South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA) was established on the 8th day of the month of November in 2020 as a network of knowledge community to foster research, knowledge production, capacity building, knowledge dissemination, and strengthening regional and international partnerships in areas of Public Administration in South Asia and beyond.
South Asian Network for Public Administration (SANPA) President Professor Akhlaque Haque and Easter Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) Executive Council Chairman Professor Nguyen Ba Chien, along with Secretary-General Professor Alex Brillantes Jr., signed the partnership agreement between the two organizations to advance research and collaboration in public administration theory and practice. SANPA Member Professor Dr. Amir Nasrullah was present at the signing ceremony. Professor Akhlaque Haque attended the Philippine Society for Public Administration (PSPA)-EROPA Conference 2025, held from 1 to 3 October in the Philippines.
SANPA organized a webinar on 7 December 2025 on ‘From People’s Movement to Governance Reforms: Lessons from the Uprising of Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh’. The South Asian Institute for Policy and Governance (SIPG) and the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA) were the partners in hosting the conference. Professor Tawfique M. Haque from SIPG, North-South University, Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper. Prof Akhlaque Haque, President, SANPA, offered the opening remarks. The designated panelists included: Prof Alex Britllantes, EROPA, Philippines; Prof Lalitha Fernando, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka; Prof Md Shariful Alam, Center for Policy Analysis and Advocacy (CPAA), Bangladesh; Mr Trilochan Pokharel, Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), Nepal; Prof Ghalib Ata, Institute of Administrative Sciences (IAS), Pakistan. The paper presenter and the panelists underscored that the uprisings created significant opportunities for reforms and improvements in governance and development in South Asia. However, they also highlighted gaps between expectations and the reforms underway. They emphasized that, nevertheless, each country offered unique insights, yet there are some commonalities in the uprisings. The speakers noted that the countries of the region need to learn from the Arab Spring to consolidate the outcomes of the revolutions, emphasizing national unity and political convergence. Due to post-revolution political ruptures, Arab countries failed to benefit from the revolutions and further experienced authoritarianism, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia.
The second meeting of the EC of 2025 was held on 19 October 2025 with SANPA President Professor Akhlaque Haque in the chair. Many crucial decisions have been made in the meeting. One of the key decisions is to undertake a book project to do a comparative review of the South Asian uprisings, particularly in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. A webinar on this will take place in the first half of December 2025. The meeting also discussed the progress of the upcoming IAS-SANPA Conference in Lahore, Pakistan, on 30-31 October and 1 November 2025. The meeting appreciated the University of Punjab, its Institute of Administrative Sciences, and all colleagues associated with the conference, particularly Professors Yaamina Salman, Kashif Rathore, and Amani Moazzam.