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Every year on June 23rd, the worldwide community comes together to commemorate United Nations Public Service Day, which honors public workers’ invaluable contributions to furthering development, promoting public welfare, and ensuring institutional integrity. As we commemorate UN Public Service Day 2025, it is an opportune time to look beyond recognition and critically analyze the legal and ethical principles that support public service.
This article seeks to investigate how law and ethics serve as the foundations of effective and responsible government. By emphasizing their significance in influencing public administration, we demonstrate why a legally grounded and ethically driven public service is critical to achieving the public good—a society based on fairness, openness, and justice.
Public service is fundamentally concerned with achieving the public good—society’s collective well-being. This includes access to education, healthcare, justice, safe places, and security. Public servants are entrusted with protecting these rights, and they frequently represent the state to millions of residents.
In a world characterized by fast political, environmental, and technological change, good public service is more important than ever. And it is the law that establishes the framework and safeguards that ensure public service is fair, transparent, and inclusive.
Public service is based on national and international legal frameworks that define how governments must function. These frameworks specify the tasks, responsibilities, and limitations of governmental authorities.
International instruments such as the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Right, and the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) emphasise ideals such as transparency, non-discrimination, accountability, and service to the people. National constitutions and civil service legislation establish guidelines for public servants’ appointment, conduct, and obligations.
For example, India’s Constitution (Article 14) guarantees all residents equal access to public services. In the United States, the Ethics in Government Act requires financial disclosures to avoid conflicts of interest in public office. These legislative safeguards ensure that public services benefit the people, not commercial interests.
While ethics may appear to be a personal compass, many ethical norms in public administration are legally binding. Laws and codes of conduct require public servants to act with integrity, impartiality, and accountability. Corruption, nepotism, and misuse of power are examples of violations that are not only unethical but also unlawful.
Countries around the world impose ethical behavior through legislation such as:
For example, the OECD (Organisation for economic co-operation and development) Guidelines for Managing Conflicts of Interest in the Public Service have been incorporated into national legal systems to prevent favoritism and abuse of power
A strong public service necessitates robust legal accountability mechanisms. They include:
In countries such as South Africa, the Public Protector has a constitutional responsibility to investigate misconduct in public administration. In India, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was passed to combat corruption at the highest levels of government.
These legislative measures are critical to sustaining confidence between residents and the state.
Despite these frameworks, difficulties persist. Corruption, political pressure, ineffective enforcement, and a lack of training can all impair ethical behavior. In some cases, laws exist on paper but fail in practice, resulting in impunity or injustice.
Furthermore, evolving technologies raise new ethical and legal issues. How can we control the public’s use of AI, biometric monitoring, and big data while protecting civil liberties? Data protection laws and digital rights frameworks are increasingly important in determining ethical public service delivery in the digital era.
To create strong and ethical public institutions, we must:
International collaboration, such as through the United Nations, can help countries establish and enforce ethical public service laws. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically SDG 16, highlights the need for “peace, justice, and strong institutions.”
UN Public Service Day is a timely reminder that public service must be based on both law and ethics. While laws establish obligations and responsibilities, ethical ideals promote honesty and justice in areas that go beyond written norms. They constitute the cornerstone for effective, accountable governance.
As we commemorate this day in 2025, let us renew our commitment to creating trustworthy and just institutions. This blog is written by Adv. Abdul Mulla, an advocate for ethical government and legal understanding. For legal insights and professional guidance, visit http://www.lifeandlaw.in and http://www.asmlegalservices.in.
Adv. Abdul Mulla (Mob. No. 937 007 2022) is a seasoned legal professional with over 18 years of experience in advocacy, specializing in diverse areas of law, including Real Estate and Property Law, Matrimonial and Divorce Matters, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, and Will and Succession Planning. read more….
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