UN gears up to host global forum on government reform in Vienna next year

The United Nations has opened registration for a conference to be held at its Vienna headquarters next June, the first time the world organization has hosted the event that will bring together national leaders, business executives and civil society representatives to discuss strategies for building trust in government.

Several thousand senior government officials, civil society organizations and private sector representatives are expected to attend the four-day The 7th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, previously hosted by the Governments of the United States, Brazil, Italy, Morocco, Mexico, and the Republic of Korea.

“Building trust in government is at the heart of the world’s quest for peace and well-being,” UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has stressed, adding that governments must earn that trust by strengthening popular participation in the policy process, by promoting cohesion between communities and practicing transparent, accountable and effective governance.

The Global Forum introduces innovations and strategies to improve governance and public administration, while providing public officials to discuss their experiences in government reinvention with experts and international colleagues.

The conference, organized in cooperation with the Government of Austria, will offer plenary sessions, workshops and meetings designed to contribute directly to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by strengthening state capacity, improving the quality of governance, and invigorating public confidence.

The MDGs, adopted at the UN Millennium Summit of 2000, seek to slash a host of social ills, such as extreme hunger and poverty, infant and maternal mortality and lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015.

“Improvements in governance and public administration have become increasingly recognized by the international community as central pillars to the successful implementation of the UN development agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals,” Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs José Antonio Ocampo said.

“Globalization, market liberalization, information and communication technologies and democratization have impacted expectations, the role of the state and interactions between governments, the private sector and civil society. No longer can our communities act in isolation from the outside world; everyone is affected by the acts of others, even if indirectly,” he added.