World Public Sector Report 2015

Heads of state and government will meet in September 2015 to adopt a new development agenda for the next 15 years after the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Member States will have the responsibility of turning this collective vision of sustainable development into reality for their citizens with a firm commitment to “leave no one behind.”

In doing so, governments will need to overcome many challenges. They will need to respond efficiently and effectively to people’s increasing demands and addressing declining public trust. They must ensure quality, quantity and promptness of public services as well as equality and equity in their provision and greater access to them. They should develop competent, diverse and ethical public servants and inclusive, participatory and accountable institutions. They can engage citizens and empower communities as well as reach out through multi-channel service delivery and e-participation. These aspirations will not be realized without responsive and accountable public governance.

The nature of the development and governance challenges facing the world for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for a transformation of public governance to support integration among different levels, spheres and sectors. Policies, strategies, programmes, activities and resources need to be deployed coherently. Moreover,governance — to be both an enabler and an outcome of sustainable development — must be innovative, proactive, open and inclusive.

By seizing opportunities and meeting challenges together, all governance stakeholders can craft strategies for accommodating multiple perspectives to produce more responsive and accountable public policies, goods and services. Social and technical innovations are providing an opportunity for the social contract between the state and the citizenry to shift towards more collaborative governance, supported by effective, efficient, transparent, accountable, equitable and responsive public administration.

File added date: May 2021
Author: UN DESA/DPIDG
Download Publication: English
URL: https://publicadministration.un.org/en/Research/World-Public-Sector-Reports