Catalan President José Montilla chairs the presentation of the United Nations Public Service Awards

Barcelona (CNA).-The president of the Catalan Government, José Montilla, accompanied by the Minister for Home Affairs, Joan Saura, chaired last Wednesday the presentation ceremony of the United Nations Public Service and E-government Awards, the most prestigious in this context at international level. This is the first such event that the UN has organised along with a government. The event was attended by 400 political scientists, public administrators from around the world, and members of the UN. It concluded with the presentation of the Declaration of Barcelona on Good Governance Practices and Transparency.
During the event, representatives of administrations from countries like Germany, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Tanzania and Tunisia received special awards for the quality of the service they offer. The Spanish Government also received an award for e-government projects. The United Nations Public Service Awards were created in 2003 to recognise the service of public sector workers and to encourage the efficiency, transparency, excellence and responsibility of public service.

In order to even out the competition between the received applications from countries with different levels of development, they were divided into five geographical areas from which a winner was chosen. These areas were Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Asia. The event was honoured with the presence of several personalities like the UN Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, Sha Zukang.

After the awards ceremony, the Declaration of Barcelona on Good Governance Practices and Transparency was presented as a conclusion of the discussions organised between the UN and the Management of Citizen Participation. The Catalan Government, following a proposition by the UN, presented their policies on both encouraging the participation of citizens in decision-making and revising European initiatives. The aim of the meeting was to exchange experiences and discuss both the participation and the distance that exists between politics and citizenry.