COOPERATION IN CIVIL SERVICE MATTERS

The Eighth ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) was held from 23 to 24 January 1995 in Manila and from 25 to 27 January 1995 in Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Olongapo City. Philippines assumed Chairmanship of the ACCSM until the Ninth Conference, which will be convened in the first quarter of 1997 in Singapore. The theme of the Eighth Conference was " Preparing the Civil Service for the 21st Century : The ASEAN Response". During the Conference experience and specialised expertise were shared through the presentation of technical and country papers.

The Eighth Conference adopted a Plan of Action which will be implemented through six Resource Centers for Public Sector Excellence, namely: (1) ASEAN Resource Center on Managing New Technologies; (2) ASEAN Resource Center on Information Exchange based in Indonesia; (3) ASEAN Resource Center for Case Studies based in Malaysia; (4) ASEAN Resource Center on Examination and Testing based in the Philippine,; (5) ASEAN Resource Center on Management Innovation based in Singapore and (6) ASEAN Resource Center on Leadership Development based in Thailand.

Guidelines for the operation and maintenance of these Centers have been laid out and it was agreed that although the Centers would be self-financing, funding support for the Plan of Action would be sought from the ASEAN Secretariat. The Plan of Action was subsequently endorsed by the Fourth Meeting of the 28th ASEAN Standing Committee.

The Eighth ACCSM also approved nine projects, namely:

(b) Management Development: Management with an Entrepreneurial Mentality and Capability

(d) ASEAN Strategic Leadership Seminar: Networking in the Decades Ahead

(e) ASEAN Civil Service Experience: Development of Case Studies

(f) Establishment of . Resource Center for Examination and Testing

(g) Trainer�s Training: Creative Problem Solving Techniques and Processes

(h) New Wave Leaders

(i) A Compendium on ASEAN Civil Service System