UN FORUM Korea leads global public service innovation
June 23 is recognized as Public Service Day by the United Nations.
Lee Sang-min, minister of the interior and safety / Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety
To commemorate the day, the U.N. has been holding the United Nations Public Service Forum every year since 2003. The forum, the most prestigious international event in the field of public service where global leaders get together, will take place in Songdo, Incheon, for three days from June 24 to 26. About 2,000 people, including high-ranking officials from more than 100 countries, will take part in the forum.
The theme of the 2024 United Nations Public Service Forum will be “Fostering Innovation Amid Global Challenges: A Public Sector Perspective.”
The world is facing an era of unprecedented hyper-uncertainty and complex crises. Difficult tasks such as disaster risks caused by extreme climate events like scorching heat, heavy rain, cold waves as well as escalating international disputes and trade conflicts, lie ahead. Expectations and anxiety coexist regarding the drastic changes the progress of new technologies such as artificial intelligence will bring.
Nothing is more important than the role of public service in solving the new problems facing humanity and creating a sustainable future.
The United Nations Public Service Forum contributes to helping the world move in a better direction by sharing each country’s experience and know-how in overcoming crises through ceaseless innovation, strengthening cooperation and solidarity in the international community. The U.N.’s selection of Korea as the venue for the first face-to-face forum after COVID-19 is a testament to the international community’s expectations of Korea’s high international status and leading role.
Korea’s public service innovation is recognized worldwide.
Korea has topped the OECD Digital Government Index two consecutive times and ranked first in public data evaluation four consecutive times. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is operating digital government cooperation centers in eight countries, including Serbia and Tunisia, to help their digital innovation in the public sector and actively supporting government innovation and digital capacity building in developing countries in cooperation with the U.N. and other international organizations.
Also, there have been growing requests to dispatch a "pan-government public service cooperation team" that makes it possible to share Korea’s public service innovation cases with foreign governments.
In March this year, the team visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Italy to introduce Korea’s digital platform government and broaden export routes for Korean companies. The United Kingdom and Korea are the only countries to have chaired Digital Nations, a gathering of leading countries in digital government, more than twice.
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration is in the process of completing a digital platform government where artificial intelligence and data are utilized to accurately identify policy demands and public and private sectors provide customized and preemptive administrative services together.
This forum is intended to share the vision for a digital platform government with many countries and explore future development plans. The vision and best examples to be presented by innovative leaders from around the world will serve as nourishment for our public service to leap forward. I sincerely hope that it gains the public’s interest and that they participate in the 2024 United Nations Public Service Forum, a venue for sharing and solidarity for the future of public service around the world.
Lee Sang-min is the minister of the interior and safety.