Anar Zhailganova meets with the Rector of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies of Japan (GRIPS)

Anar Zhailganova, Chairwoman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs received Mr. Akihiko Tanaka, Rector of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies of Japan (GRIPS). During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state of implementing existing projects on the development of the civil service of Kazakhstan and the prospects for the development of academic cooperation between the two countries in this direction. In the welcoming speech, the head of the Agency noted that the training and retraining of civil servants plays a decisive role in ensuring the effectiveness of the civil service. Thanks to the established cooperation with Japanese colleagues within the framework of the existing special training programs, a number of senior representatives of the Agency have studied or are studying at the Institute headed by Mr. Akihiko Tanaka. During the meeting, Anar Zhailganova also informed the guests about the reform of the Kazakh civil service system as a result of the consistent implementation of the Nation Plan - 100 Concrete Steps initiated by the First President - Elbasy, and spoke about the trends of its future development. “On behalf of the Head of State, the Agency implemented a project for creating the Presidential Youth Talent Pool, designed to give an effective upward mobility opportunity for talented youth. Along with renewing the managerial staff, as part of executing the assignment of the Head of State we will have to reduce the number of civil servants and employees of the quasi-public sector by 25% by 2024. In the general context of public administration, both of these measures are aimed at creating a compact, but highly efficient and professional state apparatus. In turn, Mr. AkihikoTanaka expressed interest in expanding cooperation with the Agency’s subordinate organization, the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On February 10, Dr. AkihikoTanaka delivered a lecture for master’s degree students at the Academy’s Institute of Diplomacy. The lecture was devoted to issues of international politics in East Asia and the position of Japan in this region. He also mentioned the North Korea’s nuclear issues, the Chinese initiative “One Belt - One Road”, and replied to the students’ questions.