2018 United Nations Public Service Awards


The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) is pleased to announce that the United Nations has begun to accept nominations for the 2018 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA). The UNPSA promotes and rewards innovation and excellence in public services in support of the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principle of leaving no one behind, which form the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2018, nominations for the Awards are invited in three categories:
  1. Reaching the poorest and most vulnerable through inclusive services and partnerships;
  2. Making institutions inclusive and ensuring participation in decisionmaking; and
  3. Promoting gender responsive public services to achieve the SDGs.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is collaborating notably with UN-WOMEN in organizing the awards, highlighting the important role of gender responsive public services in achieving the SDGs.

The Awards will be handed out on June 23, 2018, during the United Nations Public Service Forum, which will be held in Marrakech, Morocco. June 23 also happens to be the United Nations' Public Service Day and aims to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”.

The Awards are 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. The nominations for the Award shall present innovative initiatives that contribute to improved public service delivery and may inspire similar initiatives around the world.

How to Apply

The nomination form can be accessed online via the UNPSA portal at: https://publicadministration.un.org/en/UNPSA. Submission rules and the online application form are available in the six official languages of the United Nations. However, we encourage all nominating organizations to provide voluntary translations of their nominations in one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, which are English and French.

The deadline for nominations is Feb. 7, 2018. Should you need any additional information regarding the nomination process, kindly contact DPADM/DESA at [email protected].