I extend greetings to the Public Officers of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique on the occasion of Public Service Week, the start of which coincided with International Public Service Day 2019. 

Like the United Nations, the Government of Grenada acknowledges the need to highlight the value and virtue of public service to the community; the contribution of the public service in the development process; recognise the work of public servants and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. 

As a Government, we continue to work on improving the quality of public services. Therefore, this year’s theme is regarded as timely and appropriate – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through effective delivery of Services, Innovative Transformation and Accountable Institutions. 

Having adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Government has been reforming, restructuring and transforming its operations to deliver on these targets. We are cognizant of the fact that an effective and efficient public service is an essential pre-condition for the economic and social well-being of the country. To this end, we have engaged in a series of strategically targeted, capacity development activities to build organisational and national capacity. It is clear that the value of the public service is equally important in this era of widespread knowledge, information sharing and technology, which condenses time, space and interaction. 

The natural evolution of the world has made us interdependent and the complexities of this interdependence has placed new demands on governments. To address the increased challenges that have come with globalisation, Government must partner with all stakeholders and civil society to find novel solutions. 

We recognise that public officers represent the backbone of Government’s ability and capacity to manage its changing role. They are the ones managing a myriad of daily tasks in furtherance of Government’s development agenda – providing quality service to the citizens of the country; developing appropriate infrastructure to support socio-economic and environmental resilience; promoting change and adaptation. The list can go on almost endlessly. 

Grenada has recorded significant strides, with the support of public officers. Today, we can boast of improved fiscal management; promoting gender equality through policy decisions; addressing the impact of climate change and building resilience as a nation and decreased unemployment rates through small business and rural development programmes. 

We also recognise the role of the public service in advancing our progress to the Sustainable Development Goals and our current reform strategy is therefore aligned to these goals. This reform strategy identifies four pillars of concentration, which are, re-engineering the public service; strategic human resource management; strategic compensation management and digital transformation. 

Through the activities being held this week in observance of Public Service Day 2019, the intention is to engender greater camaraderie and cross-ministerial collaboration. I commend public officers on the various initiatives and encourage full participation in the Food, Sports and Cultural Extravaganza at the Roy St. John Playing Field on Friday, June 28, 2019. 

Government pledges its continued support for strengthening the governance infrastructure of the public service in the quest for sustainable development. Best wishes to all public officers as you participate in activities in observance of Public Service Week 2019.