Excellencies,Distinguished guests,Dear colleagues,Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this virtual event on the United Nations Public Service Day.
I wish to express my gratitude to the President of the UN General Assembly and Her Excellency, the President of Ethiopia for joining us today. You are inspiring examples of lifelong and committed public servants yourselves.
I wish to thank Secretary-General Guterres for his inspiring video message.
I also extend a very deep thanks to Dr. Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization. Leading the world through one of the most challenging health crises, he has made the time to join us today, in recognition of the critical role public servants have played throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
I also thank His Excellency, Mr. Chin Young, Minister of Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea. I am delighted that, despite the disruption to our original plan to host the United Nations Public Service Forum in Busan, we have continued our strong cooperation to co-host this important event.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year, more than ever, as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the vitality of public service to every aspect of our lives.
The response to the crisis has seen innovative and adaptive action by institutions at all levels of government. And by frontline public servants, such as our healthcare workers, teachers, sanitation workers, transit workers and many others.
At the same time, we have watched the incredible strain the pandemic has put on our healthcare systems and on frontline public servants.
The pandemic has provided us with an important moment to reflect on two key issues:
1. how to better support public servants in their work, and2. how to build institutional resilience in the public sector so that we can better meet such challenges in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The importance of inclusiveness and of leaving no one behind has been brought to the fore during the pandemic. As we battle this crisis, we have seen inequalities heighten in both developed and developing countries.
Inequality in all its forms is a scourge that not only denies equal opportunities for those who experience it. It also deeply hampers achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
More must be done to address systemic inequality and discrimination. Investment in public service delivery and enhancing social protection, especially for vulnerable populations, is key.
Enhanced multilateral cooperation, through organizations such as the World Health Organization, is essential – the virus knows no boundary in an increasingly interconnected world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to conclude my remarks on a hopeful note.
Throughout the pandemic we have witnessed public institutions and public servants respond to the crisis in innovative and adaptive ways.
This is something we at UN DESA witness annually through the UN Public Service Awards.
I am happy to announce today, that for the 2020 UN Public Service Awards, we are recognizing initiatives from seven countries: Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Spain and Portugal.
The initiatives by institutions and public servants in these countries – from using technology to enhance education and social service provision, to providing more robust community-based healthcare for older populations – have helped advance the Sustainable Development Goals. But this is not all. They will better prepare us to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.
I congratulate all the winning institutions and the public servants who have brought these initiatives to life. I encourage those watching to learn more about them on the UN DESA website.
To close, I wish to extend a profound thank you to public servants globally for the work you have done and continue to do in keeping us safe during this challenging time.
Now is the time for us to look at how to better support you, and your work going forward.
I wish you and your families a healthy UN Public Service Day.
I thank all colleagues who have supported this virtual event.
Thank you.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this virtual event on the United Nations Public Service Day.
I wish to express my gratitude to the President of the UN General Assembly and Her Excellency, the President of Ethiopia for joining us today. You are inspiring examples of lifelong and committed public servants yourselves.
I wish to thank Secretary-General Guterres for his inspiring video message.
I also extend a very deep thanks to Dr. Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization. Leading the world through one of the most challenging health crises, he has made the time to join us today, in recognition of the critical role public servants have played throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
I also thank His Excellency, Mr. Chin Young, Minister of Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea. I am delighted that, despite the disruption to our original plan to host the United Nations Public Service Forum in Busan, we have continued our strong cooperation to co-host this important event.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year, more than ever, as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we are reminded of the vitality of public service to every aspect of our lives.
The response to the crisis has seen innovative and adaptive action by institutions at all levels of government. And by frontline public servants, such as our healthcare workers, teachers, sanitation workers, transit workers and many others.
At the same time, we have watched the incredible strain the pandemic has put on our healthcare systems and on frontline public servants.
The pandemic has provided us with an important moment to reflect on two key issues:
1. how to better support public servants in their work, and2. how to build institutional resilience in the public sector so that we can better meet such challenges in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The importance of inclusiveness and of leaving no one behind has been brought to the fore during the pandemic. As we battle this crisis, we have seen inequalities heighten in both developed and developing countries.
Inequality in all its forms is a scourge that not only denies equal opportunities for those who experience it. It also deeply hampers achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
More must be done to address systemic inequality and discrimination. Investment in public service delivery and enhancing social protection, especially for vulnerable populations, is key.
Enhanced multilateral cooperation, through organizations such as the World Health Organization, is essential – the virus knows no boundary in an increasingly interconnected world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to conclude my remarks on a hopeful note.
Throughout the pandemic we have witnessed public institutions and public servants respond to the crisis in innovative and adaptive ways.
This is something we at UN DESA witness annually through the UN Public Service Awards.
I am happy to announce today, that for the 2020 UN Public Service Awards, we are recognizing initiatives from seven countries: Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Spain and Portugal.
The initiatives by institutions and public servants in these countries – from using technology to enhance education and social service provision, to providing more robust community-based healthcare for older populations – have helped advance the Sustainable Development Goals. But this is not all. They will better prepare us to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.
I congratulate all the winning institutions and the public servants who have brought these initiatives to life. I encourage those watching to learn more about them on the UN DESA website.
To close, I wish to extend a profound thank you to public servants globally for the work you have done and continue to do in keeping us safe during this challenging time.
Now is the time for us to look at how to better support you, and your work going forward.
I wish you and your families a healthy UN Public Service Day.
I thank all colleagues who have supported this virtual event.
Thank you.
File date:
Tuesday, June 23, 2020