Senior officials meet for 21st ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters in Hanoi

A senior officials’ meeting (SOM) and the fourth non-official discussion on the modernisation of civil services were held in Hanoi on August 3 as part of the 21st ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM 21).
Senior officials meet for 21st ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters in Hanoi ảnh 1An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A senior officials’ meeting (SOM) and the fourth non-official discussion on the modernisation of civil services were held in Hanoi on August 3 as part of the 21st ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM 21).

Addressing the meeting, Vu Chien Thang, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and rotating Chair of the ACCSM 21, welcomed the delegates to the event directly after two years of working online due to COVID-19 impacts.

Thang said that activities and programmes have been implemented within the framework of the ACCSM 21 Work Plan for the 2021-2025 period. Member countries have also worked closely together in dealing with challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and giving new orientations for their cooperation in civil service matters with the aim to build an ASEAN Community of strong development, he said.

At the event, senior officials updated and discussed the implementation of the ACCSM Work Plan for the 2021-2025 period, while considering and approving new project proposals.

They also discussed issues related to ACCSM such as the development of the post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision, as well as ways to expand ACCSM's cooperation with other ASEAN agencies and units, and measures to build a transparent civil service associated with the improvement of public service ethics, the modernisation of the civil service, the digitalisation of public services, and the promotion of e-government.

Also at the meeting, the ASEAN Secretariat announced decisions of other ASEAN meetings held since the ACCSM focal points meeting took place in November 2021.

Participants also discussed issues related to ACCSM such as building the post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision; the implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF); ASEAN Action Plan on the Culture of Prevention; comprehensive ASEAN framework for the Care Economy; Consolidated Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution for ASEAN; ASEAN's strategic policy framework on promoting an adaptive ASEAN Community with a broader understanding, tolerance and sense of regional traditions among the peoples of ASEAN.

Within the meeting’s agenda, the officials exchanged views on the framework of ACCSM’s strategic partnership. This framework supports the role of ACCSM as a specialised body on cross-pillar issues of good governance, including anti-corruption.

Brunei, as the rotating chair of ACCSM 22, delivered the plan, theme and timetable for the 22nd ACCSM.

At the fourth non-official discussion session on the modernisation of the civil service, Chu Tuan Tu, head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said that following the recommendations for civil service modernisation, the ASEAN Secretariat coordinated with the Public Affairs and Communication Committee of Australia to organise the session. It aims to help the civil service sector to represent the people more broadly, ensuring gender balance with the engagement of more public servants with disabilities, and strengthening the capacity of the civil service in the digital context.

Representatives from the Public Affairs and Communication Committee of Australia said that the committee is focusing on implementing the gender equality strategy for the 2021-2026 period, ensuring the equally representation of all groups. It is expected to create a working environment of inclusion with the engagement of all groups./.
VNA

See more