Strengthening Capacities, Mindsets, and Competencies of Public Institutions to Build the Next Generation of Public Servants in the Asia-Pacific Region

UN DESA, through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) with support from its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), and in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), are organizing a capacity development webinar to launch the Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific region. The Curriculum, developed by UN DESA, will be launched through regional events in cooperation with the regional commissions, the UN Resident Coordinator system, and relevant partners. The Webinar will be held on 24 January 2022 at 10:00 PM EST. More information is available here.

Policy Coherence in Africa in Response to COVID-19

A Regional Webinar for Africa, organized by UN DESA/DPIDG, Resident Coordinators Offices and the African Peer Review Mechanism, will be held on the theme of Resilience and Recovery from COVID-19 through sound policymaking, with a particular focus on policy coherence. The webinar aims to share knowledge on the strategies and guidance notes on the 11 Principles on Effective Governance for the Implementation of the SDGs. The Webinar is also aimed at increasing understanding on how to utilize the strategies for COVID-19 response measures, link participants through peer-to-peer learning and assist African countries in identifying concrete activities and capacity building initiatives that can be undertaken by the UN. The webinar will be held on 17 January 2022 8AM EST. More information and registration is available here.

United Nations Public Service Awards Ceremony 2021

The United Nations Public Service Awards Ceremony 2021 is being organized by UN DESA/DPIDG and hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates. The winning initiatives from the 2020 and 20201 editions of the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) programme, which highlights excellence in public service delivery to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will be recognized. The Awards Ceremony is held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on 13 December 2021 from 9-11 AM (GMT+4), 12:00 (mid night) – 2 AM EST. You can follow it live at UN WebTV. More information is available here.

Strategic Planning and Foresight in Africa in Response to COVID-19

A Regional Webinar for Africa, organized by UN DESA/DPIDG, Resident Coordinators Offices and the African Peer Review Mechanism, will be held on the theme of Resilience and Recovery from COVID-19 through sound policymaking, more in specific on strategic foresight and planning. The webinar aims to share knowledge on the strategies and guidance notes on the 11 Principles on Effective Governance for the Implementation of the SDGs. The Webinar is also aimed at increasing understanding on how to utilize the strategies for COVID-19 response measures, link participants through peer-to-peer learning and assist African countries in identifying concrete activities and capacity building initiatives that can be undertaken by the UN. The webinar will be held on 8 December 8AM EST. More information and registration is available here.

Strengthening Capacities, Mindsets, and Competencies of Public Institutions to build the next generation of public servants in the Arab Region

UN DESA, through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), and in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA) and the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), are organizing a capacity development webinar to launch the Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (the “Curriculum”) in the Arab region. The Curriculum, developed by UN DESA, will be launched through regional events in cooperation with the regional commissions and relevant partners. ARADO will complement the adaptation of the training material in its 22 member states. UN ESCWA will present its Common Arab Regional Job Competencies Framework for Senior Public Servants within the Context of Agenda 2030 developed by UN ESCWA. More information is here.

Inter-Ministerial Policy Workshop on One-Door-Service Centers in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

UN DESA/DPIDG and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, in collaboration with the Resident Coordinator Office in Lao PDR and UNDP, is organizing on 22 November 2021 a virtual Inter-Ministerial Policy Workshop on One-Door-Service Centers (ODCSs) as a follow-up to the Inter-Ministerial Technical Workshop, which was attended by senior officials from 18 ministries, including the Prime Minister’s Office, and  was held on 28 October 2021. The objective of this Policy Workshop is to provide a platform for deputy ministers to discuss and review the recommendations that emanated from the Inter-Ministerial Technical Workshop. The technical workshop was a follow-up to the peer-to-peer learning international workshop on One-Door-Service Centers (ODCSs), which was held back-to-back with a national workshop on lessons learned and next steps in implementing the One-Door-Service Centers in Lao PDR organized on 4 August 2021 by UN DESA, in cooperation with the RCO and UNDP in Lao. The workshop was attended by officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and by the representatives of MOHA and all 44 One Door Service Centers (ODSCs). The objective was to promote a learning journey of peers that would help improve ODSCs reforms in Lao PDR as well as to understand next steps required. More information is available here.

Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Building Back Better and Accelerating the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Regional Symposium on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Building Back Better and Accelerating the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be held on 15 - 17 November 2001 (09:00 PM – 00:00 AM, New York GMT-5). The annual Regional Symposium aims to raise awareness of critical public governance issues, examine current and future trends, and provide new approaches and methodologies to support the United Nations Member States in developing their capacities toward achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Symposium is organised by the UN DESA/DPIDG through its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Government of the Republic of Korea. More information is available here and registration is available here.

Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals 

The Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals launched by UN DESA/DPIDG aims to promote critical understanding of sustainable development issues, enhance governance capacity, and strengthen public servants' awareness of their active role in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs. The Curriculum is a comprehensive set of Training of Trainers Capacity Development Toolkits, which contain ready-to-use and customizable training material on key governance dimensions needed to advance the implementation of the SDGs. The Curriculum provides methodologies and approaches to advance knowledge and assist governments in developing capacities at the individual, organizational, and institutional/societal level, to drive the transformational change needed to implement the 2030 Agenda.  The Curriculum consists of the following Toolkits: Changing Mindsets in Public Institutions to Implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development​;Transparency, Accountability and Ethics in Public Institutions; Institutional Arrangements and Governance Capacities for Policy Coherence; Effective National to Local Public Governance for SDG Implementation; Government Innovation for Social Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups; Risk-informed Governance and Innovative Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience; Innovation and Digital Government for Public Service Delivery; DiGIT4SD: Digital Government Implementation; E-Government for Women’s Empowerment and Integrated Policies and Policy Coherence for the SDGs. The Curriculum can be accessed here

Regional Webinars in Africa - Resilience And Recovery From Covid-19 Through Sound Policymaking

UN DESA/DPIDG, the Resident Coordinators Offices and the African Peer Review Mechanism will hold a series of webinars on how to promote resilience and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa through sound policymaking. The first webinar (16 November 2021) will be on risk management in Africa in response to COVID-19, the second (8 December 2021) on strategic planning and foresight in Africa in response to COVID-19, and the third one (17 January 2022) on policy coherence in Africa in response to COVID-19. The webinars aim at developing the capacities of national governments to promote sound policymaking, with a particular focus on policy coherence, strategic planning and foresight and risk management. More information and registration link for the first webinar is available here, for the second webinar here and for the third webinar here. 

Implementing One-Door-Service Centers in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

UN DESA/DPIDG and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA), Lao People’s Democratic Republic ,in collaboration with the Resident Coordinator Office in Lao PDR and UNDP, is organizing a virtual inter-ministerial technical workshop on One-Door-Service Centers (ODCSs). The Workshop aims to promote an action-oriented learning journey for critical stakeholders on how to achieve an effective, inclusive and accountable ODSC system in Lao PDR and strengthen collaboration among the participating ministries, leading to the development of an inter-ministerial policy, planning and coordination mechanism for ODSCs in the country. The workshop will provide a platform for decision-makers and officials of Lao PDR to learn lessons on promoting effective, inclusive, and accountable ODSCs to mitigate current and future challenges in public service delivery. Panelists will share knowledge about various mechanisms to modernize ODSCs  to achieve higher citizen satisfaction while focusing on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More information is available here.

The World Public Sector Report 2021, entitled “National institutional arrangements for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals: A five-year stocktaking”, is now available here

Five years after the start of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, governance issues remain at the forefront. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted even more the importance of national institutions for the achievement of the SDGs. The World Public Sector Report 2021 focuses on three dimensions of institutional change at the national level. First, it documents changes in institutional arrangements for SDG implementation since 2015. Second, it assesses the development, performance, strengths and weaknesses of follow-up and review systems for the SDGs. Third, it examines efforts made by governments and other stakeholders to enhance the capacity of public servants to implement the SDGs. Based on in-depth examination of institutional arrangements for SDG implementation in a sample of 24 countries in all regions, the report aims to draw attention to the institutional dimension of SDG implementation and provide lessons for national policymakers in this regard. The report also takes stock of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on national institutions and their implications for delivering on the 2030 Agenda.