Six hundred public policy experts, academics, and researchers from 27 countries participated in the international conference on public administration and bureaucracy.
The conference, “Towards World-Class Bureaucracy,” took place at the Universitas Gadjah Mada campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
This conference was organized as a result of a collaboration between the Asian Association of Public Administration (AAPA), the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA), the Asian Group of Public Administration (AGPA), and the Indonesian Association for Public Administration (IAPA), along with the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan-RB) of the Republic of Indonesia and the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA).
The President of AAPA and IAPA, Professor Agus Pramusinto, stated that the outcome of this conference is expected to generate a global commitment to developing a bureaucratic system that prioritizes the public’s interests.
“We hope this conference will strengthen discussions on public administration and networking, improve policies, and enhance research and learning networks in Asia, Africa, and Europe,” Professor Pramusinto said.
The Acting Secretary of Kemenpan-RB, Professor Erwan Agus Purwanto, explained several challenges that the new government must face regarding the direction of bureaucratic reform.
“The government hopes to create a system that is responsive, effective, and based on the interests of the people,” he said.
According to Professor Purwanto, the government’s expectations align with the global development entering the Society 5.0 era, which brings about phenomena such as Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA).
Facing these challenges is not easy, as the government must also maintain yearly national economic growth.
“Technological developments are no longer just used as information tools but also to provide solutions to social issues,” he explained.
He further noted that government strategy needs to shift from an input-oriented approach to an outcome-oriented one.
Previously, the government focused on targeting income and expenditures; now, the focus has shifted to the impact on society in every national budget.
Professor Purwanto conveyed the president’s directive at the beginning of the administration to eradicate corruption. A corrupt system not only causes losses to the state but also obstructs access to and the interests of the public in policies.
The Vice Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, emphasized that universities and association organizations need to encourage bureaucratic reform through digital transformation, public sector innovation, and creating ecosystems toward SDG-based development.
Over 600 participants from 27 countries attended the international conference. Six-panel discussion sessions featured more than 30 speakers from the government, academic, and practitioner sectors.
The panel discussion topics covered eight sub-themes: digital transformation, AI and Big Data operationalization, entrepreneurship bureaucracy, post-pandemic bureaucracy, inclusivity, and crisis management.
The discussions took place over two days, from Nov. 5 to 7, 2024, at Grha Sabha Pramana and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM).
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Hanif