UNDESA-APRM VNR Lab: Promoting Competency of Civil Service for the Future of Governance in the Global South
23 July 2025
UNHQ - Room S1522/23
9:00-10:00 AM (NY time)
Introduction
Civil Service is paramount for accelerating Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and continental development initiatives including Agenda 2063. Throughout the past five years, the African Union and UN DESA have collaborated on various initiatives to accelerate civil service reforms guided by the Principles of Effective Governance for Sustainable Development, endorsed by UN Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC) to assist countries in implementing institutional elements of SDG 16: effective and efficient institutions and peaceful societies. It is equally emphasised in moonshot 3 of Agenda 2063 which aims to aims to make public institutions more responsive, accountable, and efficient. This includes strengthening state capacity, ensuring transparent laws and rules, and building public trust.
Competency of Civil Service remains vital for the civil service reforms and delivery in developing and least development countries (LDC/DCs). The UNDESA, through the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), developed the UN competency framework around Goal 16 which can also be utilised at continental/national- specific content. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in in collaboration with the African Association for Public Administration (AAPAM-Kenya) leveraged on their collaboration to initiate a Toolkit which assess the Training and Leadership needs of African Civil Servants. The Toolkit was developed as a recommendation of the APRM Baseline Study on the Implementation of Principles of Effective Governance of SDGs and Agenda 2063 in Africa. The study identified gaps including competencies of civil service which shall be prioritised because of COVID-19 and other persistent need for capacity building of human capital.
Objectives of the APRM- UNDESA Lab
This VNR Lab, therefore, aims to highlight efforts undertaken by different institutions to promote competency of Civil Service at the global and continental stage. It seeks to also unpack the results of the AAPAM-APRM Toolkit on Competencies for Civil Service and how horizontal partnerships can be forged to sustain the AU-UN collaboration for efficient and effective institutional resilience in the continent. Experience sharing between countries from the global south will be also disclosed in the session including African and Caribbean countries.
Organizers: UN DESA-DIPDG, APRM Continental Secretariat, UNDP, AAPAM
Expected audience:
- African Ministers, Senior Experts of national Development Planning
- Representatives of VNR Countries at the HLPF 2025
- UN Agencies, African Union
- APRM Strategic partners
- African youth, women, civil society and major groups.
Provisional Agenda (speakers tbc)
Moderation: Mr. Christian Claassen, UN Office of Special Advisor for Africa (UNOSAA)
- Opening Remarks: Mr. Juwang Zhu, Director, UN DESA
- George Scott, Secretary General, African Association for Public Administration (AAPAM), Kenya
- Adriana Alberti, Chief, Capacity Development Unit, Public Institutions and Digital Government,
- sara Hamouda, Continental Governance Officer, APRM Continental Secretariat
Countries Expériences: Djibouti (VLR), Namibia, Ghana, EU/Caribbean countries.
key takeaways: UNECA, Ms. Lusunga Kayani, UNECA
Contact Persons:
- Sara Hamouda, Senior Continental Governance Officer, APRM Continental Secretariat. sara.hamouda@aprm-au.org
- Bernadette Yiga, Agenda 2063 Researcher
Register in advance:
