|
Bilateral Meetings / In-House Seminars
|
| Meeting with Puerto Rican Delegation - 27 March 2013 |
| On 27 March 2013, Ms. Elia Yi Armstrong, Officer-in-Charge in DPADM, and Ms. Almaz Atnafu, Officer-in-Charge in PACB/DPADM, met with Dr. Eneida Torres de Durand, Executive Director of Center for Public and Corporate Governance at Universidad del Turabo of Puerto Rico. The Center's mission is “to promote research opportunities and the sharing of knowledge and best practices on good governance, visionary leadership, transparency, accountability and anticorruption practices”. The Center asserts that the lack of transparency and accountability distorts the capability of citizens to fully assess the performance of the political leadership and government program outcomes. Transparency and accountability reforms are crucial to challenging those political, legislative and public administration processes that are driven by lobbyist and financial resources and not by public benefit outcomes. During the meeting those present explored collaboration possibilities on research and capacity development initiatives. Dr. Durad stated that they will consult with their Advisory Board about various options. |
Ms. Elia Yi Armstrong, Officer-in-Charge in DPADM, and Ms. Almaz Atnafu, Officer-in-Charge in PACB/DPADM, met with Dr. Eneida Torres de Durand, Executive Director of Center for Public and Corporate Governance at Universidad del Turabo of Puerto Rico
|
|
| In-House Seminar on 10 Years of Benchmarking e-Government in Europe - 6 March 2013 |
On 6 March 2013 at United Nations Headquarters, DPADM's e-Government Branch organized an in-house seminar on the European Commission's e-Government Benchmarking with the participation of Dinand Tinholt, Vice-President and Global Account Director of the European Union at Capgemini. Mr. Tinholt presented on "10 Years of Benchmarking e-Government in Europe - Lessons learned and future developments."
The European Union's e-Government Benchmark, which has been carried out for the 10th time by Capgemini on behalf of the EU, annually monitors the state of play of e-government in Europe, and is internationally recognized and validated by all 32 countries (the European Union’s 27 Member States as well as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Croatia and Turkey) involved in the assessment process. The presenter shared some insights on the overall approach and focused on the outcomes of the recent 2012 e-Government Benchmark report, which is aligned with the four political priorities of the current e-Government Action Plan of the European Union, i.e. User Empowerment; Digital Single Market; Efficiency and Effectiveness; and ICT Pre-conditions and Key Enablers. The seminar was very valuable as it offered an opportunity to learn and share insights from the European experience and best practices, as well as to provide information about the UN e-Government Survey. Following the seminar, Mr. Vincenzo Aquaro, DPADM's Officer in Charge, and colleagues met with Mr. Tinholt to discuss further avenues of collaboration, including participation in upcoming DPADM events and networking opportunities to further exchange knowledge.
For more photos, please click here.
To view the PowerPoint presentation, please click here. |
Mr. Dinand Tinholt, Vice President of Global E.U., Capgemini and Ms. Wendy Carrara, Managing Consultant - Senior E.U. Policy Advisor, Capgemini presents to Mr. Vincenzo Aquaro, OIC, DPADM and DPADM Staff |
|
| In-House Seminar on e-Government and Open Government Data in Japan - 15 February 2013 |
On 15 February 2013, DPADM held an in-house seminar on e-government in Japan with presentation by Mr. Kenji Hiramoto, Executive Advisor for CIO of Japan, Mr. Takashi Wada and Mr. Shuichi Tashiro from Information-Technology Promotion Agency of Japan. They shared with DPADM staff on the evolving development and strategy of e-government and open government data in Japan, as well as some of their best practices and challenges.
For more photos, please click here.
To view the PowerPoint presentation, please click here.
|
Mr. Kenji Hiramoto, Executive Advisor for CIO of Japan, Mr. Takashi Wada and Mr. Shuichi Tashiro from Information-Technology Promotion Agency of Japan presented to DPADM staff
|
|
| In-House Seminar with Professor Richard Pomfret - 11 January 2013 |
On 11 January 2013 DPADM held an in-house seminar presented by Professor Richard Pomfret award winning author and distinguished economist from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Professor Pomfret discussed issues raised in his recent book ‘The Age of Equality’ and argued that the State’s role now also includes promotion of equality of opportunity and outcome.
For more photos, please click here.
To view the powerpoint presentation please click here.
|
Professor Richard Pomfret, University of Adelaide, Australia |
|
| Meeting with Chinese Delegation - 13 December 2012 |
| On 13 December 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from China comprised of Mr. Xu Yuwei, Deputy Director, Beijing Municipal Archives Bureau, Mr. Zhao Xiaolu, Chairman of Board of Supervisors, Beijing NGO Association for International Exchanges, and Ms. Jin Pu, Deputy Division Chief, Beijing NGO Association for International Exchanges. During their meeting the delegation and Ms. Qian discussed how to apply for the ECOSOC Economic Consultative Status. Ms. Qian also recommend them to further discuss it with the NGO Section of the OECS of DESA |
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from China |
|
| Meeting with Korean Delegation - 6 December 2012 |
Ms. Haiyan Qian met with Ms. Lee, Bong-hwa, President of the Korea Health and Welfare Information Service and her delegation on 6 December 2012. Ms. Lee shared one of the most important initiatives of the Republic of Korea which is the establishment of the National Health and Welfare System. Ms. Qian expressed her appreciation for this initiative and encouraged them to apply for the United Nations Public Service Awards.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with Ms. Lee, Bong-hwa, President of the Korea Health and Welfare Information Service and her delegation
|
|
| Bahrain to Host the United Nations Public Service Day, Awards and Forum 2013 - 4 December 2013 |
DPADM/DESA and the Kingdom of Bahrain, through the eGovernment Authority (eGA) agreed to have the Kingdom host the 2013 United Nations Public Service Day, Awards and Forum in Manama from 24 to 27 June 2013. The agreement was reached at a meeting held on 4 December 2012 between Ms. Qian and Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, CEO, eGA. The event will commemorate the 11th Anniversary of the Awards and will mark the first time that they are being held in the Middle East. The United Nations is currently receiving nominations for the United Nations Public Service Awards. The awards seek to reward the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through the annual competition, the awards promote the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM and her team met Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, CEO, eGA, Bahrain and his delegation.
|
|
| Meeting with the President of Azerbaijan - 5 November 2012 |
On 5 November 2012, DESA's USG, Mr. Wu and DPADM Director, Ms. Haiyan Qian met with the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, at the margins of the 7th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), organised by DPADM/DESA through the IGF Secretariat at Baku, Azerbaijan, from 6-9 November 2012.
While Mr. Wu thanked the Azerbaijani President for the excellent hosting of the 7th Internet Governance Forum, the Head of State expressed his appreciation and stressed on the significance of the presence of Mr. Wu at the 7th IGF. The President underscored that he strongly promotes the use of ICTs for public service delivery, and he expressed confidence that cooperation between the United Nations and Azerbaijan would continue to develop, including the potential collaboration in the area of e-government development.
|
Mr. Hongbo Wu, DESA Under-Secretary-General and Ms. Haiyan Qian, DPADM Director met Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan.
|
|
| Meeting with Malaysian Delegation - 19 October 2012 |
On 19 October 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from Malaysia comprising Ms. Gayah Gulam Haidar, Head of Public Governance, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), and Ms. Suhaizah Salleh, Manager, Public Governance, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). During the meeting the delegation and Ms. Qian exchanged knowledge on latest trends and best practices in the area of e-government.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from Malaysia comprising Ms. Gayah Gulam Haidar, Head of Public Governance, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), and Ms. Suhaizah Salleh, Manager, Public Governance, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)
|
|
| Meeting with Japanese Delegation followed by Presentation - 16 October 2012 |
On 16 October 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from Japan headed by Mr Koichi Endo, Government Chief Information Officer (CIO), Cabinet Secretariat. The delegation was comprised of the following officials: Mr. Kazuyohsi Onishi, Deputy Director. Government CIO Office; Mr. Nobuhiro Hikichi, Deputy Director, CIO Office; Mr. Masato Yachi, Consul, Consulate General of Japan in New York; and Ms. Reiko Tsukakoshi Farrelly, Interpreter. During their meeting the delegation and Ms. Qian exchanged views and experience in the area of e-government.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from Japan headed by Mr Koichi Endo, Government Chief Information Officer (CIO), Cabinet Sacretariat.
|
|
| Meeting with the Vice-President of the Brazilian Senate and Congress Parliamentary Front - 10 October 2012 |
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with Congressman Mr. Hugo Leal, who came to New York on official mission representing the Brazilian Senate and Congress to request cooperation with DPADM. Mr. Leal discussed the fact that Brazil needs a framework to strengthen public administration in implementing accountability and participation at national and local levels. According to him, having laws is only part of the equation when it comes to using e-Government tools to enhance service delivery and prevent corruption. Often overlooked is the process of institutional change and dialogue that must pave the way and which ultimately enables governments to be responsive to citizens. In order to support this process at national level, the Brazilian Congress and Senate requested UNDESA to participate in the First National Congress on Municipal Administration to be held in December 2012 in Brasilia as well as to to provide institutional support in terms of identifying innovative global practices, tools and methodologies to highlight preventive approaches in improving public management at national and local levels through e-Government development. Ms. Qian agreed to share the concrete experience of the Division in implementing frameworks for innovations for strengthening public administration as well as capacity development to contribute to strengthen local-national dialogue in public affairs.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM and Mr. Jonas Rabinovitch, Senior Inter-Regional Advisor, DPADM met with Mr. Hugo Leal, House of Representatives of Brazil and Mr. Leal Jr.
|
|
| Possible Advisory Services in Togo - 11-17 September 2012 |
A delegation from the Government of Togo consisting of Mr. Palouki Massina, Minister, Secretary General of Government, Mr. M. Tak Youssif Gnongbo, Secretary General of Public Service Ministry and President of Technical Committee of Public Administration Reform, accompanied by Mr. Siaka Coulibally, Country Advisor, Regional Bureau for Africa, UNDP and Mr. M. Souleymane Nasser Niane, Chief Technical Adviser of Public Administration Reform, DESA, met with Haiyan Qian on 11 September, 2012, to understand DPADM/DESA’s work and explore the possibility of embarking on a second phase of the technical development project (ATLAS 00062542).
Haiyan Qian gave them a snapshot of DESA’s work on advocacy, research and analysis, partnership and networking and advisory services. She further appraised them on DPADM’s work in the focus areas of institution building and human resources development, governance in seamless public service delivery and citizen engagement in managing development. Mr. Massina appreciated the comprehensive update and expressed his delegations’ wish to finalise and make a proposal by the end of their week long mission to New York.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM and her team meet with a delegation from the Government of Togo led by Mr. Palouki Massina, Minister, Secretary General of the Government of Togo |
|
| Meeting with the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) - 28 August 2012 |
The African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) pledged to provide substantive input to DPADM/DESA, as a focal point for the African region, for the development of the United Nations Public Administration Country Studies (UNPACS). This pledge was made during a meeting between Dr. Simon Mamosi Lelo, Director-General, CAFRAD and Haiyan Qian, at which Dr. Lelo expressed his organization’s willingness to do more towards the development of UNPACS, which he believes would be very useful to Member States. CAFRAD has been a partner of the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN), which is coordinated by DPADM and has provided committed support towards the advancement of public administration in the region over the last 12 years.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM meets with Dr. Simon Mamosi Lelo, Director-General, CAFRAD
|
|
| In-House Seminar on Open Government Data (OGD) |
On 26 July 2012, DPADM hosted an in-house seminar on Open Government Data (OGD) with Messrs. Andrew Nicklin and Girish Chhugani from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications in charge of the NYC Open Data portal. They presented on how open datasets are used in the City of New York and the highlighted the benefits of open data competitions for residents while indicating some future projects about open data in the city.
NYC Open Data Portal collects public data generated by New York City agencies and makes it available for public use. Most recently, at the 2012 UN Public Service Awards, Open data was cited as having contributed to NYC311, City of New York’s customer service, which was awarded the first place in Category 2: “Improving the Delivery of Public Services”.
|
Mr. Girish Chhugani from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, NYC presents to Ms. Elia Armstrong, OIC, DPADM and DESA Staff.
|
|
| Meeting with Moroccan Minister of Public Service and Modernization of Administration - 10 July 2012 |
On 10 July, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with Mr. Abdeladim El Guerrouj, Moroccan Minister of Public Service and Modernization of Administration. Ms. Qian and Minister Guerrouj discussed the possibility of collaboration between DPADM and the Ministry of Public Administration in light of the Ministry's current reform initiatives. Also discussed was the Ministry's support for the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) which is a valued UNPAN Partner based in Tangier, Morocco.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director DPADM and Mr. Abdeladim El Guerrouj, Moroccan Minister of Public Service and Modernization of Administration. |
|
| Meeting with Costa Rican CIO Representative - 28 June 2012 |
On 28 June 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with Ms. Ileana Palaco Senior Advisor to the Costa Rican Digital Government Secretariat on behalf of Ms. Alicia Avendaño, CIO of Costa Rica. During their meeting Ms. Qian and Ms. Palaco discussed the possibility of future collaboration between DPADM and Costa Rica in the area of e-Government development.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM meets with Ms. Ileana Palaco representing Ms. Alicia Avendaño, CIO of Costa Rica.
|
|
| Meeting with CIO of Bahrain - 28 June 2012 |
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a Delegation from Bahrain led by Mr. Mohamed Ali Al-Qaed, CEO/CIO of the e-Government Authority, Bahrain. During their meeting they exchanged views on e-Government Development in Bahrain and Mr. Al-Qued provided positive feedback on and suggestions for the UN E-Government Survey.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM and her team meet with Mr. Mohamed Ali Al-Qaed, CEO/CIO of the e-Government Authority, Bahrain and his delegation.
|
|
| Meeting with Singapore Delegation - 28 June 2012 |
On 28 June 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with a delegation from Singapore headed by Ms. Karen Tan of Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. During their meeting the delegation and Ms. Qian exchanged views on Citizens Engagement in Public Service delivery and policy making.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM meets with Ms. Karen Tan, Director, Public Communications Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore and her delegation.
|
|
| Meeting with DPADM Interns - 6 June 2012 |
On Wednesday 6 June, Ms Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM personally welcomed
13 interns to the Division and gave them an overview of the work of the
Division with reference to its mandates and the UN’s organizational
structure. The current group of interns represent many of the Member
States and bring with them diverse educational backgrounds and
professional skills but they were united in their enthusiasm and
interest in the mission of the Division. Ms. Qian thanked the interns
for their commitment and future contribution to the Division.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian and Chiefs meet with DPADM Interns
|
|
| Bilateral Meeting with Dr. Frank Jiang, President of Shanghai Zhongqiao College, China - 1 June 2012 |
| On Friday 1 June 2012, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with the President of Shanghai Zhongqiao College, Dr. Frank Jiang; Associate Professor, Xu Su of the Centre for Educational Leadership, Shanghai Normal University; and Associate Professor Yi Gong, Director, Institutional Assessment, Keene State College NH, at their request to explore possible areas of collaboration. Dr. Jiang expressed appreciation for both the substantive and technical work of UNPAN. He explained that his college would be interested in providing training to government officials from developing countries on how to use ICT to empower governments to improve their work and services. |
Ms. Haiyan Qian meets with Dr. Frank Jiang, President of Shanghai Zhongqiao College, Prof. Xu Su and Prof. Yi Gong
|
|
| In-house Seminar on Modernizing Bureaucracy presented by Professor Prahlad K. Basu - 29 May 2012 |
On 29 May 2012, DPADM hosted an in-house seminar with Professor Prahlad K. Basu on the subject of “Modernizing Bureaucracy in Developed & Developing Countries.” Professor Basu shared his views on the evolution and current state of a few successful models of public service bureaucracies. He presented the cases of the USA, UK, France and Japan, and highlighted the bottlenecks of improving public service delivery in India. Among the key factors that contribute to efficient bureaucracies, according to Professor Basu, are: (1) the existence of public administration schools and training of professional civil servants, (2) performance targets for public services and linking these targets to promotion/demotion of civil servants, (3) merit-based hiring, and (4) replacing permanent contracts of public servants with 4-5 years renewable contracts. These factors help in creating a culture of excellence, integrity and professionalism that prevent corruption in the public service. Professor Basu argued that the bottom line of all modernization efforts should be to replace privilege by performance, hierarchy by participation, procedures by achieving results, and regulations by development and better governance, including e-governance.
Click to view Prof. Basu's short bio and presentation. |
Prof. Basu making his presentation. |
|
| A Group from South Africa Visits DPADM - 25 May 2012 |
| On May 25, 2012, DPADM hosted a group of visitors from South Africa comprised of public officials from government agencies, faculty and students of several universities. DPADM’s Director, Ms. Haiyan Qian, welcomed the visitors with an introduction into the United Nations system and structure, as well as DESA and DPADM’s work areas. Further, Ms. Qian briefed the group in detail about the Division's activities and projects based on its organizational structure. Inspired by Ms. Qian’s talk, the audience showed interest in Division’s activities and engaged in a very lively discussion on e-government, peace building and the focus of the UN in general. The visitors asked questions on conflict resolution issues, employment at the organization, and the decision making process in the UN system. The group appreciated the time of Ms. Haiyan Qian and thanked the Division for holding the briefing session. |
Ms. Haiyan Qian, DPADM's Director in a group picture with the visitors. |
|
| In-House Seminar on Open Budget Index, presented by Mr. Vivek Ramkumar, Manager at the International Budget Project - 24 May 2012 |
| On May 24, 2012, DPADM hosted an in-house seminar on the Open Budget Index (OBI) with Mr. Vivek Ramkumar, Manager at the Open Budget Index at the International Budget Project. The Open Budget Index (OBI) introduced in 2006 as an outcome of Open Budget Survey (OBS) on the transparency and public availability of budget information. The Survey is undertaken in close cooperation with the global network of civil society organizations whose work is focused on fiscal transparency and participatory budgeting. Mr. Ramkumar provided an overview on the role of civil society in public finance and participatory budgeting, shared the methodology and results of the open budget index, and answered questions from the DPADM staff. |
Mr. Vivek Ramkumar, Manager at the Open Budget Index at the International Budget Project presents the findings of the survey. |
|
| In-house Seminar on the e-Gov Development in Singapore, Presented by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) - 27 April 2012 |
On 27 April, 2012, the Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) of Singapore and his delegation of the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) visited the DPADM and gave a presentation on Singapore’s e-government and e-governance strategy for the development. The presentation highlighted Singapore’s new coordination structure among government agencies in order to promote the whole of government approach and the citizen centric service delivery. In addition, it was highlighted how government engages other stakeholders including private sector, civil society and citizens at large for better coordination for the seamless services to meet citizen’s needs most effectively. Singapore ranked 10th in e-government development index of the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012, and 2nd in e-participation index.
Click here to view presentation.
|
Chief Information Office (GCIO) of Singapore and his delegation present on Singapore’s e-government and e-governance strategy for
the development
|
|
| In-house Seminar on the Economic Democracy Index - 24 April 2012 |
| On April 24, DPADM hosted an In-house Seminar on the Economist Democracy Index methodology with Mr. Robert Wood, Senior Editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Mr. Wood presented the main features of the methodologies used by the EIU team for assessing and rating country risks and economic forecasts. He also explained how the political factors are taken into consideration on country analysis. The participants from the Division and other UN agencies asked questions and exchanged ideas with the speaker. Ms. Haiyan Qian welcomed and thanked Mr. Wood for providing detailed information on their research methodology. Mr. Wood expressed his intentions to further collaborate with the Division’s work on public governance and also invited the EIU’s team to consider e-government aspects in EIU’s future analysis in regards to participatory governance and transparency. |
Mr. Robert Wood, Senior Editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) presents to Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director DPADM |
|
| Collaboration Between DPADM and the New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service - 23 April 2012 |
DPADM collaborated with the New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service research project on citizen engagement of the oversight work of parliaments of Ghana, India and South Africa. The research aims to explore how committees of parliament utilize formal mechanisms of civil engagement to monitor public service delivery and strengthen accountability on public spending. Three teams of graduate students conducted field research in these countries in January 2012, and they shared their findings with the Division.
Research findings common to the three countries are: (i) public engagement often occurs through informal or ad-hoc channels and (ii) although principles of inclusion are enshrined in the countries’ constitutions and laws, citizen engagement is difficult to track in public service oversight mechanisms. The research also highlighted the role of civil society organization in bridging the gap between citizens and government, and how the Public Account Committees of Parliaments have very little interaction with the citizens.
The next steps in the DPADM /Wagner School collaboration include: (i) the publication of a report of the findings and the launch of a new phase of research, (ii) expanded research to include the countries with systems of government other than the Prim Minister-parliament, (iii) expanded the research to include the representative function of parliaments, and focus on specific regions, including the Arab region.
Click here to view presentation.
|
NYU graduate students present the findings of their Public Service research project to Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM and staff.
|
|
| Meeting with Azerbaijan Delegation - 3 April 2012 |
| The Delegation of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan met with Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economics and Social Affairs and Ms. Haiyan Qian and Mr. Vyacheslav Cherkasov from DPADM to discuss the the joint preparation of the 2012 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) that will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from 6 to 9 November 2012, as well as related activities in the area of ICT for development.
Mr. Sha expressed his appreciation to the delegation for the decision to host 2012 IGF and reassured them DESA through DPADM will provide all the necessary administrative and substantive support to the Government to ensure the success of the event and encouraged the Government of Azerbaijan to start working on the Host Country Agreement as soon as possible.
Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, updated Mr. Sha on the Trans-Eurasian Information Superhighway project (TASIM) that is set to further develop the knowledge-base economy and support the Information Society, and to increase connectivity and e-service for the promotion of industrial development and diversification of economy in the countries of Eurasian continent. He welcomed Mr. Sha’s proposal and recommendation that the TASIM project could be presented during the Rio+20 global conference on sustainable development and that the delegation discuss it with the respective governmental and UN offices. The Government of Azerbaijan will then continue its work on the preparation of the 2012 IGF and come back to DESA after the proposal on the TASIM project has been discussed with the relevant national agencies.
|
Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, UNDESA and Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM meet with Azerbaijan Delegation led by Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs |
|
| DPADM Director Lectures at Tsinghua University, China - 27 March 2012 |
| At the request of the School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University, one of the top ranked university in China, Ms Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM/UNDESA, delivered two special lecture sessions organized by the School to graduate students at its School of Public Policy and Management, about the work of the UN in the area of public governance and public administration. The first session was attended by over 30 international graduate students from different regions of the world, and the second session was attended by more than 50 mid-career central and local government officials of China.
For more information about Tsinghua University and the special lecture sessions delivered by Ms. Qian, please click here.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM lectures to students of Tsinghua University, China |
|
| Bilateral meetings with the Chinese Academy of Governance, China - 26 March 2012 |
| During bilateral meetings with the Chinese Academy of Governance (CAG), China, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director. DPADM/UNDESA, met with Mr. Hong Yi, Vice President of CAG and his staff from the Research Center of Leadership Assessment and the e-Government Research Center of CAG. They discussed possible collaboration through establishing an aide-mémoire in the following areas: (i) CAG will contribute statistical data, case studies, and fact sheets to the United Nations Public Administration Country Studies (UNPACS) in the areas of public administration and e-government development in China; (ii) CAG will assist DPADM/DESA in the translation of DPADM’s major publications, including the Un E-Government Surveys, from English into Chinese; and (iii) CAG will provide information about public administration and e-government in China through UNPAN and its partners.
For more information about CAG, please visit here.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM meets with Mr. Hong Yi, Vice President of CAG |
|
| Meeting with Chairman of Department of Public Administration, Osmania University - 18 April 2012 |
On 18 April, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM met with Dr. Y. Pardhasaradhi, Professor and Chairman, Board of Studies, Department of Public Administration, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, Coordinator, DRS (SAGP-I), Adjunct Professor, USETC, China, and Executive Chairperson, International Conference on Public Administration (ICPA 2012); Dr. Ravinder Kaur, Professor and Chairman, Board of Studies, Department of Public Administration, Osmania University; and Mr. D. Paul Sugandhar, Research Assistant, Department of Public Administration, Osmania University. They discussed the possibility of collaboration between DPADM with Osmania University and Dr. Y. Pardhasaradhi invited Ms. Qian to be a presenter at ICPA 2012 to be held in Hyderabad, India from 25 to 27 October 2012.
For more information on Osmania University, please visit here.
|
Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director, DPADM and the delegation from Osmania University, India.
|
|
| In-House Seminar on “Rescuing Policy – the Case for Public Engagement” - 13 March 2012 |
DPADM organized an In-House seminar on “Rescuing Policy - The Case for Public Engagement” on 13 March. During the seminar Mr. Don Lenihan, Vice President of Engagement at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa, Canada, discussed with the staff the findings of his new book Rescuing Policy: the Case for Public Engagement (2012). The findings of Mr. Lenihan’s latest book offer important insights into citizen engagement in managing development, one of the key areas of the Division's work. The issues discussed included the new complex policy environment in which governments can no longer govern alone and growing public expectations on transparency and accountability, and the new societal goals, including the sustainable development and life-long learning. According to Mr. Lenihan these factors make the collaborative model of public engagement the new governance approach that enables governments to function and deliver well in today’s complex world. In the public engagement model all stakeholders, including citizens, should be included in all stages of the policy process (views, deliberation and action). It was agreed during the seminar that Mr. Lenihan’s new book will be made available online at the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN).
|
Mr. Don Lenihan, Vice President of Engagement at the Public Policy Forum
in Ottawa, Canada, discussed with the staff the findings of his new
book.
|
|
| DPADM In-House Seminar in Collaboration with Standard and Poor's (S&P): Importance of Public Governance to Sovereign Ratings - 21 February 2012 |
DPADM hosted an in-house seminar with Ms. Marie Cavanaugh, Managing
Director for Sovereign Ratings at S&P, on 21 February 2012. Ms.
Cavanaugh shared S&P’s methodology for sovereign ratings, which
assesses five key factors of a country’s creditworthiness: (i) Political
Score; (ii) Economic Score; (iii) External Score; (iv) Fiscal Score;
and (v) Monetary Score. Her presentation focused on the importance of
public governance for sovereign ratings which not only impacts a
country’s political score but directly affects indicators related to
financial and economic areas. As explained by Ms. Cavanaugh, S&P’s
work also takes in consideration external sources for analytical
assessments, which in most cases are studies published by the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund. DPADM’s Director, Ms. Haiyan Qian
stressed the role of e-Government development for strengthening
governance in countries, and presented the Division’s flagship
publication “The United Nations e-Government Survey”, which covers all
193 United Nations Member-States. Ms. Cavanaugh agreed in to review the Report for
future S&P’s Sovereign Ratings analysis, in acknowledging the
political, economic and financial findings that measuring e-Government
development can bring.
|
Ms. Cavanaugh makes presentation to Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM and staff
|
|
| Presentation on Electronic Governance for Sustainable Development - 10 January 2012 |
After a presentation made to DPADM staff by Mr. Tomasz Janowski, Senior Research Fellow, United Nations University-International Institute for Software Technology (UNU-IIST) on 10 January 2012, DPADM and UNU-IIST agreed to collaborate in: (i) strengthening the UN E-Government Survey platform by providing DPADM data as a benchmarking resource specifically for policy makers to carry out selection which will enable the creation of an instrument to reflect local conditions and priorities, and (ii) developing a Global Chief Information Officer (CIO) curriculum for the UN Member States based on the joint research of UNDESA/DPADM and UNU-IIST. This presentation introduced the electronic governance for sustainable development (EGOV4SD) concept by systematically mapping the sustainable development (SD) and EGOV domains and presenting examples from around the world on how EGOV is being applied to advance the social, environmental, economic and transitional SD goals. It explained the fundamental challenges in realizing the transition from EGOV to EGOV4SD and proposed an international research, development, and monitoring and education agenda to address such challenges. Haiyan Qian thanked Mr. Janowski for the presentation, noting that the research findings of UNU-IIST were in line with DPADM’s work in the context of the UN E-Government Survey 2012: E-Government for Sustainable Development.
|
Mr. Tomasz Janowski of UNU-IIST makes presentation to DPADM Director Ms. Haiyan Qian and Staff
|
|
| 2011 Jiangsu Senior Government Executives Public Administration Training Program - 23 November 2011 |
On 23 November 2011, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM, was invited to speak on the work of the United Nations Programme on Public Administration, with special focus on e-government development, to a group of senior government official executives from the Jiangsu Province, in China.
At the meeting, Ms.Qian not only introduced the history and current work of the Programme, but also discussed on future government as well as how ICT can improve government operation and service delivery.
The delegation of senior officials from Jiangsu, one of the most developed province in China, found the meeting very useful for their continuous efforts in the improvement of their work in public administration.
The 2011 Jiangsu Senior Government Executives Public Administration Training Program was organized by the following schools: School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, City University of New York; Maxwell School, Syracuse University; School of Business, Fordham University; School of Management, George Mason University; School of Sustainability, Arizona State University; and Institute of Large Scale Innovation. |
Ms. Haiyan Qian speaks to the senior government official executives from Jiangsu, China
|
|
| Republic of Korea Shares with DPADM its Government Initiative - 14 November 2011 |
DPADM's Director, Haiyan Qian, met this Monday, 14 November, with a delegation from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of Korea. During the meeting, the delegation shared with Ms. Qian and representatives of all branches of the Division its initiative on establishing in the country the Integrated National Fiscal Information System, called DBAS - Digital Budget and Accounting System.
The system was launched internally by the President of Republic of Korea in 2004, and it was tested during three years. In 2007, it was opened to the public. The initiative integrated the financial management workflow of all ministries, from local to central government. Through DBAS, the country's Ministry of Strategy and Finance is able to provide daily, monthly and yearly information to the public regarding financial performance, which includes local and national status on revenue, expenditure, national asset, national credit and debt. Information on Integrated Fiscal Balance Report and Government Settlement can also be provided.
This initiative allows the government to evaluate the performance of all ministries, as well as the complaints filed by the citizens. Citizens and members of the government who speak out and help the government to avoid unnecessary expenditures are being rewarded with a percentage of the investment that was saved.
|
The delegation from the Republic of Korea presents the DBAS to DPADM
To read more about the DBAS, please click here.
|
|
| DPADM and SPPM: Collaboration in Key Areas - 11 November 2011 |
On 11 November, Haiyan Qian, Director of DPADM/UNDESA, met with Lan Xue, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM), Tsinghua University.
During the meeting, it was agreed that DPADM and SPPM will collaborate closely in the following: i) to provide scholarships of the Master Programme on Public Administration in International Development (MID) - English Programme) to the United Nations Public Service Awards winners; ii) to invite world-renowned experts on public administration to DPADM’s meetings; iii) to select top quality international students for internship programme in public administration. |
Ms. Haiyan Qian and the delegation of Tsinghua University
|
|
| DPADM and Boston University: Building CIO Capacity - 8 November 2011 |
On 8 November, a delegation from the Boston University School of Management met with DPADM staff to explore further opportunities for collaboration to assist UN Member States in building Chief Information Officer (CIO) capacity. They also gave a presentation on the current trends of the Public Sector CIO.
DPADM has been working closely with Boston University in the area of capacity building for e-government, specifically with reference to CIOs. Through DPADM/DESA, Boston University has implemented four courses for CIOs: two of them in Saudi Arabia, one in Qatar and another one in Brunei Darussalam. These courses were designed to strengthen the knowledge of e-government decision makers on the roles of CIOs, as well as to help them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each country's e-government strategy. |
Mr. N. Venkatraman, Professor of Management of Boston University, during presentation to DPADM staff
To view the presentation, please click here. |
|
| Director Discusses Governance, Transparency and Accountability- 1 November 2011 |
Ms. Haiyan Qian met with a delegation led by Mr. Anders Hjertstrand, Director of International Development Cooperation, Swedish National Audit Office (NAO) in an exploratory mission to explore possible ways of collaborating with DPADM to help combat corruption. Ms. Qian appraised the delegation on the Division’s work highlighting its work in promoting good governance and combating corruption through citizen engagement, e-government, and human resource development and institution building, for which they showed great interest owing to the fact that it related to their mission. She expressed that the Division is ready to collaborate with Swedish NAO to showcase their experiences in building capacities of supreme audit institutions, which she felt would be of great value especially to Member States with less developed supreme audit institutions. They agreed to consider sharing their experiences in building capacities of supreme audit institutions with DPADM for showcasing as part of UNPACS.
|
In Photo: Mr. Peter Rostedt, Mr. Erik Ringborg, Mr. Anders Hjertstrand, and Ms. Haiyan Qian
|
|
| Korean Delegation Agree to Collaborate - 1 November 2011 |
DPADM and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea will collaborate in translating United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) into the
Korean language and also create web content for promotion of United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) for the User Created Content (UCC), the Korean equivalent of YouTube. These were part of the outcomes of a meeting held between Haiyan Qian and a Korean delegation led by Mr. Bon Suk Kong, Information Technology and Statistics Officer Director, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on 1 November 2011. The delegation enquired about the possibility of having the public services provided through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism assessed in the UN e- Government Survey and about UNPSA.
|
In Photo: Ms. Soo Jung Chung, Ms. Christina Rho, Mr. Yong Gi Baik, Mr. Jang Heon Choi, Ms. Haiyan Qian, Mr. Bong Suk Kong, Mr. David Lung'aho and Mr. Hong Gue Park
|
|
| Haiyan Qian Meets with the Serbian Anti-Corruption Agency - 31 October 2011 |
DPADM’s Director, Haiyan Qian hosted the Director of the Republic of
Serbia’s, Anti-Corruption Agency Ms. Zorana Markovic on 21 October 2011.
Ms. Markovi briefed Haiyan Qian about the anti-corruption agency
indicating that it was an autonomous and independent state body
accountable to the national assembly of Serbia. Haiyan Qian, in giving
her overview of the divisional focus areas highlighted possible
collaboration in combating corruption in the areas of e-Procurement,
building codes of conduct for public servants, citizen engagement in
managing development programmes and other areas that DPADM has
experience gained from working together with global institutions and
various governments across the world.
|
In Photo: Ms. Zorana Markovic and Ms. Haiyan Qian |
|
|
|