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.”
