Thursday 20 January 2022
10:30 UTC
11:30 CET
18:30 Singapore
05:30 EST

Welcome Address

Hosted by Mr Leo Yip

Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service (HCS) of the Singapore Government, welcomes participants and provides the context for this year’s Summit.

Thursday 20 January 2022
11:00 UTC
12:00 CET
19:00 Singapore
06:00 EST

A holistic view of risk – and a smart response

For centuries, nations saw external risks mainly in terms of military threats. The growth of threats such as extreme weather events, international terrorism and cyber attacks broadened that view – leading to new forms of preventive spending in fields including flood defence, decarbonisation, intelligence gathering and infrastructure resilience. Then came COVID-19, demanding in many countries the expenditure of sums hundreds of times greater than the public health budgets allocated to address pandemic risks. As the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility pointed out in its July Fiscal Risks Report, the incidence of major risk events has doubled over the last 40 years – with the impacts of climate change, the pandemic and high public debts currently presenting particular threats.

This session will consider how countries can take a balanced, cross-government view of external threats in today’s world, assessing the risks in each field and allocating resources appropriately. It will review the capabilities required to understand and respond to those risks – such as data-driven analysis and cross-government financial management systems. And it will explore how to find a balance between working to minimise each risk, and ensuring that governments are prepared when the worst does occur.

Open discussion, including presentations from:

Taimar Peterkop, Secretary of State, Government Office, Estonia

Immediate responders: Catarina Maria Romão Gonçalves, Portugal and Kong Sophy, Cambodia

Richard Smith-Bingham, Executive Director, Marsh McLennan Advantage
Immediate responders: Leo Yip, Singapore and Hannah Cameron, New Zealand

Joyce Dimech, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government / Ministry for Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of Post Covid-19 Strategy, Malta
Immediate responders: Mikhail Pryadilnikov, Russia and Sirpa Kekkonen, Finland

Andreas Spycher, Principal – Mastercard Data & Services, Mastercard
Immediate responders: Dustin Brown, USA and Tshediso Matona, South Africa.

Thursday 20 January 2022
13:00 UTC
14:00 CET
21:00 Singapore
08:00 EST

End of discussions for day one

Friday 21 January 2022
11:00 UTC
12:00 CET
19:00 Singapore
06:00 EST

The drive towards green government

After several years of paralysis in the global effort to tackle climate change, analysts are optimistic that – with US president Joe Biden committed to firm action and China making sympathetic noises – November’s COP26 summit will produce an international agreement, tasking governments with establishing new reporting frameworks and overseeing a reduction in harmful emissions.

If the organisers realise their goals, civil servants will have to act on three fronts. Departments will need to gather, analyse and present large sets of data, covering both greenhouse gas emissions and, perhaps, the health of environmental assets such as forests and peat bogs. They’ll need to introduce policies to support a shift to economy-wide decarbonisation, affecting policy fields from farming to urban design. And they will – like every other organisation – have to take firm action to reduce their own environmental impacts, rebuilding their infrastructures and reshaping their operations to hit a new set of targets.

At this session, the participants will consider how national civil service leaders can meet their new responsibilities in the wake of COP26.

Open discussion, including presentations from:

Alex Chisholm, Chief Operation Officer – Civil Service and Permanent Secretary – Cabinet Office, United Kingdom
Immediate responders: Joyce Dimech, Malta and Dustin Brown, USA

Albert Chua, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore
Immediate responders: Hannah Cameron, New Zealand and Tshediso Matona, South Africa

Friday 21 January 2022
12:30 UTC
13:30 CET
20:30 Singapore
07:30 EST

Refreshment break

 

Friday 21 January 2022
13:00 UTC
14:00 CET
21:00 Singapore
08:00 EST

Civil service leadership in the post-pandemic world

This is an interesting time in civil service leadership. In many countries, polls suggest, governments’ vast investments in supporting people through the pandemic – and the massive efforts of frontline public servants, both in healthcare and elsewhere – have shored up trust in the public sector. But civil service leaders also face rising expectations: the public increasingly expect accessible, responsive services, while staff look for clear career paths, positive organisational cultures and inclusive, authentic leadership.

Meanwhile, the roles of civil service leaders are changing: digital transformation, for example, requires departmental heads to master new project management techniques, pursue business process reforms and manage cross-government partnerships. In this session, the participants will consider the capabilities, behaviours and expertise that civil service leaders need in today’s world, and discuss how organisations can develop their leadership cadres – both the current generation, and those coming after.

Open discussion, including presentations from:

Dustin Brown, Deputy Assistant Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Executive Office of the President, United States
Immediate responders: Sirpa Kekkonen, Finland and Peter Pogačar, Slovenia

Kevin Cunnington, Former Head of Government Digital Service, United Kingdom and Advisor, Global Government Forum
Immediate responders: Leo Yip, Singapore and Taimar Peterkop, Estonia

Hannah Cameron, Deputy Commissioner, State Services Commission, New Zealand
Immediate responders: Mikhail Pryadilnikov, Russia and Tshediso Matona, South Africa

Friday 21 January 2022
14:30 UTC
15:30 CET
22:30 Singapore
09:30 EST

Summary and Conclusion

Friday 21 January 2022
15:00 UTC
16:00 CET
23:00 Singapore
10:00 EST

End of Summit