South Africa receives UN Public Service Award

, June 24:

has won the UN Public Service Award for a project, which implemented innovative solutions to improve public service delivery for promoting sustainable development, it was announced on Monday.

The Gauteng department of education will be honoured at a ceremony that will take place from June 23-26 in Seoul, South Korea, the UN Information Centre Pretoria said, Xinhua reported.

The winning project this year from South Africa involves the Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP).

South Africa is among the first place winners, which also include Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Morocco, Oman, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and Uruguay.

In 2003, the UN General Assembly designated June 23 as UN Public Service Day to celebrate the value and virtue of service to the community.

UN Public Service Award 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.

IANS