The United Nations Public Service Awards

The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.

The purpose of the UNPSA is to promote and reward innovation and excellence in public services in support of the realization of the SDGs and the principle to leave no one behind, which is at the core of the 2030 Agenda. It takes into account the various levels of development of countries while reflecting the universal nature of the SDGs.
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.

Eligibility Requirements:

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 categories3;
• The initiative must have been implemented for a minimum of two years, with demonstrated and documented impact;
• The application must be duly filled out;
• The submission must include all the required supporting documents;
• The initiative must not have already received a UNPS Award;
• To avoid conflict of interest, the initiative must not be implemented by the United Nations System.

How to Apply:

Who can nominate?

Public sector institutions (e.g., ministries, Government departments, authorities and agencies; local governments, etc.), schools of public administration; UN agencies (only for initiatives which they have not supported); universities; non-governmental organizations and private sector.

Who can be nominated?

All public institutions at the national, regional/provincial/state, local/municipal/city level from all UN member states are eligible for nomination. In the case of public-private partnerships, the lead nominee must be a public-sector institution.

How can nominations be made?

A Nomination can only be submitted through the Online Nomination Form of the UNDESA/DPIDG website. Before accessing the online nomination form you are required to complete screening questions to ensure that eligibility criteria are met.

In case you require technical assistance in the process of online submission, please contact the United Nations by email at: [email protected] or phone +1 (917) 367 3004. The deadline for submitting nominations is 30 November 2018