Global Government Leaders’ Forum puts international learning for civil servants centre stage
This year’s Global Government Leaders’ Forum has brought together public servants from across the world to share solutions to the common challenges and opportunities they face.
Public servants from Singapore and beyond came together to discuss some of the key elements of the work of government in 2026. Session topics included AI in action, with speakers sharing global innovations in rewiring government and building trust to make the most of AI; how to engage citizens in public service delivery; unlocking an improved experience of government services with data; and how to measure government performance to drive continuous improvement.
Opening the conference, Leo Yip, the head of civil service in Singapore, highlighted the challenges confronting governments. “I think the world is really up against a very complex set of issues and challenges,” he said. “Governance has become a lot more challenging, and therefore governance solutions will have to be multi-disciplinary [and] a lot of what we will have to do in terms of our responses to our problems will be cross-border.”
He highlighted that climate action was a “classic example” of where coordination is needed.
“What we need [is] multidisciplinary cross-border partnerships between government and industry and so on and so on. And how do we partner [across] government, industry, academia? How do we partner across borders [and] how do we learn from one another?
“We all face more or less the same set of challenges [and] the same set of issues. They are inherently complex, and therefore the way forward, I think, is there is much to gain from learning.”
Read more: Innovation 2026 a ‘groundbreaking gathering’, says Cat Little in invite to civil servants
‘Technology is everything, everywhere, all at once’
Yip also said that the consequential impact of technology, such as AI, means governments “really have to embrace”.
He added: “You’ve got to deploy [AI] in your work, and in our case, in the work of the government. You cannot afford not to embrace AI in your work… it’s got to be part of our daily work and transforming the way we work every day.”
Governments need to master technology, not just understand it, he said. “It’s a challenge, and it is not straightforward… but it’s something where we absolutely have no choice.
“If you look at the [Leaders’ Forum] programme today, you will see that technology is everything everywhere, all at once. Every topic that we’re going to go through today, right from understanding our citizens, improving the performance and service delivery of government… has a strong technology, not just dimension, but context.”
The Global Government Leaders’ Forum brings civil service leaders together to take part in discussions on leadership, digital transformation, organisational change, policymaking, and service delivery. This year’s event took place on 20 January in Singapore, and was supported by knowledge partners Workday and Accenture. Find out more about the event here.
An exchange of ideas on how public services can access the right expertise
Public servants from around the world joined the conference, and before it started speakers shared with Global Government Forum what they hoped to learn.
Marie-Chantal Girard, president of the Public Service Commission of Canada – who was a panellist in the session ‘Unlocking an improved experience of government services with data’ and is a Global Government Summit participant – said she was most looking forward to discussing how governments can make better use of data and talent to deliver real improvements.
“In Canada, we’re seeing how thoughtful use of data can support better decision-making and workforce planning, while also building public trust,” she said.
“I am also keen to exchange ideas on how public services can access the right expertise – by rethinking recruitment, career paths, and partnerships – so we’re better equipped to tackle complex, long-term challenges together. The Global Government Leaders’ Forum is a valuable opportunity to learn from what is working elsewhere and to share concrete examples of how innovation and collaboration can make governments more effective.”
Girard also set out her priorities for the year ahead and what she hoped to learn from colleagues and peers at the Leaders’ Forum to help achieve them.
“Looking to the year ahead, my priorities are to sharpen our focus on core activities, drive greater efficiency in how we work, and strengthen our accountability for our results. This will involve deepening our adoption of AI and emerging technologies, always with a commitment to fostering public trust. I am dedicated to advancing the development of an agile, diverse, and future-ready workforce, and to reinforcing the foundations of a resilient public service. In a period of rapid change, maintaining fundamentals while adapting is essential for effective governance.”
She added that advancing international collaboration and partnerships is a “central focus” for the Government of Canada.
“There is tremendous value in sharing practical insights on innovation in action and building the future of work. By learning from one another, we can collectively strengthen public institutions for the challenges ahead,” she said.
“We are particularly interested in learning from colleagues and peers about how they are building modern, digital foundations and innovations to improve service delivery while strengthening the core principles that underpin public trust.”
How to boost collaboration through data sharing
Kevin Ng, senior director of the data programme at GovTech Singapore, who spoke on the same panel as Girard at the Leaders’ Forum, said ahead of the event that he was most looking forward to discussing the opportunities for leveraging data and AI at scale to improve government to citizen and business services.
He said he and colleagues are looking at fostering stronger collaboration across government agencies “through seamless well-governed data sharing”, and that he would like to “learn more about the different experiences and how we may apply them to the Singapore government context”.
The Global Government Summit, which takes place on 20-22 January, will bring together the most senior civil servants from more than 20 countries to address some of the biggest challenges facing public sector leaders around the world. The summit is supported by the Government of Singapore, and championed by Leo Yip, the head of civil service.
Find out more about the 2026 Global Government Summit agenda here
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