revision is not just a technical process but an opportunity to significantly impact global governance positively. The review aims to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the standards, reflecting the evolving landscape of public administration.

The review process, slated for 2023-2024, is a global and regional effort, allowing schools, institutes of public administration, networks, academia, and international, regional, and national organizations to contribute their ideas. An online survey and a series of meetings, including regional workshops, have been scheduled to facilitate comprehensive input.

The next regional events are as follows:

These events will provide valuable opportunities for stakeholders to actively engage in shaping the future of public administration education and training.

The culmination of this effort will be the publication of the new Standards of Excellence in the Fall of 2024, making them accessible on the UNPAN website.

For more information, and to contribute to this initiative, please visit:

https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/un-desaiasia-review-and-upgrade-standards-excellence-public-administration-education-and-training

https://iias-iisa.org/news/un-desa-and-iasia-call-for-contributions-to-review-and-upgrade-the-standards-of-excellence-in-public-administration-education-and-training/

https://iias-iisa.org/news/first-meeting-of-the-iasia-and-the-un-desa-task-force-for-the-review-of-the-standards-of-excellence-in-public-administration-education-and-training/

Public administration and management research has long drawn most of its ideas from Western, industrialised democracies. Yet Asia and the Global South have become major sites of administrative change, with large-scale reforms, fast-moving technology and some of the most inventive experiments in governance. Research from these regions has grown accordingly, but it is still often used to illustrate or apply theories made elsewhere, rather than to produce new ones.

This special issue of Public Management Review aims to change that. It invites authors to treat practice in Asia and the Global South as a starting point for theory: to test, question or extend established approaches, and to propose new concepts and explanations. It does not look for a single theory of these regions, which are far too diverse for that, but for context-sensitive contributions that also say something useful for policy and practice.

ASPA and EGPA call for papers | New Orleans, April 12-13, 2027 | Deadline: November 30, 2026

As democratic institutions face mounting pressure worldwide, public administrators are increasingly asked to spell out the role of their field in protecting and improving democratic systems. The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) are responding with the 2027 Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD), held alongside ASPA’s Annual Conference.

The theme is The Role of Public Policy and Administration in Shaping Democracy and Promoting the Resilience of Democratic Norms and Institutions.

From 12 to 16 October 2026, the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) held its Annual Conference in Athens, hosted by EKDDA, the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government. Under the theme “Rethinking Governance for a Changing World”, the conference gathered 400 delegates from 57 countries and marked the 65th anniversary of the association. Athens was a conference grounded by learning and history but also new projects and connexions.

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