H.E. Dr. Raed Mohammed bin Shams, Director General of the Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain is leading MENAPAR Network, the largest public administration research network in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), founded in 2014 and headquartered in Bahrain. Bin Shams added that the MENAPAR Network is organizing its second international conference this year in the Republic of Tunisia, in association with the Arab Governance Institute (AGI), under the patronage of H.E. Prime Minister of Tunisia during the period 6-9 October 2015. The Conference theme is "The Role of Citizens and Organizations in Co-Constructing Public Action in the MENA region".
At a press conference held in Manama, Bin Shams pointed out that Arab governments are embarking on a new phase of policy and decision making, founded on needs, facts and scientific research, and highlighted that the importance of public administration research in advancing government performance, attaining excellence, catering to public needs and efficiently providing high quality services, cannot be overlooked. He also added that these objectives which are pivotal to the action plans of all Arab governments rely first and foremost on mature research, successful experiences and optimal use of the expertise and intellect of sister and friendly states.
Bin Shams underscored that the idea of creating the MENAPAR Network is based purely on a Bahraini concept, which was nurtured in several Arab countries, and succeeded in less than a year to produce global effects. He explained that the MENAPAR Network aimed at bridging the existing gap in public administration research, which was in the past limited to countries of the Northern Hemisphere not the Southern, to developed, not developing countries. He commended the research provided by the MENAPAR Network which focuses on the public administration sector in the MENA region. This amplifies the importance of the Network to regional and international organizations and institutes specialized in public administration.
Bin Shams addressed the aspirations of MENAPAR Network officers and said that the Network aims at serving as a main reference for public administration research in the region, as well as a research knowledge base accredited by major international public administration institutes and schools, pointing out that this has started to materialize through strategic alliances forged by the Network with various international training and research organizations and institutions, such as the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
www.bipa.gov.bh/menapar