|
Winners of the UN Public Service Awards 2008
|
|
|
PRESS RELEASE UN TO HONOUR WINNERS OF THE 2008 PUBLIC SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARDS IN NEW YORK
United Nations, 18 June 2008 -The United Nations will award innovative approaches that improve the performances of public institutions at a ceremony in New York on Public Service Day, 23 June.
The 2008 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) will be presented to institutions in 12 countries where public services have made a difference in the day-to-day lives of ordinary persons.
This year’s winners are of diverse backgrounds including: an innovative and unique judicial approach in California (USA) geared towards preventing domestic and family violence; a development fund that allows villagers in Rwanda to contribute to assessing their own needs and establishing their development priorities; and a four-decade private-public partnership that guarantees affordable housing to most Singaporeans.
These institutions were found to have improved transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the public service. They have also improved delivery of services, and fostered participation in policymaking decisions through innovative approaches.
Over 300 participants, including United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro and Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs SHA Zukang, will attend the annual ceremony. Leaders whose institutions have won the United Nations Public Service Awards this year and in the past will also attend. The event will be held in Conference Room 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m
Institutions from six countries that made it to the finals and came close to winning will also be awarded a certificate of recognition on that day
Other initiatives and celebrations highlighting public management contributions are being organized by many governments around the world. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations Programme on Public Administration.
The Awards programme was established in 2003 to reward excellence and promote professionalism in the public sector around the world. The UNPSA competition is open to all public organizations and agencies at national or sub-national level, as well as to public-private partnerships. There are three categories: improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the public service; improving the delivery of services; and fostering participation in policymaking decisions through innovative mechanisms.
For background information on Public Service Day and the Awards, please visit: http://www.unpan.org/dpepa_psaward.asp or contact: Adriana Alberti, UNDESA, Tel: + 1 (212) 963-2299, e-mail: alberti@un.org or Olivier Munyaneza, UNDESA, Tel. 1 (212) 963-8801, e-mail: munyaneza@un.org.
To arrange interviews with award winners and UN officials, please contact: Franck Kuwonu Tel: +1 (212) 963-8264, e-mail: kuwonu@un.org, or Newton Kanhema, Tel: +1 (212) 963-5602, e-mail: kanhema@un.org, UN Department of Public Information.
UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS 2008 WINNERS
Australia
JobAccess, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Job Access has provided people with disabilities and/or mental illness with greater access to the job market through a one-stop information shop, including online application forms, a unique database of workplace adjustments and solutions and free expert telephone services.
Contact: Ms. Jane Klose Tel: +61 2 6121 7016, jane.klose@deewr.gov.au
Brazil
Projeto Oficina-Escola de Artes e Ofícios de Santana de Parnaíba, Sao Paulo The Projeto Oficina-Escola de Artes e Ofícios de Santana de Parnaíba, the Prefeitura Municipal de Santana de Parnaíba of Sao Paulo, has helped reduce juvenile delinquency and poverty by teaching youth in vulnerable areas new skills, and by employing them to restore and revitalize the historic centre of the city.
Contact: Mr. Júlio César Victória Barros, Chefe de Gabinete; Prefeitura Municipal de Santana de Parnaíba Tel: (11) 4154.6248; Fax: (11) 41516760, juliovbarros@hotmail.com
India
Programme of Communitization of Public Institutions and Services, Government of Nagaland. Through the Programme of Communitization of Public Institutions and Services, which provides citizens with a forum to manage essential services such as health, education, and electricity, the Government of Nagaland has played a key role towards achieving the MDGs.
Contact: Mr. Raghaw Sharan Pandey Former Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland, Tel: 91-11-23063489; 91-11-23063912, Fax: 91-11-23013236, secsteel@nic.in
Jordan
Family Planning initiative, Higher Population Council The Family Planning initiative has promoted a balance between population growth and economic resources necessary to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development by adopting policies that promote rational reproductive behaviours, family planning, rational use of resources, women's empowerment, equity and enhanced productivity, in order to increase per capita income.
Contact: Dr. Zuhair Al-Kayed Former Secretary General, Higher Population Council Tel: 962 6 4710300, Mobile: 962 777 468503, zalkayed@yahoo.com
Rwanda
Ubudehe, Common Development Fund The Ubudehe initiative allows citizens at the village level to assess their needs and establish their priorities, which are then incorporated in the Common Development Fund (CDF) for financing relevant services. The initiative has transformed the nature of citizen engagement and participation in poverty alleviation and governance.
Contact: Mr. Francis Karake Manager, Common Development Fund, Ubudehe Programme Tel: +250 0859 06 04, karakefrancis@yahoo.fr
Saudi Arabia
SADAD Payment System, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency The SADAD Payment System is a single shared national platform payment system for bills through banks 24/7 and other means, which has promoted greater efficiency and transparency, since all transactions are electronically completed; minimized fraud thanks to audit trail and data reporting for each transaction; reduced costs by eliminating government subsidies; and last, but not least, boosted the role of women in the job market by employing women to run and operate SADAD. Women constitute more than 60% of the workforce and 100% of SADAD’s operational team.
Contact: Mr. Nezar Almugren SADAD Business Development Director Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, Tel: +966506480660, Fax: +96612013163, nalmugren@sadad.com
Singapore
Home Ownership Programme, Housing and Development Board The Housing and Development Board of Singapore, through its Home Ownership Programme, has provided quality housing for over 80% of the population, and helped more than 95% of them own their homes. This programme has given Singaporeans a tangible stake in the country and its future. Through comprehensive town planning and responsive housing policies, the HDB has developed vibrant townships and cohesive communities Singaporeans are proud of.
Contact: Ms. Florence Keh Deputy Director, Public Affairs Section, Housing and Development Board Mobile: +65-97550488, fk1@hdb.gov.sg
South Africa
Transnet-Phelophepa Health Care Train The sixteen-coach Transnet-Phelophepa Health Care Train is world famous for the innovative way in which it brings the best of modern medical practice and health education to the remotest areas of rural South Africa for 36 weeks of each year.
Contact: Dr. Lynette Coetzee Senior Portfolio Manager (Health), Transnet Foundation Tel: +27-011-308-314, Fax: +27-011-308-2927, Lynette.Coetzee@transnet.net
Spain
Participation in Policy-making Decisions initiative, Directorate General for Citizen Participation, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona Through the Directorate General for Citizen Participation, the Government of Catalonia has increased participation of citizens in all public policy areas by providing new participatory mechanisms across Catalonia.
Contact: Mr. Luis Ramiro Head of Research, Directorate General for Citizen Participation, Government of Catalonia Tel: +34 935526059, lramiro@gencat.cat
Sweden
Library 2007, City of Umeå Trough Library 2007, borrowers in the smallest municipality in Sweden got access to one of the largest book stocks in the country. Accessibility increased for borrowers in general, and the disabled in particular. Library 2007 is a unique joint action in many ways. AudioIndex -The Talking Library- provides the visually impaired with opportunities to benefit from library services and a range of talking books. The new joint website “mylibraries.se” is regarded by many as an answer to the Library 2.0 concept model.
Contact: Ms. Inger Edebro Sikström Head of Public Libraries in Umeå and Chairman of the Steering Group for Library 2007 Mobile: +46 70 693 43 20, Fax: +46 90 77 08 23, inger.edebro.sikstrom@umea.se
Tunisia
Orientation universitaire en ligne Through the project entitled Orientation universitaire en ligne, the Ministry of Education has set up an on-line portal that allows Tunisian university students to interact with academic staff and to receive on-line advice and guidance regarding their studies. This process, which was once long and painstaking, is nowadays mastered thanks to information and communication technologies (ICT).
Contact: Mr. Mohamed Mejatty Directeur général des affaires estudiantines, Ministry of Education Tel: +216 71 784 054; Fax: +216 71 791 433, mohamedmejatty@yahoo.fr
United States
Juvenile Delinquency Domestic Violence and Family Violence Court, San Jose, California The State of California Superior Court for the County of Santa Clara, San Jose, California, United States, established the Juvenile Delinquency Domestic Violence and Family Violence Court --the first of its kind in the nation. The Court provides a comprehensive “youth-specific” criminal justice intervention that focuses on uniting different divisions in a common effort to combat youth violence, rehabilitate abusive youth and deliver specialized services to victims.
Contact: Honorable Eugene Hyman, Judge of the Superior Court Tel: 408-808-7258, four.justice@gmail.com
2008 UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS
FINALISTS
Botswana
Princess Marina Referral Hospital At Princess Marina Referral Hospital Outpatient Dispensary, the dispensary managed to integrate all medical services while reducing the long patient waiting time for health examinations and drugs.
Contact: Motlalepula T. Thaga Tel: 00267-3957575, m_thaga@yahoo.com
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
La llave para tu negocio, Banco de Desarrollo Económico para Puerto Rico La llave para tu negocio is a public policy programme created by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hon. Aníbal Acevedo Vila, in 2005. It is an intra-agency programme between the Puerto Rico Commerce and Exportation Company and the Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico. Its purpose is to promote entrepreneurship and the economic development of the island, through the creation of new businesses and the expansion of existing ones, based on a three-phase scenario: technical support, financing and mentoring. The goal was to finance 1000 entrepreneurs by 31 December 2008. By 9 June 2008, more than 1,050 businesses have been assisted, exceeding expectations.
Contact: Ms. Juanita Colombani, Tel: 787-467-6706, jcolombani@fortaleza.gobierno.pr;
Germany
Stadt Köln The participatory budget introduced in Cologne’s municipal administration is a new service for citizen participation, with the goal of effectively supporting decision-making processes in various fields affecting the community with the help of on-line media, while putting the citizen at the centre. By providing an electronic platform for the participation of citizens, useful ideas of the citizens can be tapped and additional knowledge generated via the Internet.
Contact: Dirk Blauhut City of Cologne, Mayor's Office, E-Government und Online-Dienste Tel:0221/221-24422, Fax:0221/221-65 24422, dirk.blauhut@stadt-koeln.de
India
District Lokvani Society Sitapur, Sitapur District of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Lokvani is an Internet kiosk, based G2C interface that provides information about government services to citizens in rural areas. It also provides a channel for redressing citizens’ grievances through an on-line portal that is transparent, accountable and efficient, as it relies on public-private partnership.
Contact: Mr. Amod Kumar Tel: +91-522-2209353, Fax: +91-522-2236261, amodkumar71@gmail.com
Republic of Korea
Information System Planning Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Cyber Policy Forum has served as an innovative means to boost communication between the government and its citizens by providing the people with an on-line discussion ground where they can participate in a heated discussion on wide-ranging policy issues.
Contact: Ms. Jeeyoung Kim Representative of International Cooperation, Information System Planning Bureau Seoul Metropolitan Government Tel: 82 2 6361 3116, Fax: 82 2 3707 9189
Thailand Yasothon Hospital Using assessments of patient satisfaction by poll and questionnaires, this initiative introduced data collection by randomly sampling 20 patients per day for 30 days to address complaints from a wide number of patients. By improving the efficiency of each unit and better integrating services, only 56 minutes, as compared to 6-7 hours, are now required for a patient to receive proper medical care. In 2004, the hospital was awarded the first regional prize for good quality of public service.
Contact: Dr. Manas Kanoksil Director, Yasothon Hospital Tel +6645712580, Fax+6645712373; Mobile +66817086767, saewongz@hotmail.com |
|
