By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
The country's largest training center for government officials is organizing a gathering of the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA), officials said Sunday.
Marking its 60th anniversary this year, the Central Officials Training Institute (COTI) will host the 22nd General Assembly and conferences of EROPA, which consists of the 10 member states from Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Iran, Vietnam, and Nepal.
"This forum is an effort to examine the role of government in further developing human resources as a means to combat economic challenges," COTI President Chung Chang-sik said in a statement.
The conference will bring together about 500 government officials and experts to discuss the theme "Public Governance in Challenging Economic Times: Human Resource Development at the Battlefront" from Oct. 19 till 23.
The United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) will organize a special session on "The Impact of the Challenging Economic Times on Local Governments: Strategies on Coping with the Economic Crisis" during the conference.
"It will serve as an opportunity to share Korea's experiences in overcoming the financial crisis in 1997, pursuing green growth strategies, and transforming the nation from a workforce exporter to importer," Chung said.
Over 3,000 officials from more than 110 countries have taken classes at COTI on Korea's experiences in economic development, administrative reform and e-government initiatives.
COTI is an affiliate of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS). It was established in 1949 to enhance the various capacities and work ethics of government officials at home and abroad.
A notable part of COTI activities includes training for overseas officials. Since 1984, COTI has been conducting sessions for visiting officials from various countries including Malaysia, Japan, China, Russia and Brunei.
In particular, developing countries have found the COTI experience beneficial to benchmarking Korea's past efforts in achieving miraculous economic development, Chung said in an April interview with The Korea Times.
Attendees will include Lee Dal-gon Lee, minister of public administration and security; Patricia S. Thomas, secretary general of the EROPA Secretariat; and Rolet Loretan, director general of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS).
In addition, participants will hear a special address by KOICA President Park Dae-won, and presentations by Prof. Kim Pan-suk of Yonsei University, Prof. Akira Nakamura of Meiji University, and Prof. Alex B. Brillantes of the University of the Philippines.
EROPA is an organization of states, groups and individuals in the Asia-Pacific region. It was established in 1960.
Korea joined EROPA as a state member in 1962, and held the third and the tenth General Assembly of the organization in 1964 and 1983, respectively.