UNPOG

MEET THE NEW HEAD OF UNPOG

Mr. Kyu Chang Ko

On 1 September 2022, Mr. Kyu Chang Ko joined the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) of the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Mr. Ko was the previous Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of the Government of the Republic of Korea and has contributed to the fields of digital government innovation, open government and public service innovation. To learn more about Mr. Ko, click here.

ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS

REGIONAL SYMPOSIUM on Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Accelerating Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Addressing Global Challenges

The 6th Regional Symposium on "Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Accelerating Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Addressing Global Challenges" took place in Incheon, Republic of Korea from 22 to 24 November 2022. The Symposium was held in hybrid format, and was attended by government and non-government representatives from countries across Asia and the Pacific and beyond to discuss how to strengthen governance across regions struggling to make up ground lost to COVID-19, climate change, and extreme weather events.

The Symposium convened a special session to share national experience and lessons learnt from the UN DESA Curriculum on Governance for Sustainable Development Goals. UNPOG/UN DESA invited country representatives from Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Malawi to present their experience to date and the next steps forward with focus on capacity development in areas of national to local public governance, peer-to-peer learning on One Door Service Centres, design and implementation of Learning Outcome Assessment Framework, and transparency, accountability and ethics in public institutions.

The gathering was hailed by UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Li Junhua, as "an opportunity to explore innovative solutions to rescue the SDGs", and was seen as an important opportunity to get back on track to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To find out more about the 6th Regional Symposium, click here.

Enhancing National to Local Institutional Coordination and Monitoring Mechanisms for NDSP/ SDG Implementation

UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA supported the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning and Aid Coordination (DSPPAC) within the Prime Minister's Office of the Government of the Republic of Vanuatu, and co-organised a Training Workshop on "Enhancing National to Local Institutional Coordination and Monitoring Mechanisms for NSDP/SDG Implementation" in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office and UNDP. The Training took place in Port Vila, and invited key officers from Vanuatu's provincial offices and national government to develop recommendations for improving national and local coordination in delivering the National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) and the Sustainable Development Goals. For more details about the workshop, click here.

National Workshop on Transparency, Accountability and Ethics in Public Institutions

UNPOG/DPDIG/UN DESA organised a 3-day National Workshop on "Transparency, Accountability and Ethics in Public Institutions" in Malawi to strengthen public institutions to facilitate more coherent implementation of SDGs. The National Workshop was held from 2 to 4 August 2022 in hybrid format, and was attended by senior to mid-level public officials from the Ministries, epartments, Agencies, and Units engaged in promoting issues on transparency, accountability, and ethics in public institutions.

The Workshop accorded the participants an opportunity to reflect on the fight against corruption in Malawi; and helped identify the challenges, weaknesses, and practices to determine the way forward to enhance institutional accountability, and transparency mechanisms to fight corruption. The Workshop also served as guide to key stakeholders as they come up with organisational and action-based decisions envisaged in the country's second National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS II).

UNPOG/UN DESA, DPIDG, UNRCO, ACB and the Office of the Ombudsman have continuously followed up with the participants to help and guide them in finalising their institutional action plan and ensure successful implementation of the key outcomes based on the National Workshop. To access the videos and presentations during the Workshop, click here.

Online Workshop on Risk-informed Governance, Climate Action, and Finance Mechanism for Local Resilience

UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA co-organised a 2-week Online Workshop on "Risk-informed Governance, Climate Action, and Finance Mechanism for Local Resilience" with UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC, and UNDRR ONEA & GETI on 5 to 14 July 2022. The Workshop took stock on mechanisms to enhance the scale of disaster risk reduction finance from the public and private sectors along with the approaches to disaster risk reduction finance. It was attended by local government officials and other stakeholders from Asia and the Pacific interested in supporting disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, building resilience, innovative finance mechanism for climate action, and sustainable development.

The Online Workshop introduced the toolkit on Risk-informed Governance and Innovative Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience and provided specific guidance on leveraging data and digital government for disaster risk reduction and resilience. It also provided insights on UNDRR's initiative on Making Cities Resilient (MCR2030) to achieve SDG 11 and other global frameworks including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement, and the New Urban Agenda. To download the presentation materials, click here.

National Workshop on Transparency, Accountability and Ethics in Public Institutions

UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA actively participated and organised a session on "Effective Governance and Digital Transformation for Climate Action and Sustainable Development" during the 2022 United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress on 10 to 14 October 2022. Under the theme "Local and Regional Governments Breaking through as One", UNPOG delivered three presentations on i) Effective, Inclusive, and Accountable Public Governance for Climate Action, ii) Fostering Digital Transformation for Climate Resilience, and iii) Engaging the Private Sector in Addressing Climate Crisis, and elaborated the "Challenging Role of Local Government in the Technetronic Age".

The World Congress was attended by delegates from major national and local government entities, public institutions across various fields, international organisations, private sector and civil society organisations; and discussed on the opportunities and challenges in finding sustainable solutions for future generation, the new direction to realising the value of inclusive economic growth and co-prosperity of mankind through science and technology, and building resilience of our society following the pandemic. To access the video and read more about the event, click here.

6th Youth Forum on SDG Implementation: Leveraging Public Governance and Digital Transformation to Promote Youth Participation for Climate Action and Building Resilience

UNPOG hosted the 6th Youth Forum on SDG Implementation, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of the Government of the Republic of Korea and Incheon Metropolitan City Government, on 3 November 2022. The Forum's theme focused on Leveraging Public Governance and Digital Transformation to Promote Youth Participation for Climate Action and Building Resilience, and invited young individuals to submit essays on the topic of strengthening local governance at the local level, promoting inclusivity and leaving no one behind, nd fostering partnerships with private sector for climate action and resilience building.

The Youth Forum provided an opportunity for meaningful youth engagement, consultation, collaboration, empowerment, participation, and calls for climate action. Young individuals enthusiastically shared their vision and elaborated on their contributions to pursue sustainable and resilient recovery from climate change amidst the continuing crisis.

At the end of the Youth Forum, three teams were selected and invited to participate in the special youth session organised during the 6th UN DESA Regional Symposium. The winners also received a ministerial award from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Ministry of Environment, and a mayoral award from the Incheon Metropolitan City of the Government of the epublic of Korea during the closing of the Symposium. To read the outcome of the 6th Youth Forum, click here.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION

UNPOG/DPIDG published in the UN DESAPolicy Brief No. 139: Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience for Climate Action through Risk-informed Governance. The Policy Brief presented recommendations and key building blocks to strengthen DRR and resilience. Read more about the publication here.

PARTNER ENGAGEMENTS

As part of the continued collaboration between UNPOG/DPIDG and KIPA, a hybrid Forum on "Public Administration and Governance for Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19" was convened on 14 October 2022.

The Forum explored innovative public governance approaches and methods to leverage digital transformation to achieve the 2030 Agenda and address climate crisis. To watch the video and download the presentations, click here.

UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA collaborated with KRILA and organised a Forum on "Promoting Innovative Local Governance for Accelerating the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals & Building an Inclusive and Resilient Society in the Post-COVID-19 Era" on 6 September 2022.

The Forum shared various approaches strategies, and good practices in promoting innovative local governance for accelerating SDG implementation at the local level and building an inclusive and resilient local society in the post-COVID-19 era. Presentation materials during the Forum can be found here.

NETWORKING ACTIVITIES

Third Regional Seminar for the Asia-Pacific Region Parliaments on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the National Assembly of Pakistan invited the head of UNPOG/DPIDG to speak at a session on Envisioning Inclusive Development: Socio-economic challenges in the Asia Pacific during the Third Regional Seminar for the Asia-Pacific Region Parliaments on chieving the Sustainable Development Goals on 13 to 14 September 2022 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The seminar focused on the theme of Parliaments and the Pandemic: SDGs in the time of COVID-19, and provided a space for inter-parliamentary dialogue and sharing of best practices to support the chievement of the SDGs in the region despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and other crises including climate change.

The seminar provided a good opportunity for UNPOG to promote the Curriculum on Governance and the Principles of Effective Governance; and also showcased how the Office could support the work of the public sector for the implementation of the SDGs. To read more about the Seminar, click here.

6th Edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes

UNPOG/DPIDG/UN DESA delivered three presentations on i) Curriculum on Governance for the SDGs, ii) Multi-stakeholder Partnerships for Implementing and Localising the SDGs, and iii) Effective National to Local Public Governance for SDG Implementation during the 6th Edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes in Agadir, Morocco on 28 November to 3 December 2022.

The Forum was organised by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), through its African Local Government Academy (ALGA), and in partnership with the General Directorate of Territorial Collectivities (DGCT) of the Ministry of Interior of Morocco and other partners; and provided a good platform to present, discuss, and explore answers to various issues related to the challenges of training and capacity building of local elected officials and staff of local and regional governments in Africa. To read more about the Forum, click here.

Workshop on Youth Engagement in Institution Building and Public Services Delivery for Sustainable Development After the Pandemic

UNPOG/DPIDG delivered a session and led group activities and plenary discussions on Youth Actions for Climate Change and Risk Management during the Workshop on Youth Engagement in Institution Building and Public Services Delivery for Sustainable Development After the Pandemic in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on 7 to 9 December 2022.

The Workshop was organised by DPIDG/UN DESA, in collaboration with the Ministry for Youth Professional Insertion and Civic Engagement, the National Youth Council, UNDP, and UNFPA in Côte d'Ivoire to build the capacity of the participating youth in the fundamental concepts of disaster risk reduction and enable them as agents of change to play an informed and positive role in their communities through advocacy and knowledge sharing. To learn more about the Workshop, click here.

UNPOG has actively contributed to advancing the SDGs through various fora, workshops, and events. The Office presented key findings and lessons learnt on innovative governance, digital data governance, UN E-Government 2022, climate action, youth engagement, and the Curriculum on Governance for Sustainable Development Goals to help the capacity development of public institutions and its beneficiaries. To find more networking activities, click on the links below:

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

UNPOG's calendar for 2023 is currently being updated. To stay informed and keep up to date on the Office's activities, visit here.

The UNPOG Public Governance Quarterly