Nominations Open for UN Public Service Awards 2017! Recognizing Innovation and Excellence in Public Services Worldwide. Deadline: 28 February 2017

Nominations Open for UN Public Service Awards 2017! Recognizing Innovation and Excellence in Public Services Worldwide

Deadline: 28 February 2017

The United Nations has begun accepting nominations for the 2017 UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA), aimed at promoting and recognizing innovation and excellence in public services supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the transformative agenda to boost prosperity around the world and ensure that no one is left behind.

The United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) recognizes excellence in public service at the global level. It was launched in 2003 in order to promote and support innovations in public service delivery worldwide. In 2016, the UNPSA was reviewed in order to be aligned with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UNPSA is organized and managed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), through its Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM).

Aims

Through a global competition that promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service, the UNPSA aims to:

• Highlight innovations in governance;
• Reward excellence in the public sector;
• Motivate public servants to further promote innovation;
• Enhance professionalism in the public service;
• Raise the image of public service; and
• Collect and disseminate successful practices for possible replication.

Categories

The 2017 UNPSA will be given to those public institutions that have distinguished themselves in one of the following categories:

• Reaching the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and participation
• Promoting transparency, accountability and integrity in public service
• Innovation and excellence in delivering health services

Selection Criteria

• Alignment with principles of the 2030 Agenda. The initiative should aim to improve people’s lives and respond to their needs and rights. It should enhance the contribution of public service to the realization of the SDGs. It should benefit the poorest and most vulnerable and improve gender equality.
• Significance. The initiative must impact positively a large group of the population and address a significant issue of public concern within the context of a given country or region.
• Innovation. The initiative must present an innovative idea, a distinctively new approach, or a unique policy implemented in order to realize the SDGs or solve a problem of public concern, in the context of a given country or region.
• Transferability. The initiative appears to be adaptable to other contexts (e.g. cities, countries or regions). There is evidence that it has inspired similar innovations in other public sector institutions within a given country, region or at the global level.
• Sustainability. The initiative should be able to be sustained and have positive impact on the future generations.
• Impact. The initiative has had a formal evaluation, showing some evidence of impact on improving people’s lives.
• Stakeholders. The initiative must demonstrate that it has engaged stakeholders, when possible.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Award is open to all public sector institutions at the national, state and local levels from all UN member states. In the case of innovative partnerships (including civil society, private sector, academia etc.), the nominee must be a public sector institution;
• Both self-nominations and nominations by third parties are accepted. Nominations should be made by an organization;
• The initiative must be innovative and relevant to one of the UN Public Service Awards categories
• The initiative must have been implemented for a minimum of two years, with demonstrated and documented impact;
• The submission must include all the required supporting documents;
• The application must be duly filled out;
• The initiative must not have already received a UNPS Award.

How to Apply

A Nomination can only be submitted through the Online Nomination Form via given website.

For more information, please visit UN Public Service Awards 2017.