UN Public Service Awards to honor two initiatives from Thailand for accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals

New York, 22 June 2026 – Twelve initiatives from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Thailand will be recognized at the UN Public Service Awards Ceremony, to be held at the conclusion of the UN Public Service Forum, on 25 June 2026 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The Pang Mu Subdistrict Administrative Organization of Thailand will receive an Award in the “Delivering Inclusive and Equitable Services to Leave No One Behind” category for its early childhood education programme serving stateless, undocumented, and ethnic minority children in Mae Hong Son Province. The initiative provides inclusive education, nutrition, and healthcare services to children aged 2 to 5 who are often excluded from public services due to lack of civil registration or legal status.

The Highland Research and Development Institute of Thailand will receive an Award in the “Participation and public engagement for inclusive decision-making" for its “Map4All: Inclusive Mapping for a Sustainable Future” initiative. This plot-based land mapping system provides a unified and accurate geospatial database, documenting forest areas, farmland, and household plots. Elaborated with the community, it enables transparent decision-making, resource coordination, and joint planning.

Out of over 700 applications from 62 countries, the Awards will highlight 12 ground-breaking initiatives. This year’s awardees have implemented new solutions to provide public services to people at the national or sub-national level, responding to multiple challenges and enhancing the capabilities of public administrations while advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some of the winning initiatives leveraged information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence and digital government.

The 2026 UN Public Service Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Mr. Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, following the commemoration of UN Public Service Day held on 23 June.

2026 UN Public Service Award Winners:

In the category “Delivering inclusive and equitable services to leave no one behind”:

• Inclusive and Equal Social Security Services for All, The State Social Protection Fund, Azerbaijan (Award winner)
• Holistic Framework for Disability-Inclusive Governance (“Kalingyakap”), City Government of Carmona, Philippines (Award winner)
• Early childhood education for stateless, undocumented, and ethnic minority children, Pang Mu Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Thailand (Award winner)
• Creation of civil documentation for incarcerated individuals (“Identifique-se”), Secretariat of Justice of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil (Honourable Mention)
• Multiplatform Application for Geohazard Mitigation and Assessment (“MAGMA”), Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia (Honourable Mention)

In the category “Gender-responsive public services”:

• A Cultural Approach in Improving the Economy of Coastal Women (“Berdaya Srikandi”), Agriculture, Marine, and Fisheries Office of Parepare City, Indonesia (Award winner)

In the category “Transparent and accountable public institutions to achieve the SDGs”:

• Verify.gov.kh, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Cambodia (Award winner)
• Preventive and Reactive Alert System, General Directorate of Public Procurement, Dominican Republic (Award winner)
• National Data Bank & Estishraf, Saudi Data & AI Authority, Saudi Arabia (Award winner)
• Village Financial System (“SISKEUDES”), Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, Indonesia (Honourable Mention)

In the category “Participation and public engagement for inclusive decision-making":

• Fishing Agreements: Participatory Management of Territories in the Pará Amazon, Pará State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability, Brazil (Award winner)
• Map4All: Inclusive Mapping for a Sustainable Future, Highland Research and Development Institute, Thailand (Award winner)

About the Awards

The UN Public Service Awards recognize excellence in public service delivery and reward the creative achievements and contributions of public administrations worldwide. Since the first edition in 2003, over 300 initiatives have received an Award. 

More information about the programme is available at bit.ly/UNPSAwards.

Originally published by UN DESA