On the morning of April 28, 2025, the Executive Council of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) convened an online meeting under the co-chairmanship of Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., Secretary-General of EROPA, and Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Chair of the EROPA Committee on Future Planning and Programs. Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, Vice President of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG), attended the meeting from the APAG Headquarters in Ha Noi.
The meeting aimed to prepare for the upcoming 2025 EROPA Conference and General Assembly.
Participants included Dr. Vincent Wong, Chair of the EROPA Resolutions Committee; Ms. Mehrnaz Piltan, Head of the Group for International Affairs, Administrative and Recruitment Organization of Iran; Mr. Ito Hideo, Director of Research, Local Autonomy College, and Ms. Chiho Goto, Head of Administration, Local Autonomy College of Japan; Ms. Katherine Delmoro, Director of the Secretariat Committee and Liaison Office, and Ms. Maria Edelita Hernandez, Senior Human Resource Expert from the Philippines. The meeting also featured the participation of representatives from EROPA member countries, as well as leaders from several administrative and public service training institutions affiliated with EROPA.
Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., EROPA Secretary-General.
Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., EROPA Secretary-General, delivered opening remarks to welcome participants to the meeting. He expressed his hope that members of the EROPA Executive Council would contribute practical insights and engage in productive discussions to help ensure the successful organization of the 2025 EROPA Conference and General Assembly.
Following the Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr.’s welcome, Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, APAG Vice President, delivered the opening speech. He expressed his honor to represent Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President and Chair of the EROPA Executive Council for the 2024–2025 term, at the meeting. He emphasized that this meeting marked an important step in preparing for the 2025 EROPA Conference and General Assembly, serving as a foundation for decisions to be finalized at the upcoming Executive Council meeting in September.
Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, APAG Vice President, delivered speech at the meeting
Continuing the agenda, Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr. briefed the Executive Council on recent updates and the ongoing preparations for the 2025 EROPA Conference and General Assembly. The Conference is scheduled to take place from October 1 to October 3, 2025, in Tacloban City, Philippines, through the joint collaboration between EROPA and the Philippine Society for Public Administration (PSPA). The theme for the event will be “Public Administration in the Age of Populism, Polycrisis, and Technological Transformation: Dilemmas, Dynamics, and Directions.” The proposed sub-themes include: (1) Technological innovation vs. traditional governance: finding the balance; (2) Addressing administrative challenges in the age of artificial intelligence; (3) Ethical leadership in times of uncertainty; (4) Inclusive governance: bridging divides in a polarized world; (5) Crisis management in an era of multiplying threats; (6) The role of public administration in upholding decentralization: ensuring checks and balances.
Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Chair of the EROPA Committee on Future Planning and Programs.
Dr. Masao Kikuchi, Chair of the EROPA Committee on Future Planning and Programs, delivered a presentation on proposed for hosting the EROPA Conference and General Assembly. According to him, while it is customary for EROPA member countries to take turns hosting the annual conference and general assembly, recent years have revealed challenges, as some member states have declined to host. This reluctance has delayed promotional activities and caused logistical complications in planning the conferences. To address this, he proposed the adoption of a fixed rotational hosting mechanism, along with the introduction of a contingency plan for situations where a member country is unable to fulfill its hosting obligation.
Dr. Vincent Wong, Chair of the EROPA Resolutions Committee.
If a member country cannot host as scheduled, it should utilize its networks to identify a replacement host. Specifically, the originally designated country should: Identify a substitute host country; Provide support during the transition process; Notify EROPA of hosting difficulties at least one year in advance to allow adequate time to find an alternative.
Following the proposal by Dr. Masao Kikuchi, participants actively engaged in discussions and offered numerous valuable insights aimed at enhancing the overall effectiveness of EROPA’s operations, particularly in ensuring the successful organization of the 2025 EROPA Conference and General Assembly.
At the close of the session, Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr. expressed his sincere appreciation for the participation and constructive contributions of all participants during this Executive Council meeting. He affirmed that the outcomes of this meeting would serve as an essential foundation for finalizing decisions at the upcoming EROPA Executive Council meeting in September, paving the way for a successful Conference and General Assembly in 2025.