For the first time in its history, Uzbekistan hosts the United Nations Public Service Forum (UNPSF 2025), one of the largest global events in the field of public administration.
The Forum is taking place from June 23 to 25 in the city of Samarkand and gathered a record number of participants – ministers and heads of public service authorities from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, including representatives from small states such as Samoa, and Bhutan. Representatives of international and regional organizations, academia, civil society, private sector, and innovation leaders are also attended.
Forum Theme
“Five Years to 2030: Accelerating Public Service Delivery for a Sustainable Future”
The program includes plenary sessions, thematic discussions, strategic dialogues, and showcases of successful practices aimed at rethinking the role of public service amidst global challenges and accelerated change.
The first deputy director of the Agency Abdulla Abdukadirov, the head of the Delivery Unit Aziza Umarova and the Group’s specialists are taking part in the seminars with their thematic presentations on foresight, development of public administration and digital transformation.
Why It Matters?
With only five years remaining to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the demand for effective, inclusive, and innovative public services is greater than ever. Special attention is placed on digitalization, partnerships, and modern governance methods to ensure equitable service delivery and reduce the “last mile” gap.
Uzbekistan as Host Country
Hosting the UNPSF highlights the international recognition of Uzbekistan’s far-reaching and consistent reforms initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. At their core lies the strategic principle: “The people should not serve the government – the government should serve the people.” This philosophy drives deep transformation in public administration.
Uzbekistan has developed a modern digital ecosystem. Over 390 web services from 49 government agencies operate on the “Digital Government” platform, integrating more than 216 information systems.
The Single Portal of Interactive Public Services (my.gov.uz) offers more than 760 e-services to citizens and businesses, with over 11 million registered users.
The National Legislation Database features an AI-based digital assistant for the public and legal professionals.
A nationwide network of 208 public service centers provides offline access to services.
Uzbekistan’s achievements are reflected in international rankings: in 2024, it joined the group of countries with “very high” E-government development index and rose 37 positions in the GovTech Maturity Index, reaching category “A”.
Digital transformation covers key areas such as public services, e-finance, fintech, e-commerce, fiscal analytics, and more — signaling both digital maturity and readiness to share expertise globally.
At the Forum, the Samarkand Ministerial Declaration is discussed, which aimed at strengthening international cooperation, promoting the exchange of experience among countries — especially developing ones — and advancing equal access to public services..
A program promotes and supports the export of digital public administration (GovTech) solutions.
Organizers
The Forum is organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Technologies, Agency for Public Service Development and Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of Uzbekistan,.
About the UNPSF
Held since 2003, the Forum has previously been hosted by the USA, Austria, Spain, Tanzania, Bahrain, Morocco, Colombia, Azerbaijan (2019), and South Korea (2024). Samarkand will become the next global venue for dialogue on the future of effective governance.
