Amman, May 27 (Petra) Heba Al-Ississ - The Institute of Public Administration launched on Monday, in partnership with the European Union, the twinning project "Enhancing the Capacity of the Institute of Public Administration in Jordan", which aims to develop the training capabilities of the Institute to support the public sector in its quest to provide better and more flexible government services that meet the needs of public sector employees.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Public Sector Modernization Nasser Shraideh, who sponsored the project launch ceremony, said, "The Institute of Public Administration has a long history in developing public administration, not only in Jordan but also in supporting the efforts of many sister countries in developing their administration."
He added, "We believe that this stage confirms the role of the Institute of Administration despite the challenges it has gone through, as the new human resources system has been approved, which will go into effect after the issuance of the royal decree and its publication in the Official Gazette in the coming weeks."
Shraideh explained that under this system, the Institute will bear great responsibility, as it is the only training window for the public sector, and it will be responsible for identifying the training needs of various national institutions and meeting them through designing, preparing and supervising the holding of various training programs.
He pointed out that the institute is developing itself through the new strategy it has adopted, in cooperation with the Public Service and Administration Authority and the Public Sector Modernization Program at the Prime Ministry, which is reflected in the institute's performance and enables it to carry out its roles and responsibilities, noting that the twinning project is a tool that has proven its effectiveness not only in building capacities but also in transferring knowledge and modern technologies.
Al-Shuraidah explained that the administrative modernization program for the years 2023-2029 has begun its work, as the second half of this year will witness the implementation of the new human resources system in the public sector, stressing the importance of the human element to reach a possible and effective public sector that serves the nation and the citizen.
For her part, the Director of the Institute of Public Administration, Eng. Suham Al-Khalidah, said that the twinning project, which will last for two years, aims in general to enhance the capabilities of the Institute of Public Administration, as the institute's strategic plan for the years 2023-2025 included a set of strategic goals, initiatives and projects that will improve individual and institutional performance by developing and providing distinguished services in the field of training, capacity building, consulting and preparing studies.
She added that to achieve this goal, the institute sought to build effective partnerships with local, international and regional entities to exchange expertise and knowledge and enhance cooperation in the fields of development, training and research as one of the institute's strategic objectives, and to review these practices and keep pace with everything that is useful, which would positively reflect on raising the performance of the public sector and its renaissance in light of the rapid changes, and on developing and improving the services provided to the citizen, who is the main focus of interest.
Al-Khalidah explained that what strengthened the choice of the European coalition consisting of Germany, Finland and Croatia to implement this project is the preferential advantages that these countries possess, which ensure the achievement of twinning goals in a comprehensive manner, such as digital transformation, innovation and e-learning, and excellence in public administration and project management and implementation, which constitutes a fundamental pillar in the institute's strategy and in line with the roadmap for modernizing the public sector.
She pointed out that the project will focus on enhancing the capabilities of the Institute of Public Administration by improving the quality of service provided by the Institute, and benefiting from the capabilities provided by digital transformation in accordance with the best international practices and European Union practices in this field, to enable the Institute to contribute effectively to achieving the objectives of the roadmap for modernizing the public sector and reaching an empowered and effective public sector that works as a single unit to develop Jordan and achieve the well-being of citizens.
For his part, Director of International Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Jordan Patrick Lambrechts said that launching this project aims to improve public administration and the economy, noting that twinning projects have included two programs every year for the past 20 years in similar sectors such as transportation and agriculture.
He explained that twinning is an indispensable tool for beneficiary countries, as twinning is the real tool in shaping and building capacities in public administration.
Lambrechts explained that this program includes several study visits between partners to enhance capabilities and improve service performance, development, learning, and considering the possibility of digital transformation in the future, noting that this project is moving forward side by side in modernizing public administration according to European best practices.
The launch event included welcoming remarks from representatives of the EU Member States, namely, Deputy Head of Mission of Finland Johanna Anttila, Ambassador of the Republic of Germany Dr. Bertram Moltke, and Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia Tomislav Bosnák, in addition to welcoming remarks from the project managers, namely, Executive Director of the Finnish Institute of Public Administration and Project Manager Kiustši Väkivinen, Political Advisor at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs Oliver Falk, and Deputy Director of the Croatian National School of Public Administration Valentina Milicic. It
also included an overview of the project by the local twinning advisors, Eng. Hadeel Al-Abdallat and Dr. Andreas Pater. The
launch event was attended by a number of ministers and ambassadors from Jordan and the EU, general managers, and partners of the Institute, to achieve national and strategic goals. The
twinning project partners include the Haus Institute of Public Administration from Finland; the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action; the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration Kiel from Germany; The National School of Public Administration, the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, and the Central Financing and Contracting Agency (CFCA) from Croatia.
It is worth noting that twinning projects are an EU tool for institutional cooperation between public administrations in EU and partner countries, to achieve tangible operational results through cooperative activities. Twinning projects bring together public sector expertise from EU and beneficiary countries, and they cooperate to achieve specific and mandatory operational objectives. This project is also in line with the EU and its Member States’ strategy to support Jordan in the process of public administrative reform.