Public officers on Ambergris Caye celebrated the 2nd annual Belize Public Service Information Day on Wednesday, May 28th. The event was held under the theme “Belize Public Service: Service for You, Service for Me, Serving the Public, Serving Belize,” and is part of country-wide activities ahead of Public Service Day. 23 of the 24 government departments on the island participated in the event, which took place at the San Pedro Central Park.
Public Service Day is held celebrated worldwide on June 23rd, and in Belize, the Public Service Day Committee decided to celebrate Public Service Information Day on different dates throughout the various municipalities. This was done to allow more participation from the schools, as well as to capitalize on favorable weather conditions. The main purpose of the event is to give the government departments the opportunity to showcase their work, network with other departments and receive public feedback on ways to further improve service delivery.
The Government of Belize is one of the biggest employers in the country, and has public officers in the different government departments countrywide. The officers, who are legally appointed to exercise governmental functions, are tasked to perform services for the benefit of the public. Speaking at the event, Mayor of San Pedro Town Daniel Guerrero said that several times, their dedication, contribution and service goes unnoticed, or even met with criticism.
“Public service is not the most glamorous or profitable line of work, but it is one of the most important in our society. Public service translates our government laws and social values into daily work that keeps our democracy going. Public employees are the face of our government. They provide the direct interaction with our citizens. For this we value you and deeply appreciate your hard work and dedication,” said Guerrero, as he addressed invited guests and the many public officers in attendance.
Guest Speaker at the event was the Minister of the Public Service and Elections and Boundaries Department, Honorable Senator Charles Gibson. Gibson is a career public officer, having served in various positions over his 35 years of public service. In his remarks, he said that despite the challenges, most of the public officers are hardworking, showing commitment to the delivery of the many services provided to the Belize public. “The challenges we face today requires that the work and professionalism of the Public Service of Belize become even more visible and impact our society much more. Events such as these are of critical importance, as our public service strives to improve efficient service delivery… One of the overwhelming concerns raised during one of my tours in October of last year, was, ‘how can we improve on service delivery.’ To achieve this, the Ministry of the Public Service has engaged a private firm to assist the ministry in developing a ‘customer service improvement policy’ to strengthen service quality and efficiency,” outlined Gibson.
Following the opening ceremony, students, the public and other invited guests were invited to view the 23 booths were they had the opportunity to get informed, participate in fun games and win great prizes. At the event, each department was recognized and given a certificate of appreciation for its service.
