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Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Nograles attended the Global Government Summit from 1 to 2 February 2023 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

The event, hosted by the Singapore Government and organized by the Global Government Forum, is a unique annual event where the world’s most senior public servants explore the challenges faced by civil services around the world. It provides a confidential and informal space where participants can freely discuss views, experiences, successes, and failures, as well as explore potential solutions.

Singapore’s Head of Civil Service Leo Yip gave the welcome address and provided the context for this year’s summit.

This was followed by a series of sessions and presentations, which include: Protecting Living Standards in an Era of Conflict and Inflation, which was about examining governments’ options as they seek to maintain living standards during a period of international tensions, fragmenting supply chains, and weak global leadership; Leadership and Delivery in the Post-Pandemic World, about how leaders can ensure that the civil service emerges stronger and fitter from the pandemic; Protecting Our Populations: Public Health and Resilience, about how to strengthen resilience against health risks over the coming years; Human Intelligence and Machine Learning, about how machine learning can be introduced and applied in the public sector; and Demonstrating Impact, Building Trust, about how governments can help to restore public confidence in the value of democracy and free markets, address the threats of disinformation and misinformation, and build a sense of common purpose and shared identity among their populations.

“These past 2 days have been very productive for me. I have had an opportunity to learn priceless lessons from the different public sector leaders and their countries’ civil service programs and strategies, which I can then apply towards improving the CSC. We have seen similar challenges and concrete actions on leadership and public service delivery. There were also opportunities to build rapport and start conversations with other governments and the private sector entities which the CSC can continuously engage.” Nograles said.

First held in London in 2011, the Global Government Summit brings together top leaders from the center of government: those responsible for leading their national civil services and overseeing strategic development, organizational reform, workforce capabilities and culture change.

Hosted in recent years by the Government of Singapore, the event attracts delegates holding roles including the Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, State Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, Clerk of the Privy Council, Head of the Civil Service, and Civil Service Chief Executive. Topics vary from year to year, with delegates selecting subjects such as public sector productivity, digital government, leadership development, and the policy responses to issues such as inequality and migration.