The celebration was held under the theme "Building back better from COVID-19: Enhancing innovative partnerships to meet the Sustainable Development Goals", and honoured the 2022 UN Public Service Award Winners.

The opening session witnessed the participation of Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary General, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and was moderated by Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Special Advisor at the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Ohood Al Roumi emphasised the critical role of millions of public servants around the world and stated, "We, in the UAE, recognise the selfless individuals who serve with pride, and who are the lifeline of our communities."

The Minister of State for Governmental Development and the Future added that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has developed a pioneering model to reshape public service and make it more proactive, resilient and future ready.

Al Roumi noted that the UAE is modernising civil service to be more responsive to the needs of society, more effective, and innovative, while adopting new working models and focusing on reskilling and upskilling of public servants, and empowering them with life-long learning.

She emphasised that the UAE believes in the importance of building global partnerships, which is reflected in its keenness to share experience and best practices with other countries through its Government Experience Exchange Programme, a knowledge-sharing platform for government development and modernisation. Under the umbrella of the programme, the UAE developed partnerships with 18 countries across five continents, including Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Senegal, Costa Rica, Greece, Colombia, Serbia, Seychelles, Maldives, Guyana, among others.

Over the past decade, the UAE has provided a global platform for decision-makers, experts, specialists and pioneers of the private sectors around the world through the annual World Government Summit, which aims to strengthen partnerships for building the next generation of future governments, the Minister added.

She stressed that the global challenges we face today require new thinking and global collaboration.

Al Roumi congratulated the winners of the 2022 UN Public Service Awards, and commended the pivotal role of the United Nations in strengthening global cooperation and meaningful partnerships in order to improve peoples’ lives.

The Celebration hosted a panel discussion on the latest developments in public service around the world. The panel brought together Philip McGrath, Head of Public Service Reform in the Government of Ireland, Nvina Manich, Adviser to the Prime Minister for Public Administration, Reform and e-Government in the Republic of Serbia, Rohi Malik Lowe, Mayor of Banjul in the Republic of The Gambia, and Maziko Matimvu, Deputy Head of the Department of Youth and Adults at the Partnership Initiative for Reproductive and Child Health in the Republic of Malawi.

This year, the United Nations Public Service Day is celebrated under the theme "Building back better from COVID-19: Enhancing innovative partnerships to meet the Sustainable Development Goals".

It focuses on the role of public institutions and public servants in building back better from COVID-19 as they work to meet the 2030 deadline for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The General Assembly, by its resolution A/RES/57/277, designated 23 June as the United Nations Public Service Day to celebrate the value and virtue of service to the community and highlight the contribution of public service in the development process.

Since its launch in 2003, the UN Public Service Awards has been rewarding the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.