Civil servants are the silent heroes of our democracy and society.

Civil servants are the silent heroes of democracy who, through their professionalism, commitment, dedication and efficiency, strengthen citizens’ trust in institutions and contribute to building a better and fairer society.

This was announced during the organization of the ceremony “We promote quality for better public administration”, where, on the occasion of the International Day of Public Administration, awards were given to the best civil servants.

Minister of Public Administration Maraš Dukaj said that public administration reform is one of the three key pillars of European Union (EU) enlargement and one of the most complex tasks facing Montenegro in the negotiation process.

“Together with the entire team of the Ministry, of which I am proud, we have worked with dedication to improve all areas within our competence. The entire state administration of Montenegro has done a tremendous job in recent months, and the proof of this is the important step we took a few days ago in European integration,” Dukaj said.

According to him, civil servants are the silent heroes of our democracy and our society.

As Dukaj said, although they often face great challenges and expectations, civil servants, through their commitment and dedication, professionalism and efficiency, strengthen citizens’ trust in institutions and contribute to building a better and fairer society.

“That is why tonight we pay tribute to you and thank you, you who are excellent, the best among us, because you work tirelessly in the public interest. We have an obligation to recognize you, to support you and to show you that we appreciate your commitment and your professionalism,” Dukaj said.

This year, for the first time, as he said, the best individuals and teams were selected according to a new methodology, developed in cooperation with UNDP, with clearly established and publicly accessible criteria and categories.

“Dear civil servants, we are proud of your work, aware that there is always room for improvement. May the best among us inspire us to work with even more zeal and dedication to ensure that every segment of society functions in the best possible way. Your role is invaluable and without you, our goals are not achievable. Always keep this in mind,” Dukaj said.

He added that in the process of improving public administration, active citizens and the economy are needed, “which encourage us to be better, more efficient and oriented to their needs.”

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić stressed that as a person who returned to the country a few years ago after living in a completely different system, he must admit that many people he met and worked with broke all the prejudices he had about the state administration.

“Many competent and dedicated people gave me confidence, through their work and enthusiasm, that together we can bring positive changes to Montenegro. And they were right,” said Mr Spajić.

According to him, the rule of law has been a problem for Montenegrin society for years, so obtaining the IBAR is also a great victory, because finally the work of all civil servants will be visible to society and valued thanks to the closing of the chapters of the European agenda.

“There is a lot of work ahead of you and us, so be ready, because this is the time to give our all to take advantage of Montenegro’s great opportunity to become the 2028th member of the 28-member European Union,” Spajić said.

The Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro, Ekaterina Paniklova, stressed that UNDP, as a reliable partner of Montenegro, has been providing continuous support to the Montenegrin public administration for two decades, focusing on strengthening institutions, improving transparency and promoting the green economy, digitalization, strengthening the rule of law and promoting gender equality.

This cooperation, as she said, has laid solid foundations and has shown that there is a strong synergy between EU membership, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the complementarity of these processes.

Paniklova said that as public administration progresses and all its components function harmoniously, it is essential to recognize and reward individuals and teams who have made exceptional contributions.

“We must continue to recognize and celebrate the efforts of these dedicated civil servants who work tirelessly for the progress and well-being of the citizens of Montenegro. I am particularly pleased that this year’s award and recognition process is the result of a strong partnership between UNDP and the Ministry of Public Administration,” said Paniklova.

The Director of Human Resources Administration, Agron Camaj, stressed that a well-organized and competent public administration is a prerequisite for strengthening institutions, on which the success of economic and social reforms in general also depends.

“Effective public administration is a prerequisite for the realization of the rule of law and the protection of human rights and freedoms in accordance with the standards of developed democracies and prosperous states which, united, form the family of nations to which we ourselves aspire – the EU,” Camaj said.

He said that quality in public administration is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

“To fulfill our mission to the end and with quality, our leadership must be dedicated and have a clear vision, and our officers, through continuous training and development, must master modern methods and technologies, but also be ready at any time to respond to the challenges that await us. they are set by the current moment of development of our society,” Camaj said.

He believes that an egalitarian approach for all contributes to building a public administration free from prejudice, in which knowledge and experience will be valued, quality will be promoted and where everyone will have the opportunity to make a maximum contribution.

“Therefore, in all our processes it is very important to integrate the principle of gender equality, to show more solidarity and mutual understanding, support and cooperation, and to continue encouraging the integration of members of national minorities in public administration,” Camaj said.

The representative of the Ministry of Public Administration (MJU), Aleksandra Masoničić, said on behalf of the laureates that she was pleased and grateful that the Ministry had recognized the importance of celebrating the International Day of Public Administration this year by rewarding the best achievements.

“On behalf of all the winners, I thank my colleagues who supported us and provided assistance, and on my own behalf, I thank UNDP, which provided unconditional support to my team in preparing the winning project,” Masoničić said.

She stressed that responsibility and quality will always be recognized and rewarded, and that only through teamwork and dedication can the goals set by Montenegro be achieved in the coming period.

In the category “Excellence in public service delivery and advocacy for accessibility of public administration – Public administration for all”, the winners are Marina Matijević from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, Munir Ramdedović from the Municipality of Bar, Slađana Miletić from the Ministry of Defence, Đerđ Gojčaj from the Ministry of Defence, Marina Pavićević from the Directorate of Inspection Affairs.

The team prize in the category “Modernization and digital transformation of public administration as well as contribution to the EU integration process” was awarded to Aleksandra Masoničić, Alen Franca and Biljana Mašanović from MJU.

The team consisting of Maja Dragojević, Jelena Knežević, Jovan Kljajić, Vesna Simonović, Mark Sinistaj and Ilija Šofranac, also from MJU, was also awarded.

Individually, the best in this category are Bojan Vujović and Irena Bošković from the Ministry of European Affairs.

In the category “Support for youth empowerment and greater involvement (inclusion) of vulnerable population groups in social flows, as well as support for gender equality and gender-sensitive public administration”, Milica Nikolić from the Human Resources Administration, Rosanda Jocović from the Ministry of Economic Development and their team, the award was given to Mitra Kisjelica, Biljana Škobalj, Adriana Kovačević and Marina Vukalović from the Municipality of Herceg Novi.

In the last category, “Support in the fight against corruption and organized crime”, the team of the Police Administration consisting of Aleksandar Radović, Nataša Starovlah Knežević, Helga Dakić and Miroslav Jaramaz was awarded.

( MINE )