GIZ Eastern Partnership Regional Project for Public Administration Reform

16/04/2026

We are pleased to share that the State Examination Center of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SEC) has been officially recognised as a CAF User by the European CAF Resource Centre.

This recognition reflects the successful implementation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) a key tool supporting public sector organisations in improving performance, efficiency, and service delivery.

Implemented with the support of Eastern Partnership Regional Project for Public Administration Reform (GIZ), funded by BMZ, this milestone highlights the continued commitment of partner institutions to modernise governance systems and align with European standards.

🤝 Through regional cooperation and knowledge exchange, CAF contributes to:

strengthening institutional capacities
fostering a culture of continuous improvement
enhancing citizen-oriented public services

Congratulations to SEC on this important achievement!

13/04/2026

16/03/2026

🤝 During the week of 9-13 March 2026, GIZ Eastern Partnership Public Administration Reform in co-operation with the SIGMA welcomed a visit of Eastern Partnership Female Leaders’ Network.

🌐 Representatives from the public and academic sectors in came together to discuss current policies employed across the EaP region to promote and mainstream equal opportunities for women and men in public administration, as well as the key obstacles and challenges faced during their implementation.

💬 Through joint discussions, participants identified practical and implementable steps to address the challenges identified, through projects to be initiated and undertaken by network members in their countries and across the region. In addition, the event sparked discussions on how best to operationalise and incentivise network members to take a more active role in implementing such projects at national level.

During the visit, the Network members attended the French INSP - Institut national du service public, where they heard from several esteemed lecturers covering topics:
⚖️ Integrating thinking on ensuring equal opportunities between women and men in policy design.
💻 Encouraging women’s work and influence on digital public services: how to make use of technology to promote equal opportunities.
🔗 Network value: understanding the why and the how.
🌟 Leading from your strengths: The Authentic Executive.

Colleagues from the OECD presented the OECD 2015 Recommendation on Gender Equality in Public Life and key resources around it, including Toolkit for Mainstreaming and Implementing Gender Equality, as well as recent work done on the topic of measuring Gender Pay Gap in Public Administrations. The GIZ representatives also presented results of the recent study carried out - the Rapid Gender Analysis “Gender Transformative Approaches in Public Administration in Eastern Partnership Countries”.

🙏 It was a true honour to host such a dedicated group and engage in fruitful discussions. We look forward to seeing the project ideas developed during the visit move forward and be implemented.

EaP PAR Project is implemented by GIZ and financed by BMZ

GIZ Moldova GIZ Armenia ukraine

11/03/2026

Congratulations to the Civil Service Office of Armenia on receiving the CAF certificate. This important milestone became possible through strong commitment, continuous efforts, and dedication to quality in public administration!

The Eastern Partnership Regional Project for Public Administration Reform, funded by the Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)is pleased to support this process in cooperation with OECD/SIGMA.

📌 ՀՀ վարչապետի աշխատակազմի քաղաքացիական ծառայության գրասենյակը դեռևս 2025 թվականի ապրիլից պաշտոնապես մեկնարկել էր Եվրոպայի պետական հատվածի հաստատությունների համար մշակված Գնահատման ընդհանուր շրջանակի (CAF)՝ որակի կառավարման գործիքի կիրառման գործընթացը, որի նպատակն է նպաստել Հայաստանի՝ հանրային կառավարման ոլորտում ԵՄ որակի կառավարման չափանիշներին համապատասխանեցմանը։ 🇪🇺

🤝Կարևորելով իր միջազգային գործընկերների (GIZ, OECD/SIGMA, EIPA) հետ համագործակցությունը՝ Գրասենյակը պատրաստակամություն հայտնեց զարգացնելու, բարելավելու և կատարելագործելու իր աշխատակազմի կարողությունները և ներդնելու CAF մոդելը։

📊 Գրասենյակը, հետամուտ լինելով CAF մեթոդաբանությանն ու հստակ չափորոշիչներին, սկսեց ինքնագնահատման գործընթացը, որի արդյունքում մշակվեց Գրասենյակի ինքնագնահատման զեկույցը, որից բխեցվեցին առաջնահերթությունները և դուրս բերվեց երկամյա գործողությունների պլանը։

🏆 Արդյունքում, CAF մոդելը պատշաճ ներդնելու և ամբողջ գործընթացը հաջողելու համար սույն թվականի մարտի 5-ին Եվրոպական CAF ռեսուրս կենտրոնի ղեկավարի կողմից Գրասենյակին շնորհվեց «CAF արդյունավետ օգտագործող» (ECU) հավաստագիրը։

09/03/2026

Strengthening CAF Capacity and Institutionalizing Quality Management in Public Administration in the Eastern Partnership Region in line with European Standard has crucial role in the process of Public Administration Reforms if the Countries of Eastern Partnership

This week, from 3–5 March 2026, experienced and emerging CAF facilitators from the Public Administrations of Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine) gathered for the CAF Facilitator-Trainers Programme in Maastricht (The Netherlands).

Over three intensive days, participants:
🔹 Deepened facilitation and consensus-building skills
🔹 Exchanged country approaches to CAF roadmaps and curricula
🔹 Strengthened action-planning methodologies
🔹 Built a stronger Eastern Partnership CAF trainer community.

Investing in facilitators means investing in sustainable reform. By reinforcing national capacity and peer learning, we aim to translate public administration reforms into tangible organisational improvements, better service delivery, and stronger citizen trust.

Organised by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the SIGMA Programme, and hosted at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA).

This initiative in implemented in strategic partnership between GIZ and OECD SIGMA Programme and is part of the GIZ-implemented Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ).

20/02/2026

We congratulate the eGovernance Agency (eGA) of the Republic of Moldova on the kick-off of the implementation of the European Total Quality Management Model – CAF 🚀

The process is supported by GIZ and the OECD SIGMA Programme in close cooperation with the European CAF Resource Centre at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) 🤝

This week marked the official start of the implementation phase, including:

• Training of the self-assessment team 🎓
• Development of a structured implementation plan 🗂️
• Joint planning sessions to define concrete next steps 🛠️

The eGovernance Agency plays a pivotal role in advancing Moldova’s digital transformation agenda 💻 By strengthening public sector performance and establishing key digital building blocks, eGA contributes to modern, citizen-oriented public administration.

The introduction of an organisational quality management approach will further reinforce institutional resilience, long-term performance and alignment with the broader public administration reform agenda 📈

Since 2024, important foundations have been laid for a sustainable quality management system in Moldova. Following the successful piloting of CAF in the Public Services Agency (ASP), implementation was scaled up to the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova. In parallel, a national quality management roadmap was developed to ensure long-term anchoring of the approach 🧭

In 2026, GIZ and the OECD SIGMA Programme continue their fruitful collaboration in support of public administration modernisation in the Eastern Partnership region, aligned with EU standards 🇪🇺 Through regional exchange and peer learning — including on service re-engineering and digitalisation — the project promotes sustainable reform processes.

This support is provided within the framework of the Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Government 🇩🇪
Joint planning sessions to define concrete next steps

16/02/2026

We warmly congratulate the Republic of Armenia on the decision to establish a new independent Data Protection Authority in line with international and European standards. This represents an important step towards strengthening institutional independence, accountability and rights-based digital transformation.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH contributed to the discussion “On the Independence of the Personal Data Protection Authority: Conceptual Solutions and Legislative Improvements”, organised under the EU Project “Support to Data Protection in Armenia.”

In its session “From Oversight to Partnership: The Role of Armenia’s Data Protection Authority in Digital Transformation,” GIZ highlighted the importance of integrating data protection considerations from the earliest stages of policy development and digitalisation, and of fostering structured cooperation between supervisory authorities and public institutions.

The event featured contributions from the European Data Protection Board, the National Center for Personal Data Protection of Moldova, and the Council of Europe.

For more than four years, GIZ together with the SIGMA Programme has been facilitating regional exchange among Data Protection Authorities of the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions, in close cooperation with European partners.

These activities are implemented within the framework of the Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

05/02/2026

🔹 Strengthening quality management in public administration remains a key priority across the Eastern Partnership region. The cooperation on the implementation of the European Quality Management Model Common Assessment Framework (CAF) with the State Examination Center of Azerbaijan continues through close collaboration between GIZ the OECD SIGMA Programme and the European CAF Resource Centre at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA)

📅 On 2–3 February 2026, a follow-up hybrid training was organised for employees of the State Examination Center as part of the second phase of the CAF process. The training was delivered by international CAF experts Tihana Puzić and Nick Thijs, supporting institutional capacities for continuous improvement and evidence-based management.

The CAF model is widely used in European countries to promote efficient, transparent and quality-based governance in public institutions. The next phase of the project is expected to continue in the coming months.

🤝 The cooperation is implemented in the framework of GIZ implemented Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III” in commission of German Government (BMZ)

29/01/2026

GIZ was pleased to contribute, together with the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the European Data Protection Supervisor, to the organisation of a Data Protection Conference dedicated to International Privacy Day.

Cooperation with and support to Eastern Partnership countries in the area of data protection is provided within the framework of the Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ.

16/01/2026

🤝 Fruitful collaboration between GIZ and the OECD SIGMA Programme continues

The cooperation between GIZ and the OECD SIGMA Programme on human-centric service design and delivery in Ukraine and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries is moving forward.

With SIGMA’s facilitation, representatives of Ukrainian Administrative Service Centers engaged in an exchange with counterparts from the Government of Portugal, including LabX – the Centre for Innovation in the Public Sector. The discussions focused on practical approaches, experiences, and innovations in human-centric public service design and delivery.

As a result, the parties agreed to continue topic-based cooperation and the exchange of best practices between Portugal and Ukraine, strengthening institutional learning and innovation.

GIZ will continue contributing to international partnerships and cooperation with EaP countries on human-centric service design and delivery through the Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, commissioned by BMZ.

23/12/2025

Measuring citizens satisfaction with the quality of provided public services is a central topic for human-centric public service design and delivery for our cooperation in the Eastern Partnership region.

In Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH we continue fruitful collaboration with the Public Service Agency of Moldova to improve the process of collection of citizen feedback. 🇲🇩

The Agency is the biggest public service provider in Moldova.

We were happy to support the Public Service Agency of Moldova with Acquisition of with CUSTOMER FEEDBACK PREMIUM PACKAGE license from QMATIC, covering 250 to 1000 citizen feedbacks per month.

On this, we also joined efforts with our long-standing partners OECD SIGMA Programme especially on topic of development of questionnaires as well as diversification of tools for collection of citizen feedback.

We were happy to engage yesterday in this collaboration with Public Service Agency of Moldova also our colleagues in Public Governance Review Unit at OECD - OCDE, who presented to Moldovan peers the OECD Methodology and huge expertise on measuring citizen satisfaction. 🤝

In 2026, GIZ and SIGMA will continue their support to Public Service Agency in:

- Familiarization with the practices of similar institutions in EU countries regarding efficient and continuous methods of collecting client feedback
- Identification of tools relevant for collecting client feedback and assessing the level of satisfaction.
- Support in diversifying and implementing feedback collection and satisfaction assessment tools, including training for staff responsible for designing, collecting, and processing information.”

The support is provided in the framework of Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III” implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in commission of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).🇩🇪

16/12/2025

Promoting ethical leadership in public administration across the Eastern Partnership ⚖️🤝

The Regional Seminar on Ethical Leadership in Civil Service brought together representatives of public administration training institutions, Academia sector and civil service bodies from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine in the Netherlands, Hague.

The seminar focused on strengthening ethical leadership in the public sector by supporting the integration of integrity-based and values-driven approaches into existing management and leadership training programmes for civil servants. Through peer learning with Dutch counterparts, participants exchanged experiences, discussed practical challenges, and explored approaches to ethical decision-making and integrity management. Expert sessions and facilitation were provided by IMAP GmbH

Participants exchanged experiences, discussed practical challenges, and explored approaches to ethical decision-making and integrity management.

The activity was organised within the framework of the GIZ-implemented Regional Project “Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).