The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has issued the 2023 edition of its World Public Sector Report, which examines the institutional and governance innovations and changes spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic at country level and the role these can play in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the remaining seven years.

Themed, ‘Transforming Institutions to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals after the Pandemic,’ World Public Sector Report 2023 poses three questions:

• How can governments strengthen public trust and their relationships with society?
• How can governments assess competing priorities and address policy trade-offs that have emerged since 2020?
• What assets and innovations can governments mobilize to transform the public sector and achieve the SDGs?

The report notes that the COVID-19 pandemic “exposed the fragility of social contracts” and exacerbated trends affecting the relationship between people and governments, including the polarization of public opinions, misinformation and disinformation, increased inequalities, the digital divide, and decreasing opportunities for participation. At the same time, the pandemic triggered innovation in government institutions and public administration, which, the report argues, could become a powerful enabler of transformative action to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

Among other recommendations, the report calls for making public administration more inclusive, better navigating the trade-offs that arise in SDG implementation, incorporating risk management in the regular processes of public administration, and fostering innovation in public administration.

“Scaling up and expanding successful innovations is essential to achieve the transformation that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires,” writes UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua in a foreword.

“Governments need to embrace innovation and ensure that public institutions are well positioned to pursue the timely realization of the 2030 Agenda for people, planet, and prosperity,” said DESA’s Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Navid Hanif during the report’s launch.

SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) underscores the importance of effective governance for sustainable development.

The report was released on 9 November 2023, two months after the SDG Summit revealed that the world is severely off track to achieve the SDGs. Addressing weaknesses in critical functions of governments and inequalities in access to basic public services are among the priorities reflected in the UN Secretary-General’s report, ‘Our Common Agenda.’ [Publication: World Public Sector Report 2023: Transforming Institutions to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals after the Pandemic] [Publication Landing Page] [DESA News Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on World Public Sector Report 2021]