Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on Its 21st Session

E/RES/2022/9View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Economic and Social Council, under agenda item 18fPublic administration and development, published in 2022.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2022–2024

This is an older version — the most recent is E/RES/2024/16

2024E/RES/2024/16Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its 23rd sessionLatestCompare with previous version
2023E/RES/2023/28Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its 22nd sessionCompare with previous version
2022E/RES/2022/9Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its 21st session

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1 entity

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What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Covid-19 Development Policy Governance Public Administration Sustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

22 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its twenty-first session, and expresses its appreciation for the work done by the Committee on transforming institutions and governance to build forward better towards 2030 in accordance with the 2022 theme of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development;

Invites the Committee to continue to place the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the centre of its work and to continue to advise the Council on how public administrations can support the implementation and progress reviews of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Welcomes the contribution of the Committee to the high-level political forum, and reaffirms that the principle of leaving no one behind should be a core principle of public administration;

Transforming institutions and governance to build forward better towards 2030

Recognizes the relevance of whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to sustainable development and leaving no one behind, and encourages Governments to work together in the interest of all countries to strengthen public institutions, enhance their social, physical and technological infrastructure and make their economies more resilient and agile, in order to protect against the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to be better prepared to manage potential economic, social and environmental shocks in the future;

Also recognizes that achieving sustainable development and strengthening resilience require a long-term perspective in public policymaking, together with institution-building at all levels, based on effective governance for sustainable development, as well as a steadfast commitment to promoting peaceful, just and inclusive societies;

Further recognizes that building forward better from the pandemic, while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda, calls, inter alia, for political will, a change of mindsets, transformational leadership, the sound management of public resources, respect for privacy and security of personal data, and the preservation of human dignity;

Notes with concern that the fragmentation of responsibility for combating climate change and for the sustainable management, protection and restoration of natural resources can be a major institutional barrier to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14 and 15, and encourages Governments to prioritize the establishment and strengthening of mechanisms for policy coherence to this end, inter alia, through the promotion of ecosystem management and territorial development approaches within and across administrative boundaries;

Also notes with concern that there is an insufficient appreciation of the value of the environment in many countries, and urges Governments to build the capacity of the public sector in natural capital accounting based on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, as well as strengthen the accountability of public institutions with regard to environmental protection by including an assessment of the state of natural resources under their jurisdiction as part of regular performance assessments;

Reaffirms the need for pragmatic ongoing improvements in national and subnational governance capabilities to achieve the 2030 Agenda and other international agreements, and encourages Governments at all levels to apply the principles of effective governance for sustainable development, endorsed by the Council in its resolution 2018/12 of 2 July 2018, to all public institutions and in support of the implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals, taking into account different governance structures, national and subnational realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities;

Encourages the Committee to continue to identify and review related technical guidelines and experiences to operationalize the principles at the national and subnational levels, including from sectoral perspectives, and to further engage the relevant United Nations organizations, regional organizations and professional and academic communities in this regard, in an inclusive manner, together with all relevant stakeholders;

Encourages Governments, especially in view of stronger budget pressures, to accelerate action to increase transparency and equal participation in and oversight of the budgeting process, establish transparent public procurement frameworks as a strategic tool to reinforce sustainable development and curb corrupt practices, and to embed commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals in budgetary and financial processes at the national and subnational levels by adopting practices to monitor and report on the use of public financial resources in support of the Goals, such as reorganizing budgets, based on programmes and activities, and mapping and tracking budgetary contributions to each Goal;

Recognizes that building resilient institutions calls for more creative, flexible and integrated ways of working that are focused on the needs of people, as well as an adequate stock of competencies, capabilities and resources, and encourages Governments to further promote professionalization of the public sector workforce, invest in digital skills, update competency frameworks for implementation of the 2030 Agenda, address inequalities that exist within the public sector workforce, and take steps to address social inequities in the design and delivery of public services;

Welcomes the continuing work of the Committee on building strong institutions for sustainable development in fragile and conflict-affected countries, notes that peacebuilding and sustaining peace depend on long-term engagement in institution-building involving all stakeholders that is consistent with local norms and political realities, and looks forward to the Committee’s further engagement in promoting effective governance for sustainable development in such situations and its contribution to the work of the Peacebuilding Commission;

Underlines that the COVID-19 pandemic has both accelerated the digital transition and revealed technological weaknesses of public administrations, reiterates that the impact of the pandemic exacerbates inequalities caused by digital divides, and encourages Governments to manage digitalization of public services in an inclusive, fair, ethical and people-centred manner, while accelerating efforts to bridge digital divides, inter alia, through hybrid models of public service delivery;

Encourages oversight agencies to strengthen the use of open data and artificial intelligence to detect and deter corruption and bribery in all their forms;

Calls for increased efforts to support national and international peer exchanges and peer learning on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including through cooperation with existing international networks;

Notes the increasing demands for assistance with operationalization of the principles of effective governance for sustainable development and the Committee’s emphasis on the need to strengthen the secretariat of the Committee to enable it to respond effectively;

Follow-up

Requests the Committee, at its twenty-second session, to be held from 27 to 31 March 2023, to examine and make recommendations on the theme of the 2023 session of the Council and the 2023 high-level political forum and to contribute to the review of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16, giving particular attention to the cross-cutting nature of all the Goals;

Invites the Committee to continue to advise on approaches and practices related to the institutions, policies and arrangements to promote the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, bearing in mind that the specific contexts and situations of countries differ widely, as well as to advise on making institutions effective, accountable and inclusive;

Requests the Secretary-General to take the present resolution fully into account in the work of the Organization, inter alia, in addressing gaps in research and analysis and in responding to the capacity development needs of Member States for building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels in pursuit of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to promote and support innovation and excellence in public services for sustainable development through the United Nations Public Service Awards;

Further requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of and follow-up to the present resolution through the established working methods of the Committee.

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