Within the framework of the Ninth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, held at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) from April 14 to 16, 2026, the president of the Latin American Group for Public Administration (LAGPA/IIAS) and director of the Institute of Prospective, Innovation and Management of the Knowledge of the Universidad del Valle, Dr. Edgar Varela Barrios, played a prominent role as a panelist and promoter of regional cooperation initiatives.
During the event, which brought together representatives of international organizations, academics, and senior public officials from across the region, Dr. Varela participated in the panel “Innovating in the State to Accelerate the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” where he emphasized the need to understand the State as a complex system with diverse institutional capacities and actors contributing to governance.
The President of LAGPA emphasized the crucial role of universities, civil society, and the productive sector in enhancing state capacities, as well as their significant contributions to strategic planning and regional development in Latin America.
One of the most significant outcomes of his participation was the consolidation of a collaborative agenda between ECLAC, the Latin American Center for Development Administration, and the Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo (CLAD), in coordination with LAGPA, aimed at advancing regional integration and strengthening public management. This agenda includes initiatives such as the development of a regional database on public employment and the creation of joint academic spaces for governance analysis.
Additionally, in working meetings held with authorities such as Javier Medina (ECLAC/ILPES), Conrado Ramos, and Patricio Lloret (CLAD), progress was made toward establishing a common roadmap to reinforce cooperation among these strategic institutions.
In this context, the participation of ECLAC and CLAD in the 18th annual LAGPA conference “Public management and the future of Latin American economic integration: navigating between global fragmentation and regional opportunities” to be held from September 14 to 16, 2026 at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador, was also confirmed, further consolidating this forum as a key space for discussing the future of public management and Latin American integration.
Dr. Edgar Varela Barrios’ presence at this forum reaffirms LAGPA’s leadership in promoting regional partnerships and generating strategic knowledge to address contemporary governance challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) has received an unqualified audit opinion on its 2025 financial statements following the annual external audit conducted by Herbert Baumgartner and Manuela Ernst of the Austrian Supreme Audit Institution.
The International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) has reached the final stage of its search for a new Director General, with two candidates selected to proceed to consideration by the Council of Administration.
The International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) has extended the nomination period for its two distinguished awards: the Donald C. Stone Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement and Well-Being of IASIA and the O.P. Dwivedi Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Public Administration and Public Policy in the World.