The Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), a division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), is committed to advancing effective, accountable and inclusive governance and public institutions for sustainable development, including through innovation, digital government and digital transformation.
News and Events
| 09:45 am - 11:00 am
Join the UN Futures Lab/Global Hub and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) for a side event at the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025: UN Global Horizon Scanning for Governance and Social Development. Wednesday…
| 12:30 pm - 01:30 pm
UNDESA/DPIDG and IDI will co-host a side event in the margins of the XXV INCOSAI. Drawing on insights from the World Public Sector Report 2025, the event will explore the evolving role of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in auditing national…
The workshop on Changing Mindsets for Innovation and Public Sector Transformation seeks to explore practices and approaches to support changing mindsets for innovation and digital transformation of public services, different mindsets, the role of…
The Ministry Training and Tertiary Education of Barbados, the Learning and Development Unit, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), in…
Intergovernmental Support and Multistakeholder Dialogue
The Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) is a UN technical advisory body that studies and makes recommendations to improve governance and public administration structures and processes for development. It assists ECOSOC by reviewing trends, issues and priorities in public administration, notably in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in support of the implementation and progress reviews of the SDGs. The Committee developed 11 principles of effective governance for sustainable development, endorsed by ECOSOC in July 2018.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a unique two-phase United Nations summit that began with the goal of achieving a shared commitment to building a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create and share information. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) through the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) serves as facilitator for the implementation of and follow-up to the action lines: C1 - The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development; C7 - ICT Applications: E-government and C11 - International and regional cooperation.
The Internet Governance Forum is a global multistakeholder platform that facilitates the discussion of public policy issues pertaining to the Internet. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors. At their annual meeting delegates discuss, exchange information and share good practices with each other. The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise.
Featured Publications
World Public Sector Report 2025
| Publications | World Public Sector Reports | Public Institutions | Supreme Audit InstitutionsSupreme audit institutions and the Sustainable Development GoalsThe World Public Sector Report 2025 focuses on the role of supreme audit institutions (SAIs) in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main objectives of the Report are to: (i) provide a global picture of SAIs’ contribution to SDG implementation, follow-up…
UN E-Government Survey 2024
| UN E-Government Surveys | Digital Government | Local Governance | Participation and Accountability | Public InstitutionsThis thirteenth edition of the United Nations E-Government Survey, released in 2024, provides a comprehensive assessment of the digital government landscape across all 193 Member States. The 2024 Survey highlights a significant upward trend in the development of digital government worldwide, with increased investment in resilient infrastructure…
World Public Sector Report 2023
| Publications | World Public Sector Reports | Public InstitutionsTransforming institutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals after the pandemic.The World Public Sector Report 2023 examines the role that national institutional and governance innovations and changes that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic can play in advancing progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report…
UN E-Government Survey 2022
| UN E-Government Surveys | Digital GovernmentThe United Nations E-Government Survey 2022 is the 12th edition of the United Nations’ assessment of the digital government landscape across all 193 Member States. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a…
Capacity Development Highlights
The principles are linked to a variety of commonly used strategies for operationalizing responsive and effective governance, many of which have been...
The Curriculum on Governance for the Sustainable Development Goals aims to promote critical understanding of sustainable development issues...
The United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) Online Training Centre delivers courses and features training material on various topics in...
The Public Service Innovation Hub showcases the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) Initiatives nominated over the years and how they...
The United Nations Public Service Day and Forum is a unique capacity development global event on public governance that provides a platform to explore...
The SDG 16 Conference supports the reflection and actions of the international community on issues related to SDG 16...
UN DESA’s Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) provides capacity building and policy advice to countries, upon their request, ...
The United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) is part of the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG) of the...
UNPAN is a global network that connects relevant international, regional, subregional and national institutions and experts worldwide working on effective governance...