UN Public Service Day honours innovations in governance and administration

Declaring that improvements in governance require courage, curiosity and innovation from the public sector, a senior United Nations official today praised eight institutions which have pioneered ways to make services more efficient and accessible to all members of society – and engage active participation in their design.

In an address to mark UN Public Service Day 2005, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo heralded the innovative projects from governments and agencies in both the developing and developed world which prioritize accountability, service delivery, transparency and the inventive use of e-governance. All were recipients today of the UN Public Service Award.

Speaking about the Awards earlier, Mr. Ocampo said: "The United Nations Public Service Awards recognize groundbreaking institutional efforts to make services more efficient and accessible to all members of society and to engage people's active participation in their design. This event serves to showcase and share, in a global setting, novel models of governance that are being practised in different parts of the world."

A total of eight nominees doing innovative work at rural and urban areas were selected from six countries – Canada, India, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, and Spain.

The UN Division for Public Administration and Development Management is responsible for administering the Awards and promoting the Day. It assists governments in strengthening policy-making and improving the efficiency of their governance systems through disseminating information, delivering technical assistance and providing an international forum for the exchange of national experiences.