United Nations Public Service Day 2023; June 23rd.

FORUM: "Pay tribute to the women and men around the world who are answering the highest call: public service." United Nations Public Service Day 2023.

Public administration - the cornerstone of governments' work-plays an essential and critical role in improving people’s lives. Reinventing public administration is a positive and necessary way forward. Without public administration modernization and transformation to adapt to today’s needs, realizing a better future for all will be impossible. Where capable administrations are lacking, governments are incapacitated; and where governments are incapacitated, sustainable development falls short. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #UNPSA, #SDGs, #UNPublicServiceAwards, #PublicService, #Publicservants, #23june.

Statement by the United Nations Secretary-General on United Nations Public Service Day 2023. June 23rd.

Today, on United Nations Public Service Day, we pay tribute to the women and men around the world who are answering the highest call: public service.

This year’s celebration arrives at the half-way point towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Public servants and the institutions they support will be increasingly critical as the world accelerates action towards the Sustainable Development Goals, which are badly off track.

Technology must be at the heart of this acceleration. Every day, new technologies emerge that hold the potential to change the way we live and work. When harnessed by an informed, skilled and equipped public service, technology can improve the reach and effectiveness of public services, while driving progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

As we mark this important day, let us celebrate the work of public servants worldwide, and find new ways to apply innovation to our work to shape a better, more sustainable future for all people.

U.N. Secretary-General.

EVENTS:  Celebrating 20 years of Public Service Innovation for Sustainable Development and Inclusion - Marking the 20th anniversary of the UNPSA.

To bolster recognition of the Day and the value of public service, the United Nations established the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) programme; In 2023,  the United Nations Public Service Awards takes a break. As the UNPSA programme marks its 20th anniversary in 2023 and at the midway point to the year 2030, a comprehensive review of the UNPSA has been undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the programme and make necessary adjustments to better promote and disseminate innovations in the public sector. Today we celebrate the UNSPA and the 20 years of excellence in public service, showcasing global initiatives driving positive change. Let's be creative and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal together!

- 2023 Civil Society Townhall: Solutions for a Sustainable future through enhanced global cooperation.

The 3rd Civil Society Townhall entitled ''Solutions for a Sustainable future through enhanced global cooperation.'' will be held on June 27, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EDT) at ECOSOC Chamber, with the support of the Office of the president of the General Assembly, Department of Social and Economic and Social affairs, the United Nations Department of Global Communications  and the Office of the High Comissioner of Human Rights.

Building on the SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future in 2024 will be a key opportunity to reaffirm shared principles and advance practical solutions. As Member States embark on consultations on the scope and topics of the Summit of the Future, hearing questions and ideas from civil society will be important to inform those discussions. The Town Hall will serve as an opportunity for civil society to ask questions and to engage with the President of the General Assembly on issues including, but not limited to: 

• How can we strengthen the international community’s response to complex global shocks?  
• How can we deliver on our responsibilities to future generations yet to be born? How can youth engagement contribute to the discussion?
• How can the international community address the challenges and opportunities posed by rapid technological development, in particular in the area of AI, and ensure a just digital transition?
• How can the international community go beyond GDP as the primary measure of development and progress towards SDGs?
• What are the most important challenges to be addressed by the Summit of the Future? What role do you see for the Summit of the Future in the implementation of sustainability transformation at all levels?

QUIZZ: UNDESA Public Institutions and Digital Government.

This campaign seeks to highlight the value of public service, acknowledge the contributions of public servants, and inspire young individuals to pursue careers in the public sector. As the world faces pressing challenges and with only seven years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, embracing innovation in the public sector becomes crucial for accelerating progress. The UNPSA rewards and honors the creative achievements and effective contributions of public institutions in enhancing public administration and supporting sustainable development worldwide.

 

United Nations Public Service Day 2021; June 23

         

FORUM: Join us for a Virtual Celebration of United Nations Public Service Day 2021.
Innovating the Future Public Service;
New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs
- 23 June 2021 (9:00 – 10:30am EDT)

Watch live here at 9am EDT 23 June: UN Web TV

STATEMENTS: 
Statement by the United Nations Secretary-General on Public Service Day 2021, June 23rd

Background and Context

United Nations Public Service Day, celebrated on 23 June each year, recognizes the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlights the contribution of public service in the development process; recognizes the work of public servants, and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

Innovating for a new era: Leveraging the role of technology for the future public service.

The last decade brought about a digital revolution that changed the way we live, work, and govern. Technology and data driven innovations have increased the pace of our daily life, opened up information and elevated civil society voices and changed how we solve problems, design policy and deliver services. In parallel, governments find themselves under resource pressures and increasing public demands, having to do much more, with less. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was a force multiplier to these trends, introducing remote work in government, digital service delivery, virtual service teams, and even new portfolios.


Today, every country in the world needs to re-think the structure and operating model of its civil service as we enter the third decade of the 21st century. The next era will see fundamental changes in how public servants, are hired, trained, and retained. We will see more technology being leveraged to make better decisions, monitor performance, and deliver service, and there will be a need for the private sector, and wider society, to play a bigger role in all aspect of creating public value. The future public service needs to be more agile, tech-savvy, data-driven, and human-centric. These are core elements to build future readiness, ensure inclusive policies and responsive services, to reduce inequalities and to raise trust in government.

Celebrating the 2021 United Nations Public Service Day: A virtual Event

In this context, to celebrate the 2021 United Nations Public Service Day, the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the government of the United Arab Emirates hosted a 1.5-hour virtual event on the 23 June under the theme of “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”. The event brought together key stakeholders, public servants and UN officials to honor the work of public servants.



List of confirmed speakers,

Moderator: Ms. Jelena Lagger, Management and Policy researcher University of Bath (UK) and Vice President of CAFRAD’s International Advisory Committee (confirmed)


- Mr. Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
- H.E. Ms. Ohood Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, United Arab Emirates
- H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General, Head of the UAE Digital Government and Director General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority), UAE
- Ms. Bernadette Lewis, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
- Hon. Emma Theofelus, Deputy Information and Technology Minister, Namibia
- Dr. Julia Glidden, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector
- H.E. Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General for Telecommunications Sector at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), UAE
- Ms. Nele Leosk, Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia

Objective of the event

The event highlighted and discussed the increasingly centric role that innovation and technology play in the delivery of public services and in doing so, examined how to better prepare the future public service for a new era, so as to reach the 2030 sustainable development goals. It examined the various approaches countries are taking to equip public servants with the skills necessary to be effective, responsive and relevant in the digital age. It also highlighted lessons learned from the past year, as many countries and public servants have been thrust into the digital era, quickly adopting, innovating and using online mechanisms to continue their work during the pandemic.


Supporting documents


Concept note and Agenda