UNPSA 2020 Call for Nominations
The 2020 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) is now open for nominations under the following categories: 1) delivering inclusive and equitable services for all; 2) promoting integrated mechanisms for sustainable development; 3) developing transparent and accountable public institutions; 4) promoting digital transformation in the public sector, and 5) promoting gender responsive public services to achieve the SDGs. The UNPSA is an annual Award that recognizes excellence in public service at the local, regional and national levels. It promotes and rewards innovation and excellence in public services in support of the realization of the SDGs and the principle of leaving no one behind. Public institutions at the national, sub-national, and local level from all UN member states are eligible to apply. In the case of public-private partnerships, the lead nominee must be a public-sector institution. The deadline for submitting nominations is 27 November 2019. To apply click here.
African regional workshop on effective governance for sustainable development: putting principles into practice
Co-organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and African Union/African Peer Review Mechanism (AU/APRM) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the event will be held in Pretoria, South Africa from 30 October to 1 November 2019. The joint UN-African Union workshop is specifically designed to support countries in assessment of gaps in the institutional application of each of the 11 principles of effective governance with a view to strengthening institutions for the implementation of the SDGs at all levels. The workshop is also expected to foster policy coherence by encouraging alignment of institution-building efforts related to the 2030 Agenda with the Agenda 2063 objectives of the African Union.
The objective of this joint UNDESA-AU/APRM workshop is to enhance the capacity of public servants in Africa to develop reform policies that strengthen institutions for the implementation of the SDGs at all levels. Please click here for more information.
Publication on Governance Framework for Digital Government
A publication on Governance Framework for Digital Government (in Spanish) is now available. It is an outcome of the Project for Competence on e-Government Development and Innovation in Panama funded by Panama with technical support from UN DESA/DPIDG. The National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG) in Panama supported the formulation of the Framework. It includes legislation, indicators, standards, Maturity Model and Digital Government Transformation and monitoring aspects to guide in a cohesive way the utilization of innovation to deliver public services. The publication is available here.
2019 UN Public Service Forum
The 2019 United Nations Public Service Forum, held on the occasion of the UN Public Service Day, took place in Baku, Azerbaijan from 24 to 26 June 2019. The Forum focused on critical challenges and strategies for achieving the SDGs, including inclusive governance and public administration, the changing role of the public service in achieving the SDGs, fostering and mainstreaming innovation, digital transformation, transformational leadership, as well as institutions and capacity building. Over 700 participants attended the Forum from about 100 countries. The Forum was opened by Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs and the First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The 11 winners of the 2019 UN Public Service Awards were recognized during an award ceremony. The 2019 World Public Sector Report was launched on the first day of the event. Several parallel capacity development workshops were held during the Forum along with plenary sessions and a Ministerial roundtable. Please click here for more information.
Meeting on Supreme Audit Institutions making a difference: Auditing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
DPIDG in collaboration with INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) organized a meeting that took stock of three years of experience in conducting performance audits of government preparedness for the implementation of the SDGs. Participants discussed how this experience may inform auditing the implementation of specific SDG goals and targets going forward. The meeting facilitated a dialogue between SAIs and stakeholders regarding the contribution of SAIs and external audits to the SDG review mechanism at different levels. The meeting was held from 22 to 23 July 2019 in New York. Please click here for more information..
Expert Group Meeting on the Elaboration of a Model to Audit the Implementation of the SDGs
DPIDG in collaboration with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) held an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) to provide and discuss inputs on the proposed approach, methodology and tools for auditing SDG implementation. The meeting supported the finalization of the audit model developed by IDI. The model will be used to facilitate support for cooperative compliance and performance audits of the implementation of selected SDG goals and targets by supreme audit institutions. The model will also provide guidance to supreme audit institutions in their strategic considerations on auditing SDGs. The meeting was held from 24 to 26 July 2019 in New York. Please click here for more information.
Voluntary National Review Lab on Engaging all parts and levels of government
DPIDG organized a Voluntary National Review (VNR) Lab on the theme of Engaging all parts and levels of government during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. It focused on the institutional aspects of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 as they relate to engagement of government in SDG implementation. The Lab emphasized the significance of national statistical offices, national audit offices and economic and social councils in promoting engagement across all phases of the policy cycle. It stressed the importance of connecting the daily work of government and fair resource allocation with parliamentary involvement and legitimacy. It concluded that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is part of a dynamic learning process and that the main question of SDG engagement is how to motivate and sustain commitment for the next eleven years. The meeting was held on 15 July 2019 in New York.
Get to know the UNPSA Winners
With a little over a month to go before nominations open for the 2020 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA), what kind of initiatives does it take to win the UNPSA? Get to know past winning UNPSA initiatives and how they relate to the SDGs when you visit the UNPS Innovation Hub. UNPSA promote and reward innovation and excellence in public services in support of the realization of the 2030 Agenda. For more information visit the UNPS Innovation Hub webpage.
ECOSOC takes action on the report of CEPA 18th session
The draft resolution and decision recommended by CEPA were adopted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on 23 July 2019, as proposed and without amendment. This action affirms the provisional agenda for the 19th session and, among other guidance, encourages Governments at all levels to consider applying the principles of effective governance for sustainable development to all public institutions and in support of the implementation of all SDGs. Please click here for more information.
Panel on “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality: Long term trends and scenarios”
The Chair of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration was invited to participate in the panel on “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality: Long term trends and scenarios” held on 19 July 2019 at the UN Headquarters New York as part of the ECOSOC high-level segment. The panel was attended by Mr. Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist of UNDESA, among other high-level officials. The focused discussion debated long-term trends that can propel or hinder the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs, while examining interdependencies among Goals and the likely impact of policy interventions to protect vulnerable groups, promote equitable access to services and development opportunities, and manage competing demands over natural and financial resources to support socio-economic development within environmental limits. The panel discussion can be view here.
World Public Sector Report 2019 now available
The World Public Sector Report 2019 is available online. The report, entitled Sustainable Development Goal 16: Focus on Public Institutions, looks at national-level developments in relation to several concepts highlighted in the targets of Goal 16, which are viewed as institutional principles: access to information, transparency, accountability, anti-corruption, inclusiveness of decision-making processes, and non-discrimination. The report surveys global trends in these areas, documenting both the availability of information on those trends and the status of knowledge about the effectiveness of related policies and institutional arrangements in different national contexts. It also demonstrates how the institutional principles of SDG 16 have been informing the development of institutions in various areas, including gender equality and women’s empowerment (SDG 5). The report examines two critical instruments that can support effective public institutions and public administration for the SDGs, namely national budget processes and risk management. The World Public Sector Report 2019 aims to inform the first review of SDG 16 at the United Nations high-level political forum on sustainable development in July 2019, and to contribute to future efforts to monitor progress on SDG 16. By reviewing key challenges and opportunities for public institutions in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the national level, the report also aims to inform efforts by all countries to create effective institutions to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
CEPA 18th session findings and recommendations move forward
The report of the 18th session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), held in April 2019, is now available in the six official UN languages. A key message of the session was that building equal and inclusive societies and leaving no one behind requires addressing the deep inequalities that exist in many countries. This in turn may require institutions at all levels to play a greater role in promoting and enforcing non-discriminatory laws and policies. The Committee also emphasized the critical role of institutions in achieving all of the SDGs and examined progress, identified prospects and recommended actions for advancing implementation of institutional aspects of SDG 16 at the national and subnational levels. These and other matters are reflected in a draft resolution and decision for review and adoption by the Economic and Social Council at its coordination and management meeting in July 2019, as well as in the Committee’s input to the 2019 High-Level Political Forum. More information is available here.
Holistic Approaches for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean Region (15-16 May 2019, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
The Learning Conference on “Holistic approaches for the implementation of Agenda 2030 in the Caribbean Region” was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from 15 to 16 May 2019. The Conference was co-organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). Over 60 participants from 21 Caribbean countries participated in this capacity development activity as a follow-up to the Regional Symposium on “Implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway in SIDS: Equipping Public Institutions and Mobilizing Partnerships” and the other Learning Conferences organized by UN DESA and UNITAR. The Learning Conference had an interdisciplinary character and involved multiple stakeholders. It was based on effective collaboration and partnership among different UN entities and relevant government institutions in line with the spirit of the 2030 Agenda. The objective of the Learning Conference was to provide a space for practical learning and the exchange of knowledge and experiences among government representatives involved in the process of integrating the SDGs in their countries’ national development plans and budgets. It also offered a platform to learn about the most appropriate mechanisms and practices to promote a “whole of government” and “whole of society” approaches to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national and international levels, utilizing also the experiences and lessons learned from the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). Further, the event provided a platform for countries to share lessons learned from their Voluntary National Reviews to the High-Level Political Forum as a means to advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the national level. Click here for more information.