NEW YORK, June 25, 2012 – Grenada’s Immigration Chief believes that the recognition of his department for improved delivery of service is a reflection of the potential of the public service in Grenada.
The Immigration and Passport Department of Grenada on Monday received an award as part of the 2012 United Nations Public Service Awards at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The award was for “Improving the Delivery of Public Services” in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Superintendent Godfrey Fleming received the award as part of activities marking the 10th anniversary of United Nations Public Service Day and the start of the Public Service Forum.
It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide.
“This award will serve as a flagship for the rest of our public servants and civil society in Grenada in the way we execute our responsibilities,” said Supt. Fleming.
“I also hope that this award will create a better synergy between the public service and the customers that we are serving in Grenada.”
He credits the award to what he described as a group of committed officers who go beyond the call of duty, even working on weekends to ensure that they accomplish targets.
Supt. Fleming was accompanied by Consul General Derrick James and Immigration officer Cpl. Ron Joseph.
A total of 471 nominations from more than 80 United Nations Member States were received in 2012, with 16 Member States participating for the first time.
The winners are as follows: first place — Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and United States; and second place — Australia, Canada, Egypt, Georgia, Grenada, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and Turkey.
The United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration selects 
winners according to category and region. The five UNPSA categories are: prevention of corruption; improving service delivery; promoting innovative mechanisms for citizen participation in policy-making; advancing knowledge management in government; and promoting gender responsive service delivery.
Also honoured were winners that have made outstanding progress in improving their e-service delivery and strengthening their citizen engagement through e-participation modalities. The top five regional performers in the 2012 Survey were recognised: Republic of Seychelles for Africa; United States for the Americas; Republic of Korea for Asia; Netherlands for Europe; and Australia for Oceania.
More than 400 participants from across the globe attended the event, which will also include the United Nations Public Service Forum. The Forum will take place from June 26 to 27, and will focus on “Innovation and Citizen Engagement for Effective Governance”.
This high-level global event is expected to make recommendations on how to promote greater understanding of policy options and practices to promote innovation in pubic governance and effectively engage citizens.
Areas of focus will be institutional frameworks, leadership capacities, national development strategies and uses of information and communications technologies, including e-participation and preventing corruption in public service.
