The 2012 United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) has seen an unprecedented number of 471 nominations, marking a 58% increase in comparison to 2011 and over 100% growth since 2010

The United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide. Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.

The 2012 UNPSA has seen a record number of nominations. Member State participation has also increased from 57 in 2011 to 73, including 16 countries partaking for the first time, almost doubling Member State involvement which was 39 in 2008.

The 2012 UNPSA programme has been accepting nominations from 15 September to 31 December 2011 and are now going through the first amongst a series of evaluations which will culminate in the final evaluation to be done by the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) in April 2012.

The increase in the number of nominations can largely be attributed to the intensive and innovative communication and outreach strategy employed by the UNPSA team which has engaged the Permanent Missions to the UN through three briefing sessions and continuous open communication, prepared material for the delegates, who attended the 66th Session of the General Assembly, and collaborated with multiple partners at regional and national levels to sensitize public institutions in their regions.

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UN Public Service Awards