The COVID-19 pandemic's impacts have been felt throughout the world, reverberating through public health, economy, public institutions, and everyday life. The consequences of this pandemic are in every sector in every country, perhaps continuing to be felt for years to come. One of the main challenges emerged from the pandemic is that it is possible for the public sector to be agile, remain productive and efficient in performing their duties and deliver services. This pandemic has also highlighted the need for regional cooperation.
As countries in the Arab region gradually recover from the COVID-19 crisis and adapting a hybrid model of office and home-based work, more innovative tools and new ways of thinking are needed to maintain labor productivity under the new normal and beyond. In the context of the public sector, this includes the continuity of work and administrative functions, maintain service delivery, optimize engagement and collaboration, share knowledge and learning, and break down organizational silos.
Since April 2020, UNDP and General Secretariat for the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD) jointly launched #Q8vsCovid19 Hackathon Series to introduce innovative solutions to Coveid-19 related challenges, such as a SME hackathon to overcome broken supply-chains and health services. In September 2020, UNDP, GSSCPD and World Bank partnered to organize this Regional ldeathon, which attracted over 700 participants from the region. Participants worked on coming up with ideas to improve public sector efficiency and effectiveness. Through this process, participating teams further consolidated newly acquire skills in design thinking and behavioural insights. These were the moments of solidarity working till late nights across borders, being connected digitally.