The Role of Public Service and Public Servants During the COVID-19 Pandemic

For the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to be achieved effective delivery of public services is needed, including in the response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. If not contained, the pandemic will jeopardize meeting the 2030 deadline, by diverting resources from development efforts to crisis response. The public servant sits at the heart of ensuring effective response to the crisis, whether as a frontline worker in healthcare, or in devising strategies and plans to mitigate its impact. This policy paper outlines nine key roles public servants have been and must continue to play to ensure an effective response to the pandemic. In order to effectively play these roles, a public servant must have a profile characterized by the following: selfsacrifice, trustworthiness, risk-taking, versatility, adaptability, creativity, transparency and accountability, and they must be knowledgeable and skilled, persistent, empathetic, collaborative, and competent in the use of technology all driven by humanness in their personality.