Seoul Wins 2010 U.N. Public Service Awards for 'Women Friendly City Project'

USA - English

• USA - English

SEOUL, South Korea, June 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that Seoul will receive the United Nations Public Service Awards in a ceremony for the 2010 UNPS Day in Barcelona, Spain, on June 23 for its two programs-"Women Friendly City Project" and "Hope-Plus Account."

The UNPSA is the prize with the most authority in the field of public service. It is the second time for Seoul to win the first prize in the category of "improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in public service," following in 2009. Seoul will also be the first city in the world to win prizes in two categories for two consecutive years.

According to UN, Seoul was chosen as winners since the two programs have contributed much to the improvement in public administration and public interests, and given inspirations to other public service organizations.

The Women Friendly City Project incorporates perspectives of women in overall city policies, to relieve the elements of inconvenience and insecurity that women may face in daily city life. Under the project, the metropolitan government has expanded the scope of female-friendly policies to include transportation and housing, as well as job creation and childcare.

The Project has attracted international attention as a pioneering model in women friendly policy, as it was introduced to the participants of the second Metropolis Women's Network Forum held in Seoul last year. It also signed an MOU with the United Nations Human Settlements Program, UN-HABITAT, during the World City Forum held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March this year for international diffusion of the program.

The city's Hope-Plus Account project, on the other hand, is designed to help low-income people accumulate assets and get better education to stand on their own. Under the project, the metropolitan government and private partner organizations deposit a matching amount of money to their accounts when working poor families save about USD 40 to 160 a month.

The city also provides additional professional services to the participating households in cooperation with the civilian experts, in such fields as financial education, family finance, and education on housing.

The U.N. designated June 23 as Public Service Day in 2003, and has named outstanding examples of public service and administration around the world on the day.

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    Seoul Metropolitan Government
    +82-2-727-0024
    [email protected]

SOURCE Seoul Metropolitan Government