The FutureGov Side Event will be held on 14 April 2026, on the margins of the 25th session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA). The event is organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) under the theme “Rethinking Governance in Practice: FutureGov as a Catalyst from Global Partnership to Country-level Transformation.”
Public sector institutions are under increasing pressure to deliver services that are more responsive, transparent, inclusive, and resilient. Governments are being asked to navigate complex challenges—from fiscal constraints and declining trust to rapid digital transformation and rising expectations. In this context, strengthening governance is no longer only about reforms on paper. It is about building practical capabilities that translate into better outcomes for people.
FutureGov was launched in 2023 as a UN High-Impact Initiative (HII), co-directed by UNDP and UN DESA, to respond to this shift and accelerate progress on public sector transformation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative seeks to move beyond fragmented support toward coordinated, country-driven approaches that strengthen institutions and improve service delivery. By bringing together complementary expertise, policy tools, and financing pathways, FutureGov supports governments in addressing governance challenges in a more integrated, adaptive, and implementation-focused way.
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION
The Second FutureGov side event will explore how FutureGov is translating global partnership into joint country-level action. Bringing together senior representatives from UNDP, UN DESA, the World Bank, the OECD, the IMF, and government counterparts, the discussion will highlight early experiences from countries where coordinated engagement is already underway. These examples will illustrate how collaboration can help identify priority governance challenges, mobilize complementary expertise, and support sustained reform efforts—ultimately contributing to a broader reflection on how to “do governance differently” through more integrated and implementation-focused approaches.
AGENDA
13:15-13:25 | Welcome and Framing
Opening remarks: Marcos Neto, Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UNDP
Moderator: Patrick Duong, Global Lead, Governance for Public Goods and Services (GPGS) & Chief Strategy and Partnerships, FutureGov, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UNDP
13:25-13:30 | Video: FutureGov Partnership in Practice
13:30-14:10 | Partnership Fireside Dialogue: From Global Coalition to Joint Country Work
Moderator: Sarah Lister, Co-Director, Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding (GRP) Hub, UNDP
Panelists:
- Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
- Alan Bacarese, Director of Investigations, Strategy, and Operations, Integrity Vice Presidency, INT, The World Bank
- Arnault Prêtet, Head of Digital Government, Innovation and Public Services Unit, Public Governance Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Tina Burjaliani, Senior Counsel, Governance and Anti-Corruption Division, Legal Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- Zahid Hasnain, Lead Governance Specialist, Governance Global Department, The World Bank
14:10-14:20 | Country Spotlights: Partnership in Action
Short interventions from government counterparts showcasing joint work in countries
14:20-14:30 | Evidence as a Foundation of Effective Governance: Insights from a Global Delphi Panel on Evaluation Capacity
Isabelle Mercier, Director, Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), UNDP
14:30-14:40 | Q&A
14:40-14:45 | Closing Remarks
Cristina Kiomi Mori, CEPA Member and Director of Governance and Management at Dataprev, Brazil
The Committee of Experts on Public Administration will hold its twenty-fifth session in New York from 13 to 17 April 2026. The theme is “Transformative, equitable, innovative and urgent actions to rebuild trust, revitalize institutions and realize the SDGs: an institutional and governance perspective anchored in multilateralism”.
The FutureGov Side Event, organized on the margins of the 25th Session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) is supported by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund of the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF), as well as Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Republic of Korea, through the Governance, Peacebuilding, Crisis and Resilience Funding Window.
Contact Persons
Patrick Duong, patrick.duong@undp.org
Teresa Lazzaroni Andina, teresa.lazzaroni.andina@undp.org
