The 32nd NISPAcee Annual Conference “Public Administration in Post-Conflict Reconstruction”- has started at Caucasus University. NISPAcee is a network of professionals in the field of public governance and administration and actively contributes to the promotion of democratic and effective governance in Central and Eastern Europe through education, training and research. 

It should be noted that the current president of the network (NISPAcee) is the dean of the Caucasus University School of Governance, Eka Akobia.

As part of the event, approximately 200 rectors, deans, professors, researchers, doctoral students, and practitioners from the NISPAcee region have gathered in Georgia. This conference offers a unique opportunity for Georgian scientists to integrate more fully into the European professional community of public governance and administration. The conference agenda includes thematic workshops, plenary sessions, and discussions.

Notably, a presentation was delivered by a high-level speaker, Kateryna Chernohorenko, Deputy Minister of Defense for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitization. She addressed the main topic of the conference, discussing Ukraine's state strategy for war and post-war rehabilitation through digital technologies and also highlighted the specifics of managing current events with the aid of digital technologies. She emphasized Ukraine's significant achievements in digital governance, which continue to advance despite Russia's brutal military aggression, particularly in providing electronic public services to citizens.

The conference holds great importance and relevance for Georgia, given the topic. Public administration reform is a crucial component of the association agreement between Georgia and the European Union, and it stands as a fundamental issue in the accession negotiations process.

The central theme of the 2024 NISPAcee Annual Conference is a pressing issue: The conference will delve into evolving perspectives on the role of public governance and administration in post-conflict reconstruction. The conference will assess the experience accumulated over the years, analyze and contrast some of the best practices. Furthermore, the objective of the conference is to explore the valuable new prospects for reconstruction: digitalization and artificial intelligence. In doing so, it seeks to bring together relevant theoretical and practical approaches to post-conflict management and administration, both for the Central and Eastern European region and beyond.

In addition to the main topic, within the framework of the conference, nine permanent working groups will work on leading issues of public governance and administration. Additionally, workshops and panel discussions addressing topics relevant to Georgia and the region will be organized with the participation of key international partners interested in the field of public administration; information about the events will be distributed periodically.

More than 100 universities of the region are currently members of the network, and the network closely cooperates with such global organizations in the field of public administration as EGPA, EAPAA, IASIA-IIAS, UN DESA, ASPA, NASPAA, and others.

Network members have spent decades developing the field of public administration and shaping the discipline's educational and practical agenda.