Virtual Celebration 
United Nations Public Service Day
 
Building back better from COVID-19
Enhancing innovative partnerships to meet the Sustainable Development Goals
 
22 June 2022
09:00- 10:30am EDT
#PublicServiceDay

Watch the event on demand on UN Web TV.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for Public Service Day, observed on 23 June​.

Keynote by DESA's Under Secretary General Mr. Liu Zhenmin: United Nations Public Service Day 2022 ‘Building back better from COVID-19.

 
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. 
 
Taking its lead from the 2022 theme of the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF), the main body for reviewing implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the 2022 UN Public Service Day commemoration, celebrated this year on 22 June, focused on the role of public institutions and public servants in building back better from COVID-19 as they work to meet the 2030 deadline for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
In particular, the event focused on one of the Goals that will be reviewed  at the 2022 HLPF: Goal 17 - Partnerships for the Goals, which works to ‘Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development’.
 
During the UN Public Service Day event, stakeholders gathered to discuss the role that various forms of partnerships can and should play in building back better from COVID-19 and in meeting the SDGs. It did so through the lens of SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and in particular target 16.6 - enhancing the effectiveness, transparency, accountability of public institutions. The event placed a focus on the role of innovation in creating and sustaining partnerships for effective public service delivery.

The 2022 United Nations Public Service Award winners were announced by DESA's Under Secretary General Mr. Liu Zhenmin during the online event. The announcement is available here.

Details on the winning initiatives can be found on the Public Service Innovation Hub.

The event can be viewed on demand on UN Web TV: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1f/k1fizv7r4d

AGENDA

Moderator: Ms. Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Special Advisor at the United Nations World Food Programme 

OPENING – 9:00-9:35am

H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly – Video Message

H.E. Mr. Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) - Video Message

Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under Secretary General United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 

H.E. Ms. Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and Future, United Arab Emirates 

H.E. Mr. David Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer, Sierra Leone. 

Announcement of 2022 UN Public Service Award Winners – 9:35 – 9:45am

Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under Secretary General United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 

Substantive Panel – 9:45 – 10:30am

•    Hon. Ms. Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, the Gambia 

•    Mr. Philip McGrath, Head of Public Service Reform, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Ireland 

•    Ms. Nevena Manic, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Public Administration Reform and eGovernment, Serbia 

•    Ms. Maziko Matemvu, AYC Constituency, Vice Chair, Partnership for Maternal and Child Health, Malawi 
 

Supporting Documents

Agenda

Speaker Bios

10 Questions and Answers on How Innovation can Make a Difference in the Lives of People – Inspiration from the 2022 UN Public Service Award Winners

Video Recording of the 2022 United Nations Public Service Day Virtual Event