Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
UN Public Service Awards recognize 15 winners for innovation in public administration
Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, center, and Li Junhua, eighth from left, U.N. under-secretary-general for economic and social Affairs, pose with recipients of the 2024 United Nations Public Service Awards during Wednesday's awards ceremony in Songdo, Incheon. Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety
By Lee Hyo-jin
2024 UN Public Service Forum wraps up 3-day run
A total of 15 local governments and public institutions from around the world were honored with the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA), Wednesday, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which co-organized the awards ceremony with the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Launched in 2003, the annual awards promote effectiveness, transparency and inclusivity to achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by highlighting the creative achievements and contributions of public institutions addressing the social, economic and environmental needs of society.
This year's awards ceremony took place in Songdo, Incheon, west of Seoul, on the last day of the U.N. Public Service Forum, which kicked off Monday.
The three-day forum gathered over 2,000 participants from 100 countries, including decision-makers from across the public sector and representatives of international organizations, to discuss ways to promote innovation and transformation in the public service sector.
The UNPSA were presented in three categories — innovation in public institutions, gender-responsive public services and tackling climate change.
Five winners in the innovation in public institutions category were Sao Paulo City Hall, Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Latvia's State Chancellery, the Western Cape Government of South Africa and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.
Additionally, Colombia's High District Counseling Office, the Provincial Government of Manabi in Ecuador and the e-Government Authority of Tanzania were listed as honorable mentions.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government was the sole winner in the gender-responsive public services category. Three honorable mentions in this category were Salvador City Hall of Brazil, Indonesia's Semarang City Government and the Portuguese Ministry of National Defence's Action Plan.
In the category of tackling climate change, winners included Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jordan's Greater Amman Municipality and Portugal's Lousa Municipality.
The awards were presented by Li Junhua, under-secretary-general for U.N. economic and social affairs, and Korea's Interior Minister Lee Sang-min.
"I would like to congratulate all the awardees of the U.N. Public Service Awards. Your initiatives have showcased the breadth of innovations that governments are undertaking for inclusive development and fostering a culture of innovation in the public sector, which is crucial for generating new ideas," Li said in his closing remarks.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min speaks during a ministerial roundtable during the U.N. Public Service Forum in Songdo, Incheon, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety
Prior to the awards ceremony, a ministerial roundtable brought together Lee, Li and other minister and vice-minister-level officials from countries including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Guatemala and Zimbabwe, where they shared policy recommendations and lessons learned during the forum.
"Over the past two days, we had in-depth discussions on the role of public services and how to innovate in response to the crises and challenges facing the world. We agreed that we need to harness emerging technologies like AI as a driver of growth and innovation while at the same time working to protect against their negative side effects," Lee said during the roundtable.
He shared the Korean government's successful efforts in collaboration with the private sector in advancing innovation in public services, noting the interior ministry developed AI administrative support services in cooperation with telecommunication companies like LG and SK Telecom.
He added, "Through this public-service partnership, we will create synergistic effects such as increasing the efficiency and convenience of public services for the government and creating new business opportunities for private companies."