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Commonwealth Ministers and Senior Leaders responsible for the delivery of Public Services with the Prime Minister of Malta Lawrence Gonzi and Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Ransford Smith at the Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development

Commonwealth ministers and senior officials responsible for the delivery of public services with the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, and Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith at the Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development.

Public services must focus on needs of citizens, says Maltese Prime Minister

26 October 2010

Lawrence Gonzi stressed the need to balance efficiency with an equally high level of transparency in delivering services

The task of any modern public administration is to deliver a service focused on the needs of citizens, Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, has said.

“The citizen-centred principle constitutes a concerted effort to change [the] existing working methods and culture of the public sector with the ultimate aim of resolving problems. Citizens are after service and not bureaucracy,” said Dr Gonzi.

The Prime Minister was addressing the official opening of the 3rd Commonwealth Ministers Forum on Public Sector Development on 21 October 2010 in Malta.

Urging participants to work at shortening service delivery times, streamline processes, limit administrative burdens and enhance the business climate, the Prime Minister stressed the need to balance a high level of efficiency with an equally high level of transparency in delivering public services.

Over 60 delegates representing 27 countries, including new member Rwanda, attended the two-day meeting. Among the attendees were 19 public service ministers who were joined by senior officials responsible for the delivery of public services to citizens.

Chair of the meeting, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith, told delegates that, “Efficient and responsive public service delivery is more important today than at any time in the recent past. Governments simply have to do more with less.”

Mr Smith added that the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and social and economic transformation for many of the countries represented at the forum would critically depend on being able to deliver public services efficiently and in new and innovative ways.

During their discussions and deliberations participants at the forum identified the need for objective performance measurement and performance improvement in the delivery of services to the public.

They called on the Commonwealth Secretariat to provide assistance with identifying best practices in engaging citizens in public consultation processes through the use of both traditional and new forms of social media.

Delegates also indicated that Commonwealth assistance was needed to equip member states to improve monitoring and evaluation of public policy implementation.

Other areas in which the Commonwealth was called on to assist member states include:

Research to identify best practices in building the institutional memory of member governments
Networking with other Commonwealth organisations in supporting good governance in member countries.
Convening small states caucuses at future forums to address the unique governance challenges of these countries
Continued capacity-building in policy-making at central government agencies and ministries
Awareness building among public service employees regarding the consequences of climate change and its impact on the delivery of public services.

The meeting was held under the themes: Valuing Good Governance in the Commonwealth and Innovating Public Policy Development at the Centre of Government.

Good Governance in the Commonwealth: Developing Capacity in the Public Sector, a resource publication showcasing the current governance related work at the Commonwealth Secretariat was launched at the forum.