Data Card - Cohesion policies for a more efficient public service
June 23rd is the United Nations Public Service Day, established in 2002 by General Assembly Resolution A/RES/57/277 with the aim to “celebrate the value and virtue of community service”. The Day objective is to highlight the contribution of public service to the development process, recognize the work of public servants and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.
On the occasion of the UN Public Service Day 2024, OpenCoesione publishes a Data Card to demonstrate how the public administrations in Italy, also with the support of cohesion policy, are a fundamental actors for "promoting innovation among global challenges", which is the dedicated theme of the UN Forum on Public Service 2024, scheduled from 24 to 26 June in the Republic of Korea. In particular, in Italy, enriching and innovating the experience already gained during the 2007-2013 programming period, the 2014-2020 programming period saw the implementation of a national operational program (NOP) dedicated to Governance and Institutional Capacity, financed with ERDF and ESF resources (at this link a Data Card, published in March 2024, dedicated in particular to projects to strengthen the PA in the production of data and in the promotion of transparency and open government), while in the 2021-2027 programming period the same european funds finance the National Capacity for Cohesion Programme. The two programmes NOP Governance 14-20 and NP CapCoe 21-27 supported in 2021 and are supporting in 2024 respectively, a strengthening of the public administrations of the Regions classified as less developed engaged in the implementation of cohesion policies, through the first "Cohesion Public Call for the South" and the related interventions for new human resources dedicated to the local authorities of the territories concerned: the latter was dedicated to the publication of the "Decree approving the definitive lists of personnel needs" at the end of May 2024. Precisely with the aim of encouraging young people to a commitment in the public sector, the staff who will be identified will be largely employed in Municipalities, Unions of Municipalities, Regional Administrations, Provinces and Metropolitan Cities of the Regions of Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Molise, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily.
As the deadline for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaches, the world - explains the concept note presenting the UN Forum on Public Service 2024 - "finds itself addressing increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges. While we are still recovering from the consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the world has become increasingly uncertain and volatile. Numerous political and economic crises, rising inequality, the growing impact of climate change and regional conflicts threaten to derail the hard-won gains in the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Forum also aims to address mistrust towards public administrations, a sort of disillusionment - amplified in many by the management of the Covid-19 emergency - "about the ability of public institutions to effectively provide basic public services".
The event in Korea aims to support the commitment of public administrations to develop the skills necessary to conceive tangible actions to promote innovation and transformation at a local and national level. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss emerging issues and trends and to discuss good practices, strategies, accelerated actions and innovative approaches to improve the delivery of increasingly effective services.