India Secures International Institute Of Administrative Sciences Presidency

In a marker of India's internal governance reforms and the country's rising stature in global governance, the country has been elected to lead the prestigious International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for the 2025-2028 term.

This is the first time in the nearly 100-year history of the Belgium-based institute that India will hold the presidential post. This marks a significant recognition of India's administrative evolution and reform-oriented governance, sources said.

A Resounding Mandate

The election took place at the Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting of the IIAS held on June 3, 2025, in Brussels. V Srinivas, Secretary of India's Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), contested the presidency and won decisively with 87 votes, defeating Austria's candidate who received 54 votes.

Experts see Srinivas' election as an endorsement of India's governance model and its recent strides in administrative modernisation. He will preside over the global body that connects practitioners and scholars of public administration across continents. This will also help India understand and adopt best practices of governance reforms from across the world.

India's Role in IIAS: A Longstanding Journey

India has been an institutional member of IIAS since 1998, actively contributing to its mission of promoting good governance, innovation, and evidence-based policy reforms globally. Over the years, India has become increasingly active in the IIAS ecosystem, both as a participant and host of major conferences.

In February 2025, India hosted the IIAS-DARPG India Conference in New Delhi under the theme "Next Generation Administrative Reforms - Empowering Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile." The event saw participation from over 750 delegates representing 58 countries, emphasising inclusive, transparent, and technology-driven governance.

The win is also seen as a validation of the "Maximum Governance, Minimum Government" approach promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.

India's pitch this year focused on the need to democratise global administrative practices, bridging the North-South divide in governance models, and ensuring last-mile delivery of public services through modern tools and localised solutions.

What the Presidency Means

With India assuming the IIAS presidency, it is poised to shape global discourse on public administration reforms, especially those aligned with sustainable development, digital governance, and equity in service delivery.

V Srinivas has said that under India's leadership, the IIAS will work to promote inclusive governance frameworks, foster cooperation, and help build capacity in developing nations through knowledge sharing, training programs, and collaborative research.

A Soft Power Milestone

This victory is being hailed as an important soft power milestone for India. As geopolitical influence increasingly includes thought leadership in public policy and administration, India's leadership of IIAS is likely to provides a global platform to project its governance innovations and reinforce its image as a credible partner in institutional reforms, sources said.