22 June 2018 | Public Administration.
Message from President Danny Faure
on the Occasion of Public Service Day - 23 June 2018
Public Service Innovation is the Key to Sustainable Development
Today, on Public Service Day, we commend those who accept the responsibilities of service to people and who contribute to excellence and innovation in public service institutions. We celebrate their tireless efforts to provide inclusive services that are available to all.
Public service day is also an occasion for public servants to recommit themselves to the cause of citizens and renew their duty to public service and professional excellence.
The Theme for this year’s Public Service Day is “Innovating the Public Service for Sustainable Development.”
For a small country like Seychelles to attain the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which we have committed ourselves as a Member of the United Nations, we must invest in public sector innovation; to find the best solution and to generate systems and processes that can enable us to learn quicker and add value for the people affected by developmental challenges.
The implementation of the SDGs relies heavily on the work of public servants – their leadership, their capacities, and their innovations in the delivery of vital services.
Governments and good governance play a central role in addressing the complex challenges of our times. Whether it is climate change, marine plastics pollution, youth unemployment, health pandemics or poverty eradication, public servants and good governance are often the first line of defense. The public service is a critical component in achieving the sustainable development goals. There is a need to pioneer new approaches, take risks, innovate and ensure that public servants are always able to rise to the challenge. This means training in new skills and building the capacities of the public sector. It means seizing the potential of technological innovations to create more responsive, effective, collaborative and accountable service delivery.
However, the public service alone cannot solve our challenges. There is a need to work harder in partnership with citizens and the civil society to reach success. It is by ensuring civil servants, citizens and the civil society are equals that we will be able to seek and find the best-fit solutions to our developmental challenges.
Modern technology allows endless opportunities for our public servants to meaningfully engage with the citizens they serve. We need to be a more listening and a more proactive public service if we are to satisfy the aspirations of our society. Let us use every tool at our disposal to deliver to Seychellois a high quality public service that response to our people's needs, in a timely and efficient manner.
On this Public Service Day, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all public servants for their daily efforts to make a difference in the lives of our people. I encourage all public servants to continue striving for excellence and commit to help build an inclusive and sustainable future for all.
