The UNPOG Public Governance Quarterly
Welcome Note
In New York, from 9 to 18 July 2019, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held under the theme “Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality". During the HLPF, six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were reviewed, including Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. SDG 16 is not just a goal in and of itself, but also a necessary enabler towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Accordingly, this goal is universal and efforts are needed for its implementation and follow up. According to the 2019 SDG report, in 2018, the number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million; the highest level the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has seen in almost 70 years. This group is particularly vulnerable to various forms of abuse, including trafficking, violence, statelessness, loss of identity and access to crucial basic services. Ensuring their dignity, identifying their needs and ensuring that they do not fall into the shadows as stateless persons and continue to receive adequate public services are principal to achieving the goal of inclusive societies and sustainable development[1]. To enhance government capacity and facilitate knowledge sharing on this topic, UNPOG is focusing its efforts on engaging and organizing programme activities to address this thematic issue. Such efforts include two workshops UNPOG organized during the United Nations Public Service Forum in the Republic of Azerbaijan from 24 to 26 June 2019, under the theme “Achieving the SDGs through Effective Delivery of Services, Innovative Transformation and Accountable Institutions”. Moreover, UNPOG conducted an Expert Group Meeting as part of the preparatory process for the UN E-Government Survey 2020, from 4 to 5 June 2019, focused on the specials needs and perspectives of vulnerable countries in special situations.
In the 2nd quarter of 2019, UNPOG expanded its collaboration with the Caribbean region and Central Asia region, domestic public administration and international development cooperation partners, public administration institutes, and others. Lastly, it is my hope that you expose yourself to further information regarding UNPOG’s recent activities in our newsletter.
[1] The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 (UN)
