SINTOK, 19 May 2025: The 4th International Conference on Government and Public Affairs 2025 (ICOGPA 2025), organised by the School of Government (SOG), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), centred on the Public Service Reform Agenda (ARPA), with a strong emphasis on values and governance.
The Director-General of the Public Service, Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said that the conference aligns with the fifth value in the H.E.M.A.T. framework – Transparent Administration – a newly introduced principle guiding values in the public sector.
“This conference offers a vital platform to deliberate on governance strategies for building resilient organisations in the face of global challenges.
“The H.E.M.A.T. framework, introduced last year, is meant to transform the public sector’s mindset in both thought and action,” he said when officiating ICOGPA 2025 at EDC UUM, today.
As a Board Member of the Institute of Integrity Malaysia (IIM) and Adjunct Professor at SOG, he further elaborated that ARPA is designed to foster a dynamic, people-centric and performance-driven public service.
According to him, collaboration across agencies, ministries, departments, as well as private sectors and industry stakeholders must be strengthened to break down the silo work culture.
“This reform agenda also highlights the need to modernise public services through digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
“I hope the discussions held during this conference will generate innovative ideas to strengthen public policies and governance frameworks,” he said.
The event also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UUM and IIM. The MoU was formalised by UUM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Foad Sakdan, and IIM Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rahman Mohd Din.
In his speech, Prof. Dr Mohd Foad highlighted UUM’s longstanding commitment to the field of government and public affairs since its establishment more than four decades ago.
“UUM’s commitment to academic excellence and public sector development reflects our aspiration to contribute meaningfully to national and international governance,” he said.
He also stated that ICOGPA serves as a crucial platform for the exchange of ideas on public policy issues, cyber governance, ethical leadership, civic engagement and reforms in global governance.
The event continued with a forum titled, Resilience Governance and Integrity in the Age of Global Challenges, featuring esteemed panellists namely the Chairman of the UUM Board of Directors, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Shukor Mahfar; Member of the IIM Board of Directors, Dato’ Seri Mustafar Ali; and Prof. Dr Sataporn Roengtam from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University, Thailand; with Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed as the moderator.
