About UNPAN

UNPAN is a global network that connects international, regional, sub-regional and national institutions and experts worldwide working on governance and effective, inclusive and accountable public institutions for sustainable development in line with Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNPAN Members are from five geographical regions in line with the UN regional commissions, namely Africa, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East.

UN DESA, through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government, was entrusted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its resolution 50/225 of 1 May 1996, to develop and implement the 'United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN)'. The UNPAN was established in 1999 and it is the only network of its type in the world today. UNPAN is committed to integrity and excellence. 

UNPAN's mission is to promote the global sharing of knowledge, experiences and innovative practices on governance and public administration issues. UNPAN is designed to help countries, particularly developing countries and countries in special situations, to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It facilitates capacity-development, including through training, and cooperation among UN Member States, with an emphasis on South-South cooperation.

The UNPAN focuses on governance and public administration issues in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Priority areas include: governance and institutions; transformational leadership and public servants’ capacities to realize the SDGs; transparency, integrity and preventing corruption; innovation and service delivery for the SDGs and digital government. Read more 

The UNPAN Network is composed of UNPAN Members and Associate Members from across the world. It is coordinated by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG). Each UNPAN Member or Associate Member designates a focal point for consultation with UN DESA/DPIDG on all aspects related to the UNPAN Network. 

The UNPAN Members are global, regional and national institutions. UNPAN Associate Members are individuals who serve in their personal capacity. UNPAN Members and Associate Members have demonstrated commitment to advancing knowledge and/or capacity development in the area of governance and public administration and sustainable development. Membership is for a period of five years with the possibility of extension. Read more 

UNPAN Members share information on the UNPAN website regarding upcoming events, news, reports, publications, innovative practices, trainings and other activities; prepare with other UNPAN Members joint studies, design content for training courses, toolkits, and methodologies; and cooperate in the organization of relevant events.

UNPAN Members and Associate Members are invited to take part in a meeting that is held every year at the margins of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) Meeting, which takes place at the United Nations Headquarters.  Read more 

UNPAN Members and Associate Members are invited to contribute to the UNPAN Newsletter which is issued quarterly and contains information about the key activities of UNPAN Members. Please see here for the most recent editions of the Newsletter. 

The UNPAN website provides access to the UN DESA/DPIDG e-Library, which contains an archive of over one hundred publications published since 1994 by the division. It also provides access to publications, policy notes, papers and other analytical tools shared by the UNPAN Members and Associate Members. Read more

The UNPAN Online Training Centre delivers courses on various topics related to governance and public administration. Its main objective is to increase learning opportunities for government officials and people from all over the world. UNPAN online training toolkits and courses are available to anyone with Internet access and are provided free of charge. Read more

UNPAN Members and Associate Members are invited to contribute on the UNPAN website their upcoming events, news, reports, publications, innovative practices, trainings and other capacity development activities. Guidelines, manuals and tools are provided to guide UNPAN Members and Associate Members through the UNPAN Portal Guide. Read more