Empowering Global Public Administration: Insights from the 2024 UN Public Service Forum in Incheon
June 28, 2024
28 June 2024 – On 24 – 26 June 2024, over 2,000 participants from 100 countries gathered in Incheon, Republic of Korea to explore ways to foster innovation in the public administration at the 2024 United Nations Public Service Forum (UNPSF).
Under the theme “Fostering Innovation Amid Global Challenges: A Public Sector Perspective”, the UNPSF brought together high-level government officials from various countries including Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Honduras, Indonesia, the United States of America, Uzbekistan. The event also hailed the presence of the Minister of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Lee Sang-min, 8th U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Li Junhua.
During the 3-day programme, the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), of the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) of the UN DESA, organised Workshop 7 on “Strengthening Public Institutions for Climate Action”. The Workshop discussed the relevance of digital transformation and inclusive governance and emphasised the importance of leveraging AI and digital innovations to boost global resilience and sustainability efforts. The key message of the Workshop highlighted that effective climate action requires renewed multilateralism, AI integration, advanced analytics, and strategic foresight to empower local governments, ensure climate justice, improve data quality, facilitate resilience planning, and transform trade-offs into synergies for future generations.
On the final day of the UNPSF, USG Li underscored during the ministerial roundtable that public sectors should embark on innovation. He highlighted that UN DESA has an “excellent office located in Incheon (the UN Project Office on Governance)” and added that UNPOG “would be the focal point for the UN system to provide a kind of catering or targeted training programmes”.
UNPOG also welcomed USG Li at the Office’s premise. During his visit, USG Li expressed the Department’s hope for continued partnership and cooperation with UNPOG beyond 2030. He also encouraged the Office to continue its crucial role in facilitating national capacity building activities and in networking with the Member States in Asia and the Pacific and beyond. USG Li further advised UNPOG to prioritise leveraging new technologies and digital transformation for government services, fostering innovation and drawing from Korea’s exemplary use of AI technology and digital innovations.
