Innovation to Top the Agenda of Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Meeting in Malta

10/49                                                                                                                                              20 October 2010    

Innovation to Top the Agenda of Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Meeting in Malta

New approaches to delivering public services to citizens will be the focus of the 3rd Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development which begins on 21 October 2010 in Malta.

More than 20 Ministers who play key roles in public sector reform and the delivery of public services will attend the meeting. They will be joined by senior public service officials.

At the forum, participants will focus on how to provide more responsive and flexible leadership and how to develop processes, systems and structures that encourage innovation in the delivery of public services to Commonwealth citizens.

“Public sector development is a process of continuous learning and improvement,” said Commonwealth Secretary- General Kamalesh Sharma.

“In a context where the resources available to the sector are either scarce or reduced, innovation is of particular importance to ensure improved service delivery and to meet the increasing demands for efficiency and quality,” Mr Sharma added.

The meeting which is being chaired by Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Ransford Smith will focus on the trends, challenges and priority actions that governments need to take to ensure accountability, transparency, predictability, capacity and participation – Commonwealth principles of good governance.

During the meeting the Commonwealth Secretariat will launch a new publication Commonwealth Good Governance – Developing Capacity in the Public Sector.

This publication showcases work which the organisation does to strengthen government institutions responsible for delivering or facilitating the delivery of public services in areas such as public-private partnerships, National ICT policy development, human resource development, combating corruption and alternative service delivery.

The Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development will convene just after the three-day Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) 2010 Biennial Conference which ends today.

Note to Editors:

·                    The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries that work together for development and democracy.

·                    The Commonwealth Secretariat, based in London is the main inter-governmental body of the association. It provides technical, advisory and policy assistance to Commonwealth governments in several areas including in public administration. It also convenes meetings of Commonwealth ministers to take stock of progress, share experiences, best practises and tools, and to asses and inform the work of the Secretariat.

For media enquiries, please contact Yvonne Chin, Communications Officer at +44-7912-463-750 or via email at y.chin@commonwealth.int

Cathy Price

Administrative Assistant

Communications & Public Affairs Division

Commonwealth Secretariat

Marlborough House

Pall Mall

London SW1Y 5HX

United Kingdom

Tel:  +44 (0) 20 7747 6386   

Fax: Direct +44 (0) 20 7004 3771  General: +44 (0) 20 7839 9081

Web: www.thecommonwealth.org

Did You Know?

The Commonwealth Secretariat, based in London, facilitates consensus building between member states on matters of global importance and delivers technical assistance and special advisory services to member states.