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.

 

World Post Day - 9 October - Message from the Director-General of the Universal Postal Union

Message from the Director-General
of the Universal Postal Union

 

The Post, an invaluable public service worldwide

The world postal network is an enormous web that spans the four corners of the globe. Still today, it is the largest physical delivery network in the world. Each day, more than 600,000 post offices serve billions of peo¬ple, and each year they handle more than 438 billion letters and six billion parcels, and offer a vast range of electronic, financial and logistics services.

On this World Post Day, we should remember the fundamental values of the Post and the numerous public services it offers to people everywhere, which contribute to the economic development of countries.
Today, of all the billions of letters processed and delivered by Posts throughout the world each year, it is estimated that more than 80% come from businesses, associations or government entities. Personal letters account for 5 to 11% of mail volumes.

Meanwhile, parcels are on the rise, as Posts have taken advantage of the growing popularity of e-commerce to become the preferred distributors of those who buy and sell over the Internet.

Postal financial services are also a popular postal product, and an ever increasing number of Posts throughout the world are focusing on this business sector. Postal financial institutions hold more than one billion of the estimated 5.18 billion current and savings accounts in the worldwide retail banking market. What is more, these institutions also offer savings and loan products as well as other services which, for people without banking facilities or with low incomes, would be difficult to access through traditional financial institutions.
Like other sectors, Posts are faced with economic crises and increased competition, but in this era of rapidly developing information technologies they are still managing to hold their own. They continue to ensure a vital communication link between people and businesses worldwide, not only in daily life but also in the face of natural disasters.
After Japan was hit by this year's massive earthquake, we heard many moving stories about Japanese people who had turned to the Post to send supplies to friends and relatives who had suddenly been left out on a limb, or to withdraw money from mobile post offices set up to serve the most severely affected areas. The Post played a major role in cementing solidarity among the people and lifting their spirits, offering hope to victims who had taken refuge anywhere they could find it.

This is the human value of postal services. Beyond the services provided, the five million postal employees – and in particular postmen, counter staff, messengers and others – are all the face of an immense public service with social and economic dimensions the world could ill afford to live without.
On this World Post Day, let us take some time to think about all the services offered by postal workers throughout the world.

Edouard Dayan, Director-General of the Universal Postal Union