I would like to welcome you to the Profession in Perspective 2009 conference website.

As Head of the Main Department of Civil Service of Ukraine (MDCSU), I was pleased to have the honour of hosting the fourth edition of Profession in Perspective in Kyiv, Ukraine in September 2009.

The Ukrainian civil service is in a nascent stage of development as a professional and competent corps.  In recent years, the MDCSU has been leading efforts to develop a contemporary legal framework for the civil service, including a formal separation of administrative and political function in the Ukrainian government.  This fall’s gathering stimulated lively discussion and exchange among senior public service colleagues around the topic of political neutrality in the civil service – ranging from the key competencies required by senior bureaucrats in the 21^st century nation-state to drivers and trends impacting upon the balance between bureaucratic neutrality and political responsiveness in civil services to the administrative-political interface and its implications for the accountability of senior bureaucrats.

It was indeed a pleasure to welcome participants in Kyiv in September 2009 for a time of sharing and collaboration.  I trust that my colleagues would agree that this gathering contributed towards further building and strengthening the network of senior public service colleagues that has emerged in recent years well into the future.