For information only – not an official document
UNIS/SGSM/1505
19 June 2025
Public servants are the unsung architects of a better future.
Without fanfare and often at great personal sacrifice, they safeguard communities, deliver lifesaving aid, educate children, provide health care, advance justice, drive sustainable development, and so much more.
A capable public sector depends on dedicated, skilled public servants – who, in turn, are crucial to building trust in institutions and promoting good governance.
At a time when public service is belittled or maligned, it is especially meaningful to recognize the passion and dedication of all women and men around the world striving to build stronger communities, promote human dignity, and accelerate action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals.
Public servants work for us every day. On this important day, let’s take time out to celebrate and honour them.
* *** *
The thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) will be held from 19 to 23 October 2026 at the Vienna International Centre, Austria.
The Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice concluded today with more than 60 countries agreeing time-bound actions to strengthen criminal justice responses, expand access to justice and improve international cooperation to tackle global crime threats.
The Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice opened today with the adoption of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, a forward-looking global framework to strengthen international criminal justice cooperation against fast-evolving crime challenges and exploitation of digital technologies.
"It's time to choose dialogue over division, diplomacy over confrontation, and disarmament over destruction. States that possess nuclear weapons must honour their disarmament obligations and commit to the total elimination of nuclear weapons." — António Guterres
