SIGMA Ministerial Conference: Good Public Governance Delivering for Citizens and Businesses

This high-level conference took place on 13-14 December 2017 at the OECD in Paris, and was jointly hosted with the European Commission (EC). The conference was held to support the greater emphasis placed by the European Union (EU) on the importance of public administration reform and public financial management for its 18 partners from the EU Accession candidate countries and potential candidates, and Neighbourhood countries. In addition, 2017 is the 25^th anniversary of SIGMA and the event reflected this successful partnership between the EU and OECD.

The conference provided a platform to reinforce the usefulness of the Principles of Public Administration for planning and delivering priority reforms and to discuss links between a professional public administration, effective financial management and economic development, as well as challenges for reforms and government priorities, based on the three pillars of public governance, economic development and rule of law, and how the three together make a difference to people’s lives and to the development of societies.

Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, and Jean-Eric Paquet, Deputy Secretary-General of the EC, gave the opening speeches and there were interventions from ministers from each of the regions.

Agenda in English I Agenda in French I List of participants I Group photo All photos: OECD/Andrew Wheeler I Artwork

Official opening reception		The official opening reception was held on 13 December in the George Marshall and Roger Ockrent rooms at the OECD Château.		Speakers: Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD Rupert Schlegelmilch, Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the OECD Michelle d’Auray, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the OECD Irena Sodin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the OECD

Conference opening		The official opening session of the conference: videos of the speeches.		Speakers: Marcos Bonturi, Director, Public Governance Directorate, OECD Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD Jean-Eric Paquet, Deputy Secretary-General, EC

Plenary Session 1		How should public administrations transform to deliver for citizens in challenging times?		Keynote speaker: Marco Steinberg, Founder of Snowcone & Haystack Moderator: Edwin Lau, Head of Division, Reform of the Public Sector, Public Governance Directorate, OECD

Plenary Session 2		How does public governance make a difference for long-term economic development?		Keynote speaker: Jan Walliser, Vice President, Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, World Bank Moderator: Christian Kastrop, Director of the Policy Studies Branch, Economics Department, OECD

Talk 1		How to make citizen engagement part of governance reforms?		Keynote speaker: Alberto Alemanno, Founder and Director, The Good Lobby (NGO); Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law, HEC/NYU Moderator: Alastair Swarbrick, Senior Adviser, SIGMA, OECD

Roundtable 1		Supporting structural economic reforms through good public governance.		Speakers: Christian Kastrop, Director of the Policy Studies Branch, Economics Department, OECD Katarína Mathernová, Deputy Director General, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, EC Moderator: Klas Klaas, Senior Adviser, SIGMA, OECD

Roundtable 2		Creating a competitive and business-friendly environment through better public services		Speakers: Edwin Lau, Head of Division, Reform of the Public Sector, Public Governance Directorate, OECD Pia Gjellerup, Director, Danish National Centre for Public Sector Innovation Moderator: Peter Vági, Senior Adviser, SIGMA, OECD

Roundtable 3		Developing a transparent, predictable and accountable approach in public governance to contribute to the rule of law in practice		Speakers: Sylwia Spurek, Deputy Human Rights Commissioner for Equal Treatment, Poland Calliope Spanou, Professor of Public Administration at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; former Ombudsman of Greece Moderator: Lech Marcinkowski, Senior Adviser, SIGMA, OECD

Talk 2		Why is the rule of law important for citizens and businesses?		Keynote speaker: Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission, Council of Europe Moderator: Bianca Brétéché, Senior Adviser, SIGMA, OECD

Closing session		The official closing session of the conference: videos of the speeches.		Speakers: Bernard Brunet, Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, EC Karen Hill, Head of the SIGMA Programme Moderator: Zsolt Szelecki, SIGMA expert

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