To permit candid discussions, Global Government Summit is held under the Chatham House Rule. Global Government Forum produces a report after each event so that delegates can share some of the discussions with their colleagues and a wider audience. These focus on the event’s key findings, perspectives and messages, and blend unattributed and paraphrased comments with quotes cleared by participants after the event.
2023
Took place in Singapore on 1 & 2 February 2023.
Knowledge Partners
Agenda and report
Protecting living standards in an era of conflict and inflation
The one-two punch: protecting living standards in an era of conflict and inflation
Emerging stronger: leadership and delivery in the post-pandemic world
Sea change: data-driven decisions in a post-pandemic world
Protecting our populations: public health and resilience
Expect the unexpected: the lessons from COVID about public health and preparedness
Human intelligence and Machine Learning
Time to transform: exploring the AI readiness of UAE and Japan
Demonstrating impact, building trust
Open, inclusive, transparent: rebuilding public trust in government
“The pandemic is an example of the sorts of common challenges that we all face – as civil servants, as governments, as societies. This Summit enables all of us to learn from one another.”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2022
Staged online, hosted by the Government of Singapore, 20 & 21 January 2022.
Knowledge Partners
Agenda and report
Welcome address
Walking the tightrope: the balancing act facing civil service leaders
Tackling the pandemic: learning the lessons, planning the future
All together now: why today’s risks demand a cross-government response
Keeping one step ahead: creating more responsive civil services
Evergreen arguments: persuading the public on sustainability
Things will never be the same again: adapting to the post-COVID world
Fit to lead: how to tackle the COVID assault course
“The pandemic is an example of the sorts of common challenges that we all face – as civil servants, as governments, as societies. This Summit enables all of us to learn from one another.”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2021
Staged online, hosted by the Government of Singapore, 30 & 31 January 2021.
Knowledge Partners
Agenda and report
Welcome address
Singapore chief on the biggest challenges facing civil servants: learning pace and earning faith
Tackling the pandemic: learning the lessons, planning the future
The race to protect: how COVID-19 supercharged civil service delivery
Keeping one step ahead: creating more responsive civil services
A new breed of public servants: skills and staffing after the pandemic
Things will never be the same again: adapting to the post-COVID world
Always a fresh crisis: building a resilient civil service
“There will be a world beyond COVID-19; that we know. So what must we do in the midst of this pandemic to come out of this stronger?”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2020
Took place in Singapore on 30 & 31 January 2020.
Knowledge Partners
Agenda and report
Promoting Inclusive Economic Growth
How inequality fosters instability: top civil servants on tackling the ‘populist backlash’
Resourcing and Delivering Strategic Outcomes
From clenched fists to handshakes: top officials debate how to get departments working together
Strengthening Capabilities and Developing Specialist Skills
Beyond the gifted amateur: building a professional workforce
Driving Civil Service Reform
Pointing the way forward on civil service reform
“Everywhere you look in the world, you see vast challenges – and it’s easy to get dispirited, but I’d argue that at times like this, leaders need to step up – finding new solutions, and inspiring the people we work with and the people we work for.”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2019
Took place in Singapore on 7 & 8 February 2019.
Knowledge Partners
Agenda and report
Welcome Address
The dangers of division: Singapore’s civil service chief opens Global Government Summit
The global economy/developing government capacity
From bitter experience: Lord O’Donnell on the next recession
Unifying strategic planning: collaboration on policies and services
The power of priorities: goal-setting in Finland and New Zealand
Unifying functionality: sharing data and establishing platform services
People power: why digital tech demands very human attributes
Developing the next generation of civil service leaders
Enter the era of enterprise: leadership in the 2020s
Citizen engagement and partnership
Hatching the butterfly: public service transformation
“All of us come from different countries, serving different governments with our own unique contexts and structures – but I’d say that we face broadly the same set of challenges around the world. There is much for us to learn from each other.”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2018
Took place in Singapore on 9 & 10 February 2018.
Knowledge Partners
“The delegates will return to their home countries armed with new ideas, learning and contacts”
Leo Yip, Head of Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
2017
The Summit was hosted in Singapore, February 2017.
Knowledge Partner
“Great topics, excellent presentations, insightful discussions. Thank you. A thoroughly worthwhile commitment of my time.”
Peter Hughes, Head of State Services, State Services Commission, New Zealand
2015
The Summit was hosted in Singapore, November 2015.
Knowledge Partners
“No country or leader has a monopoly on wisdom, or all the answers to the governance challenges facing us. That is why this forum is so valuable and timely. It brings us together in one room to interact, to learn from each other, to have intimate conversations, and to exchange our views openly and candidly.”
Peter Ong, Head of Civil Service, Singapore
2014
The Summit was hosted in Singapore, November 2014.
Knowledge Partner
“Interesting, and an eye-opener. [There are] similar challenges for all, but we have different political systems and traditions.”
Hans Bäck, Director, Prime Minister’s Office, Sweden