United Nations Public Service Day is observed on 23 June each year. The day is dedicated to public servants for their efforts in providing seamless service. UN Public Service Awards recognise public servants who perform outstanding duties. The 18th UN Public Service Forum was held in the UAE in October 2021.
United Nations Public Service Day, celebrated on 23 June each year, recognises the value and virtue of public service to the community. It highlights the contribution of public service in the development process, recognises the work of public servants and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector. The day also provides an opportunity to recognise the work of public service innovation through the Annual UN Public Service Awards Programme.
Virtual Celebration of the UN Public Service Day 2021
In collaboration with the government of the United Arab Emirates, the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs hosted a 1.5-hour virtual event to celebrate the UN Public Service Day 2021 on 23 June under the theme of ‘Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs’.
The event brought together key stakeholders, public servants and UN officials to honour the work of public servants. It highlighted and discussed the increasingly critical role that innovation and technology play in the delivery of public services and examined how governments can offer better future public service for a new era, so as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
The United Nations selected the United Arab Emirates to host the 18th UN Public Service Forum in October 2021, coinciding with the celebrations of the UAE's Golden Jubilee. This global forum aims to support governments’ efforts around the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, as it explores opportunities for governments to deliver seamless digital services, embrace innovation and find proactive solutions.
The forum will be held with the support of Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and feature high-level ministerial meetings and welcome over 1,000 government leaders, ministers, and officials from around the world as they work together to address global challenges and developments, highlighting innovative policies and initiatives that elevate the impact of government work.
Further, the forum will honour the winners of the 2020 and 2021 UN Public Service Awards..
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The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.
All public organisations and agencies at national and sub-national levels, as well as public private partnerships and organisations performing outsourced public service functions, are eligible for nomination. Read about the UAE’s initiatives submitted for the UN Public Service Award.
In 2015, Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship won the United Nations Public Service Award in the category of ‘Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age’. This was in recognition of its accomplishments in the development of infrastructure conducive to transforming services rendered by public and private sectors into electronic services, particularly the setting up of the National Validation Gateway.
In 2013, Dubai Smart Government Department won the United Nations Public Service Award in the category ‘Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age’ for the Western Asia region. This was in recognition of Dubai eGovernment Electronic Shared Services (ESS).
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