Dubai: In celebration of UN Public Service Day, the Dubai Police General Command has issued a statement reaffirming its support and solidarity for all public servants, who selflessly serve communities and significantly contribute to the rise of nations. 

In the statement, His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, the Commander-in-chief of Dubai Police, said the force is proud to mark this noble day for it celebrates the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlights the contribution of public service in the development process; recognizes the work of public servants, and encourages young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

“From frontline healthcare workers and public health officials to police officers, sanitation workers, social welfare officers and many more, public servants have been playing a critical role in everyday life, and in particular during times of severe crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” Al Marri said. 

The commander-in-chief of Dubai Police further lauded the world’s frontline heroes who turned the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity for devising strategies for strengthening the resilience, effectiveness and responsiveness of the public service and the services they deliver, to be better prepared in the future.

It is worth noting that on 20 December 2002, the UN General Assembly designated 23 June as Public Service Day by adopting resolution 57/277.

To bolster recognition of the Day and the value of public service, the United Nations established the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) programme in 2003, which was reviewed in 2016 to align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UNPSA aims to promote and reward innovation and excellence in public services by recognizing the creative achievements and contributions of public institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide in support of sustainable development.

To celebrate the 2021 United Nations Public Service Day, the Division of Public Institutions and Digital Government of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the government of the United Arab Emirates will host a 1.5-hour virtual event on the 23 June under the theme of “Innovating the Future Public Service: New Government Models for a New Era to Reach the SDGs”. The event will bring together key stakeholders, public servants and UN officials to honor the work of public servants.

The event will highlight and discuss the increasingly centric role that innovation and technology play in the delivery of public services and in doing so, examine how to better prepare the future public service for a new era, so as to reach the 2030 sustainable development goals. It will examine the various approaches countries are taking to equip public servants with the skills necessary to be effective, responsive and relevant in the digital age. It will also highlight lessons learned from the past year, as many countries and public servants have been thrust into the digital era, quickly adopting, innovating and using online mechanisms to continue their work during the pandemic.