CAPAM delegates urged to continue networking
─ share solutions to combat climate change.
─ delegates benefit from collective action and knowledge
─ 12th Biennial CAPAM conference concludes
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, October 24, 2018
At the conclusion of the 12th Biennial Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management conference, delegates were encouraged to continue networking and sharing solutions to combat climate change.
Chairman of the Board of the National Accreditation, Guyana, Vincent Alexander remarked that while CAPAM’s Forum of Public Service Ministers and CAPAM’s 2018 Conference were convened under different themes, they both sought to address the global issue of climate change. He stated that “collective action and knowledge sharing has been one of the benefits of these events.”
Alexander noted the conference sought to address the humanitarian aspect of climate change.
“While growth may be focused on the economic dimension of things, development focuses on humanity and is inevitably what the human enterprise has got to embrace,” the board chairman expressed.
Recently elected CAPAM board member and Secretary of the Department of Administration Reform and Public Grievances in India, K.V Epping reiterated that the conference provided a platform to “discuss the reaction of the public service to meet the challenges of addressing, mitigating and managing this global transformation.”
“It was an opportunity to share with each other what policies we are developing and what actions we are taking to combat climate change while promoting the economic growth of our nations.”
Epping remarked that economic growth needs to take the issue of climate change into account noting that both priorities need to be managed simultaneously. He stated that over the course of the conference, three core areas were focused on to transform the public sector for climate governance.
These were the public sector’s role in determining the nation’s climate change and economic prosperity agenda setting the policy for the private and public sector. Secondly, structuring and organising the public sector’s transformation so that it is increasingly aware and coordinated to be more climate proactive; and thirdly, ensure public service efforts work beyond the nation’s borders within the international community.
Epping again urged the delegates to expand their “mandates to include a focus on economic growth while managing climate change and recognise that climate change is one of a multitude of challenges that we as public servants are responsible for dealing with.”
Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service in Zambia, Dr. Roland Msiska remarked that CAPAM’s Forum of Public Service Ministers underscored the need for a considered effort by government and all stakeholders to address governance and other related constraints that hinder the smooth implementation of development goals.”
He added that the Ministers affirmed their commitment to the enhancement of public service delivery including the “adaption of suitable methodologies that would support effect and effective development implementation.”
Anara Khan.
Images: Jameel Mohamed.