International Conference on Public Policy and Social Sciences 2023 (ICoPS 2023), a joint endeavor between the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia and International University of Sarajevo (IUS), had its on-site activities organized at IUS on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
ICoPS was launched in 2011 but with the COVID-19 breakout, it turned into an online conference. This year, the Conference, with the theme of Contemporary Public Administration and Governance, was held in hybrid format. ICoPS2023 brought together more than 60 participants, including industrial experts and professionals, from 6 countries: China, Indonesia, Philippines, Türkiye, Singapore and Malaysia.
The highlight of the conference was the Opening and Closing ceremonies held at IUS which was attended by numerous distinguished guests: His Excellency Raja Saifful Ridzuwan Raja Kamaruddin, Ambassador of Malaysia to BiH; His Excellency Sadık Babür Girgin, Ambassador of Republic of Turkiye to BIH; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım, IUS Rector; Professor Emeritus Dr. Asif Šabanović, IUS Board of Trustees; Prof. Dr. Hajah Roziah Mohd Janor, Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nor Hafizah Mohamed Harith, Dean of Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanita Karađuzović-Hadžiabdić, IUS Vice Rector for International Cooperation and Research; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emil Knezović, Dean of the IUS Faculty of Business and Administration; Prof. Dr. Emel Topcu, Faculty of Business and Administration, International University of Sarajevo; Mr. Amel Kovačević, Adviser to the Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The first keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony was His Excellency Raja Saifful Ridzuwan Raja Kamaruddin, Ambassador of Malaysia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, concurrently accredited to Montenegro whose speech focused on “Malaysian-Bosnia and Herzegovinian Bilateral Relations and Introducing Malaysia Madani”. The second keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Emel Topcu talked about The Prospects for Female Leadership and Public Policy-Making. The keynote speeches were followed by a speech by the Vice Chancellor of UiTM, Prof. Dr. Hajah Roziah Mohd Janor who welcomed the attendees and officially opened the Conference. IUS Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım also addressed the guests and attendees and pointed out the importance of organizing international conferences that bring together scholars from all over the world.
The Opening ceremony ended with the exchange of tokens of appreciation which was followed by concurrent sessions of on-site paper presentations.
During the Closing ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nor Hafizah Mohamed Harith, Dean of the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA delivered her closing speech emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge, good practices, and networking. The Conference ended with the announcement of the winners for the best paper and best presenter awards.
This conference represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of knowledge and collaboration in the fields that hold the key to addressing the complex challenges facing our global community.
