Note to Correspondents

United Nations Awards 44 Public Organizations

 

for Excellence in Public Service, 25 June

 

In acknowledgement of the United Nations Public Service Day, 44 public organizations from 29 countries will receive international recognition for excellence in public service on 25 June.  The United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA), which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2012, will be held in the General Assembly Hall.  Commemorated on 23 June, the United Nations Public Service Day was established by a General Assembly resolution to “celebrate the value and virtue of service to the community”.

A total of 471 nominations from more than 80 United Nations Member States were received in 2012, with 16 Member States participating for the first time.  This represents an increase of 58 per cent compared to the number of initiatives submitted in 2011.

The winners are as follows:  first place — Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and United States; and second place — Australia, Canada, Egypt, Georgia, Grenada, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and Turkey.

The United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration selects winners according to category and region.  The five UNPSA categories are:  prevention of corruption; improving service delivery; promoting innovative mechanisms for citizen participation in policy-making; advancing knowledge management in government; and promoting gender responsive service delivery.

As part of the United Nations Public Service Awards Ceremony, countries that performed well in the 2012 United Nations E-Government Survey rankings will also be recognized.  The United Nations e-Government Survey Special Award is based on findings from the 2012 United Nations e-Government Survey, and acknowledges recipients for:  establishing robust telecommunications infrastructure; investing in the development of human capital the usage of e-Government facilities; providing exceptional e-services; and making e-content available on a continuous basis.

Also honoured will be winners that have made outstanding progress in improving their e-service delivery and strengthening their citizen engagement through e-participation modalities.  The top five regional performers in the 2012 Survey will also be recognized:  Republic of Seychelles for Africa; United States for the Americas; Republic of Korea for Asia; Netherlands for Europe; and Australia for Oceania.  Also honoured will be the winners in the Survey’s e-participation ranking.

More than 400 participants from across the globe are expected to attend the event, which will also include the United Nations Public Service Forum.  The Forum will take place from 26 to 27 June, and will focus on “Innovation and Citizen Engagement for Effective Governance”.

This high-level global event is expected to make recommendations on how to promote greater understanding of policy options and practices to promote innovation in pubic governance and effectively engage citizens.  Areas of focus will be institutional frameworks, leadership capacities, national development strategies and uses of information and communications technologies, including e-participation and preventing corruption in public service. 

The theme of the 2012 Public Service Forum is of global relevance, as citizens the world over are demanding better governance, greater participation in public affairs, and enhanced integrity and accountability from public leaders.

The multiple demands and challenges that national Governments face today call for effective governance, which requires open, transparent, equitable, sustainable, connected and inclusive public administration.  Governments must be able to design and implement innovative strategies, practices and tools to transform challenges into opportunities for socio-economic development.  Engaging citizens and partnering with civil society and the private sector are increasingly recognized as necessary for inclusive, equitable and effective development.

For more information on the United Nations Public Service Day and Awards, please contact, from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs:  Haiyan Qian, Director, Division for Public Administration and Development Management, e-mail:  unpan@un.org; Adriana Alberti, Coordinator, United Nations Public Service Awards, tel.: + 1 212 963 2299, e-mail:  alberti@un.org; or Sirkka Nghilundilua, Administrator, United Nations Public Service Awards, tel.: +1 212 963 3927, Fax: +1 212 963 2292; or e-mail:  nghilundilua@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record