Home » UN Reform Watches » December 21st, 2006, No. 23

Much Needed Change in UN Human Resources Policies Gets a Timid Start

by Irene Martinetti
21 December 2006

On 22 December 2006, the General Assembly is expected to approve a draft resolution on the reform of the UN’s human resources management policies. The resolution provides some basis for improvement but leaves many questions open for further discussions. The article provides an analysis of the main issues at stake.

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The United Nations’ human resources management policies, which have been under relentless scrutiny by the international community for several years, are partly to blame for the failure of the organization to fulfill its mandates effectively. The reasons for reform are numerous. Existing policies, originally devised for a stable staff at the Secretariat, are no longer suitable, as more than half of its personnel, 16,000, are currently serving in the field. Due to the numerous new functions that the organization is now performing, new skills are required, and the recruitment process needs to be substantially improved. The UN experiences severe difficulties in staffing missions in "undesired" locations. The current technological tools are also outdated and incompatible, and lack the capacity to effectively handle the massive number of applications received.

Most importantly, the current system lacks adequate results-based management measures. That managerial staff often escapes from being held accountable for errors and wrongdoings, has a dramatically negative impact on the organization's overall effectiveness. The current system seems inadequate to provide the organization with staff upholding the "highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity." Moreover, it has persistently failed to ensure employment "on as wide a geographical basis as possible," both essential conditions of recruitment as stipulated by the UN Charter.1

After a few meager attempts to reform the organization’s human resources policies in 1997 and 2002,2 United Nations’ Member States finally agreed, at the World Summit in September 2005, that one of the essential steps to addressing the UN’s admitted malaise would be a thorough reform of the Secretariat’s human resources management policies. Thus, in August 2006, following the request from the Member States,3 the Secretary General issued a report: “Investing in People.”4 The report offers a list of recommendations for substantial and overarching reform of the current system as well as an assessment of the measures already underway, which were agreed to previously.

The Secretary General’s recommendations for significant improvement of the organization’s human resources policies include: better integration of staff in the field and headquarters into one global Secretariat with increasingly harmonized conditions of service; and enhancement of the organization’s ability to attract and retain high-quality staff. In order to address the current system’s shortcomings, the Office of Human Resources Management proposes, inter alia: stimulation of mobility of staff, which includes mobility as a necessary step for promotion; better career development opportunities and training tools, especially with respect to building leadership; use of “pre-screened rosters” of candidates selected for general job descriptions, as opposed to the current rosters where candidates are selected on the basis of specific job positions; streamlining of contractual arrangements into one UN staff contract featuring only three types of appointments (temporary, fixed term and continuing contracts); harmonized conditions of service; reform of the field service entailing the creation of 2500 civilian career peacekeepers to ensure rapid deployment; and a one-time staff buyout.

In a previous proposal, “Investing in the United Nations for a stronger organization worldwide,”5 the Secretary General also provided a framework for the outsourcing of many services, such as printing, which are currently provided at headquarters, with the aim to decrease spending at the Secretariat. However, this proposal encountered strong opposition from staff unions as well as from some Member States, particularly developing countries, and it was not included in the latest recommendations.

Presently, a draft resolution is being discussed at the Fifth Committee and is expected to be proposed for adoption at the General Assembly by the end of December 2006. Nonetheless, as the package of reforms raises several complicated questions that will reverberate throughout the whole UN system, Member States are encountering difficulties in reaching agreement and it is expected that many reforms will be left for further discussion at the Fifth Committee’s ‘resumed sessions’ next year. This delay was also recommended by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions6 in its Report on Human Resources Management.7

Contentious Issues

Member States have expressed substantially different approaches to the reform of the UN’s human resources management framework, in particular, in regard to the enforcement of geographical and gender targets, the criteria for the recruitment of candidates, mobility of staff, career development, harmonization of conditions of service, and reform of the field service. Decisions on most of these issues were partially, or entirely, postponed for further discussions at the resumed session, likely in May 2007.

Recruitment and Equitable Geographic Distribution

As to the recruitment process, the Russian Federation and CANZ (Canada, Australia and New Zealand), with the support of the EU, have been seeking to strengthen the application of merit as the primary factor in the selection of staff, while the G77 and China have insisted that geographical balance be considered equally. The G77 and China also seek to involve the central review bodies in the selection of candidates in order to ensure better enforcement of geographical balance.

With regards to addressing geographical balance of UN staff, the G77 has repeatedly stated that the system is in need of a fundamental “shake up” in order to be able to meet its targets. As of June 2006, eighteen Member States were unrepresented, eleven Member States were underrepresented and twenty-one Member States were overrepresented.8 Such a “shake-up” would involve more extensive targeted recruitment outreach towards unrepresented and underrepresented countries, but should also include a revision of the way geographical targets are set. Currently, the three criteria used to determine how many staff each Member State is entitled to are membership, contribution, and population.9 On several occasions, the G77 and China have mentioned that this system needs to be revised. Nevertheless, the draft resolution currently proposed for adoption does not seem to provide for a substantial shift in the way the organization approaches the achievement of geographical targets.

Accountability and Equitable Geographic Distribution

Member States have lamented that insufficient accountability of senior staff is to blame for the lack of compliance with equitable geographic distribution of staff. In order to enforce managerial staff’s compliance with geographical balance targets, the G77 and China propose that the Management Performance Board establish an advisory panel to monitor the implementation of the principle of equitable representation.

The Russian Federation, in particular, has shown resistance to the approval of a stronger accountability framework in regards to geographical and gender targets, by pointing out that some of the accountability targets currently used by the Secretariat have never specifically been endorsed by the General Assembly and jeopardize application of merit as the main factor for employment of staff. With respect to the provision that a manager’s delegation of authority be revoked when he or she fails to meet geographical and gender targets, the Russian Federation has declared such a practice to be inconsistent with approved procedures.

Other Approaches to Address Equitable Geographic Distribution

The G77 and China have proposed, inter alia, that senior positions at the Under Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General (USG and ASG) levels should rotate between developed and developing countries and that the Secretary General should ensure that there is no monopoly of a Member State or group of Member States on senior posts.10

Reform Issues Postponed

Some of the contentious points which will be deferred for further discussions, as per ACABQ recommendations, include: reform of contractual arrangements; managed mobility policy; reform of the field service; and the harmonization of the conditions of service.

Mobility
The mobility policy, also referred to as the ‘mandatory managed reassignment programme,’ has been formulated by the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) to create a more versatile international civil service capable of fulfilling both the standing requirements of Headquarters as well as the mandates of the field. In the vision of OHRM, an organizational culture needs to be created where mobility is accepted as an essential element of international civil service.11 Mandatory mobility has already been applied to P2 staff since 2000. The staff have been offered contracts that include the condition that career development would be linked to mobility. Staff are expected to move twice before promotion to a higher position. Following the Secretariat’s proposal, mandatory mobility would be extended to all regular staff. The Secretary General is also asking for more authority to move staff around when needed.

The mobility policy proposal has been received with skepticism by both the ACABQ, and by Member States, who expressed substantially different views on how, and to what extent, such policy should be implemented. In fact, the ACABQ noted, with concern, that expanding the managed mobility scheme is likely to present unforeseen financial, administrative and management implications.12

The Russian Federation and the G77 and China are reticent to approve the proposal and expressed concern that the General Assembly never endorsed a system-wide mandate for mobility policy. Concerns with regards to the policy include reservations that it might infringe on the rights of staff. Member States require more detailed information on its implementation before making any decisions. Japan also expressed reluctance to approve the requested resources until more detailed proposals are provided on how additional resources will be used.

On the other hand, the EU, together with CANZ, and the US, supports mobility policy and is willing to approve the additional resources requested by the Secretariat for the establishment of five temporary positions.

Contractual Arrangements, Harmonization of Conditions of Service, and Reform of the Field Service

The reform of the United Nations’ contractual arrangements, which entails the streamlining of UN contracts into a single UN staff contract, has been proposed by the Secretariat to reduce the considerable administrative load and errors, and to be more equitable to staff in the field.13 The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, however, has suggested that Member States seek the opinion of the International Civil Service Commission before making any decisions in this regard. Even though the EU, and the western powers in general,14 were inclined to make a decision aimed at simplifying the current contractual arrangements, the G77, Japan and the Russian Federation insisted on hearing the ICSC recommendations before discussing the issue any further.

The decision on the streamlining of contracts is related to the harmonization of the conditions of service and the reform of the field service through the creation of 2500 civilian career peacekeepers.15 With respect to the latter in particular, an agreement will be difficult to achieve, even at the resumed session, because of the fundamental differences in the approach towards peacekeeping that Member States have expressed. While the EU agrees with the Secretary General’s proposal that peacekeeping should be professionalized because it is a function of the UN that is only likely to increase in the next few decades, the G77 is adamant in claiming that peacekeeping should not be professionalized because it has been created as a temporary entity and should continue to be considered as such. The G77 has suggested that it envisages peacekeeping to be a function that the UN will not have to perform for much longer, and thus it would be nonsensical to create positions within the Secretariat specifically for peacekeeping. Japan also expressed skepticism towards the proposal due to the fact that, if peacekeeping is indeed temporary, creating fixed positions for peacekeeping within the Secretariat might generate financial difficulties in the future. Nevertheless, according to the Secretariat’s estimates, peacekeeping will be a UN function for at least two more decades, and the creation of 2500 civilian career peacekeepers within the Secretariat is crucial in order to properly address the current high vacancy rates and the difficulties in staffing missions with experienced personnel. The ACABQ report also recommends that the Secretariat provide further detailed information on the proposal, including an analysis of potential financial implications.16

DECISIONS TAKEN:

Some of the issues agreed upon so far include:

Recruitment
Approval of funds for the recruitment and staffing center requested by the Secretariat will be deferred to the programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009. Member States request that the expedited recruitment process be limited exclusively to surge needs, while the G77 and China refuse to accept the Secretary General’s suggestion to reduce the number of days required for advertising a vacancy from 60 to 30 days. Member States recognize that the use of pre-screened rosters could expedite the recruitment process but deferred its use to a later stage while requesting that the Secretariat make full use of the existing rosters. The draft resolution also establishes that, when recruiting in the field, knowledge of the official language(s) spoken should be taken into account as an additional asset. Limitations for assignment of General Service staff to field missions will not be lifted.

Geographical Balance
The current draft resolution recognizes that, under the current system, managerial staff is not held sufficiently accountable in achieving equitable geographic distribution. Member States request the Secretary General to involve the Management Performance Board in monitoring implementation of the provisions on accountability contained in the Human Resources Action Plan. It also requests that the Plan be available to the public via the UN website. The Secretariat is urged to reduce the number of under-or-unrepresented Member States within its staff by 30% by the year 2010. The SG should also ensure, “as a general rule” that no national of a Member State succeeds a national of that same state in a senior post.

Mobility
Member States approved the establishment of three new temporary positions and additional appropriations of $331,000 and $35,400 to provide support for mobility policies already approved.

IT Reform
The current draft resolution approves the Secretariat’s proposal to improve human resources management IT tools to be integrated into the future Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP). Member States approved the establishment of six new temporary posts for an amount of $1,521,000 under the budget for 2006-2007, as per recommendation by ACABQ.17 Member States also decided to grant the Secretary General the authority for spending an estimated $864,000 under the peacekeeping operations budget. It was requested that the Secretariat ensure that the IT system is available in the UN’s two official languages and to report on implementation of the reforms by 2008.

Accountability
Provisions with regards to enhancing accountability of staff at the Secretariat would fit in the framework of the mandate of the Ethics Office and the work of the Management Performance Board especially with an aim to enforce accountability of senior management. Member States requested that the Secretary General submit a detailed proposal for the use of sanctions and incentives as an integral element of personnel management for further discussion in 2008. Furthermore, Member States requested that the Secretariat improve accountability and monitoring and control mechanisms and report on implementation by 2008.

Staff buyout
Member States decided against the approval of the staff buyout proposal and the related resources asked for by the Secretariat in agreement with the recommendations of the ACABQ, on the premise that a buyout should not be used to address instances of under-and-non performance. The ACABQ also takes note that a significant number of staff will reach retirement within the next five years and this will have an impact at managerial levels.

Gender Representation
Member States requested that the Secretary General increase his efforts to obtain gender parity and report to the General Assembly on the progress achieved by 2008. The Secretary General was also asked to enhance his efforts to increase the quota of women from developing countries serving the organization and submit further proposals to this end.

Training
As per recommendation by the ACABQ,18 Member States approved an appropriation of an additional $3 million dollars for career development support.

Employment of retired staff
With respect to the tendency of hiring retired staff well beyond their mandatory age of separation, Member States share the ACABQ concerns that such a trend reveals fundamental weakness in advance planning. Such instances should be adequately justified, documented and occur only as exceptional cases.

Consultants and Individual Contractors (A/61/257/Add.3)
Member States share the ACABQ concern that expenditure and use of individual contractors decreased and the use of contractors might have been understated, thus Member States require further substantially more analytical and detailed reporting.

Conclusion
The draft resolution currently under discussion provides some useful basis to advance the reform of the human resources management policies at the UN; however, although some progress has been made, many substantial questions remain open. Hopefully, by the first half of 2007, most of these issues will be resolved.


  1. As per Article 101, Paragraph 3 of the UN Charter: “The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.”
  2. "Management Reforms Progressing Slowly with Many Awaiting General Assembly Review", US Government Accountability Office, October 2006
  3. World Summit Outcome Document (A/RES/60/1), Article 163.
  4. A/61/255, August 15, 2006
  5. A/60/692, March 7, 2006
  6. The ACABQ is a 16 member subsidiary organ of the GA which has, inter alia, the important task to advise the Fifth Committee on administrative and budgetary matters referred to it.
  7. A/61/537, October 26, 2006
  8. A/61/257 Par. 63, August 15, 2006
  9. For further information read: A/61/257, Annex I
  10. The US currently has 52 staff at senior posts level (D1, D2, ASG and USG), the Russian Federation 21, Germany and the UK 18, A/61/257 Annex II, Table A.3
  11. A/61/255 Par. 122-173
  12. A/61/537, Par. 30
  13. Peacekeeping staff is usually hired on a 300 series contract.
  14. For “western powers” read: EU, US and CANZ
  15. For more information with regards to the 2500 civilian career peacekeepers proposal read: {url=223]Fifth Committee Report: Week of November 13-17, 2006,[/url] Center for UN Reform Education
  16. A/61/537, Par. 74-77
  17. A/61/537, Par. 68
  18. A/61/537, Par. 48

Published in UN Reform Watches, December 21st, 2006, No. 23

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Chronology: The Human Rights Council – elections, sessions and important developments
By Thomas Colerick, 23 September 2011
As the Center for UN Reform Education once again will be covering the Human Rights Council more systematically, this chronology of the Council is provided. It includes elections, selected sessions and major developments and takes the reader from the Council’s birth in 2006 to today where the Council is currently holding its 18th Session in Geneva, Switzerland.




Panel on Improving Security Council Working Methods
On 23 June 2011, The Center for UN Reform Education held a panel discussion on “Improving the Working Methods of the Security Council”. The basis for the discussion was the most recent version of the S5 draft proposal on Reforming the Working Methods of the Security Council.




Qatar hosts workshop on Security Council Reform
On 12 & 13 May 2011, Qatar hosted a workshop on Security Council Reform in Doha. Lydia Swart of the Center was invited and she shared ten observations on this key reform process.

To move the process along, Member States, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations, and/or the President of the General Assembly will need to provide leadership by proposing a timeline/trajectory for the negotiations and by formulating a compromise solution that can garner support from all factions.




S5 presents draft resolution on Improving the Working Methods of the Security Council
By Mie Hansen, 2 May 2011
On 14 April, 2011, the Small Five Group (S5), consisting of Costa Rica, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland, presented a draft resolution for Improving the Working Methods of the Security Council. The resolution was presented under agenda item 115 of the General Assembly (GA) that deals with follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit. The S5 had presented its first draft resolution on the topic (A/60/L.49) in 2006 also as follow-up to the 2000/2005 Summits.

Update on Security Council Reform
By Mie Hansen, 5 April 2011
Since the Center’s latest update of 22 June 2010, Members States conducted text-based negotiations on 21 October 2010, 11 November 2010, 14 December 2010, and on 2 March 2011 in their efforts to reform the Security Council. Some countries apparently continue to slow down the negotiations, while others may push for a vote sooner rather than later.

Book Launch, The Group of 77: Perspectives on its Role in the UN General Assembly.
25 April 2011
Pictured from right to left: Center President William R. Pace, Minister Marcelo Suarez Salvia from Argentina (current G77 Chair), Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz of Egypt, Ambassador Herman Schaper of the Netherlands, and co-author Lydia Swart. For their remarks, click here: Minister Suarez, Ambassador Schaper, Ambassador Abdelaziz (pending) and Lydia Swart.





Text-based Negotiations in Full Swing
22 June 2010
On June 16th the negotiations on Security Council reform proceeded with the third meeting of the fifth round. The meeting aimed at getting member states to discuss specific language on the fourth “key issue”. Many countries seemed to have misunderstood the intention of the Chair, however, and restated their positions rather than making suggestions for specific changes to the document at hand.

Potentially Historic Text on Security Council Reform
By Jakob Lund, 13 May 2010
On May 10th, Zahir Tanin, the Chair of the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council, sent out a long-awaited fax to all member states containing a “negotiation text”. The text and the annex can be accessed on the website of the PGA. The text includes the proposals sent by member states to Tanin's office since he opened the process of moving towards a text-based solution.

Open Debate on the Working Methods of the Security Council
By Jakob Silas Lund, 28 April 2010
On April 22nd, the Security Council’s Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Issues held an open debate on the working methods of the Council. The debate raised some key questions that are relevant to the ongoing Security Council reform negotiations. Furthermore, to keep the issue of its working methods on the agenda of the Security Council is, in and of itself, an accomplishment.

A New Phase in Security Council Reform Has Started
10 February, 2010
On February 5th, the Chair of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, Ambassador Tanin of Afghanistan, sent out a letter to all member states with an attachment of sixty pages. The document (available here and here) includes all “substantive input” submitted by Member States to the Chair thus far in the fourth round of negotiations. This marks the beginning of the fifth round, which, for the first time, will be text-based.

Moving Towards Text-Based Negotiations?
By Jakob Silas Lund, 21 January 2010
The previous month was an eventful one in terms of the Security Council reform process. On December 23rd, a group of countries sent a letter to the Chair of the intergovernmental negotiations, Ambassador Tanin of Afghanistan, urging him to present a composite paper. Following that, Tanin received a number of other letters concerning the process and on January 14th he replied with his own letter to all member states. This all culminated in the latest round of negotiations on January 19th and 20th in which the consequences of the letter exchanges were discussed.

Pros and Cons of Security Council reform
By Jakob Silas Lund, 19 January 2010
Through extensive interviews with experts as well as current and former Ambassadors and diplomats who have been close to the reform process, this article outlines and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the components incorporated in the proposals currently on the table.

The Long and Winding Road
by Jakob Silas Lund, 11 December, 2009
On November 16th, the chair of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, Ambassador Zahir Tanin of Afghanistan, sent a letter to all member states inviting them to the first meeting of the fourth round of negotiations. The negotiations ended up spanning over two days rather than the planned one-day session.