International GovHR Forum Held with the Support of the Astana Civil Service Hub

The Agency for Civil Service Affairs, in cooperation with the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and with the support of the Astana Civil Service Hub, held the international forum GovHR: New Systems, Modern Services, Novel Solutions. The event served as a key platform for discussing critical issues related to human resource management in the public sector.

The forum brought together around 250 participants from 19 countries, including delegations from Qatar, Mongolia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, the UAE, the USA, South Korea, and others, as well as representatives of the United Nations and major international organizations.

The forum opened with a congratulatory message from the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, read by his Assistant for Internal Policy and Communications, Arman Kyrykbayev.

In his remarks, Darkhan Jazyqbay emphasized that public administration reform in Kazakhstan has always been guided by the principle: “The state exists for the people, not the people for the state.”

Alikhan Baimenov, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Astana Civil Service Hub, highlighted the importance of clearly articulating the connection between the quality of civil service, socio-economic development, and a country’s competitiveness. He also underlined that effective communication should be seen as a strategic tool in human resource management, especially during the ongoing transformation of public administration systems.

As part of the forum, Alikhan Baimenov presented the new collective monograph "Public Administration in the New Reality", which draws on international experience and academic research in the field of public administration. The book features contributions from 39 authors representing 19 countries, and the foreword was written by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, underscoring its significance.

Special attention was given to international cooperation. Larbi Djacta, UN Under-Secretary-General and Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), addressed the participants via video message, noting that Kazakhstan demonstrates a progressive approach to human resources policy and can serve as a model for other nations.

The central theme of the forum was the development of an effective and human-centered HR system in the public sector. Four key areas were discussed during the event:

• The formation of a strategic human resource management system;

• The introduction of digital solutions and artificial intelligence;

• Support for young professionals;

• The transformation of leadership roles in government institutions.