India has won the presidency of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) for the 2025-2028 term, receiving 87 votes against Austria’s 54 during the Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting in Brussels. This win marks the first time in the IIAS’s 100-year existence that the President was elected via ballot.
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions stated that this is the first time India has been granted this historic mandate.
Since 1998, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances has represented India at IIAS. The IIAS is a federation of 31 Member Countries, 20 National Sections, and 15 Academic Research Centres that work together on scientific research in public administration. IIAS has a working relationship with the United Nations, participating in CEPA and the UN Public Administration Network, although not being technically linked with the UN.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has nominated Secretary DARPG V Srinivas for the IIAS President in November 2024.
Hearings were held in February 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Four nations, including South Africa and Bahrain, competed for the position, but South Africa withdrew. India’s presidency intends to promote “Maximum Governance – Minimum Government” while focusing on digital empowerment and overcoming divides.
