FIFTH COMMITTEE HEARS CALLS FOR GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF POSTS, PRINCIPLE OF MERIT TO BE STRENGTHENED IN UN RECRUITMENT AND PROMOTIONS POLICY

Press Release
GA/AB/3097

FIFTH COMMITTEE HEARS CALLS FOR GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF POSTS, PRINCIPLE OF MERIT TO BE STRENGTHENED IN UN RECRUITMENT AND PROMOTIONS POLICY

National competitive examinations should be maintained as an instrument for recruiting qualified personnel, correcting inequities in the geographical distribution of posts and introducing fresh blood into the United Nations, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) was told this afternoon as it continued consideration of human resources management and of efforts to save some $154 million from the regular budget.

The representative of Japan, one of those sounding the call, said that the Secretariat should further shorten the time it took to hire successful candidates and consider promoting staff to P-3 after two years, if they did their work very well. He also sought information on the recruitment of seven women outside the context of the examinations.

The principle of merit in recruitment and promotions should be strengthened, Australia's representative said, also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand. An effective network of global recruitment sources and contacts was essential in increasing the efficiency and quality of output of the recruitment process. Welcoming the progress made in the performance appraisal system (PAS), he expressed hope that it would be implemented throughout the Organization without delay.

The representative of the Sudan said that there were areas in which the Organization could hire personnel locally in the field since the recruitment of staff at the local level would reduce the Organization's costs. The Secretariat's efforts to improve gender balance should be increased to place women on an equal footing with men, she added.

The representative of the United States said her country would continue ensuring all United Nations employees' freedom to travel on official business. However, for national security reasons, it reserved the right to restrict the recreational and private travel of certain United Nations officials or staff members in its territory.

Fifth Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

Speaking on the efforts to save $154 million from the United Nations regular budget, Mali's representative said that the proposed cuts should not harm programmes intended to help the least developed countries. He expressed concern, for instance, about the proposal to cut $7.7 million from the resources of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Secretary-General should allocate adequate resources for activities relating to the least developed countries, as requested by the General Assembly.

Statements were also made by the representatives of the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Burundi.

The Committee is scheduled to meet again at 10 a.m., tomorrow, 23 October, to take up financing of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) and continue debating the Secretary-General's budget-cutting proposals and human resources management.

Committee Work Programme

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this afternoon to continue its general discussions on the implementation of the savings from the 1996-1997 regular budget and on human resources management. For background information see Press Release GA/AB/3096 of 21 October.

Statements on 1996-1997 Regular Budget

KIM BONG HYUN (Republic of Korea) said he shared the concerns of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China in relation to the proposals to cut United Nations staff in order to achieve the savings that had been mandated by the General Assembly. All organizations depend on their human resources for smooth operations, with the United Nations not being an exception. Possible involuntary separations of staff, as mentioned in the Secretary-General's report on the budget cuts, could undermine staff morale. Moreover, the Assembly had not yet decided to abolish any post and it was still scheduled to consider the Secretary-General's proposals, including an increase in the vacancy rate for professionals above 6.4 per cent. He endorsed the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) that the Secretary-General should not carry out any involuntary separations solely to reduce the budget.

Regarding the efficiency gains, he said that they should be geared more towards the efficient long-term operation of the Organization and less to short-term cost-cutting goals. He expressed concern about how much attention was being paid to part II of Assembly resolution 50/214, which asked the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate resources were allocated in the 1996-1997 budget for activities related to the least developing countries. The Secretary-General had also not made clear how the numerous deferrals, delays, postponements and cancellations in the approved budget would affect the United Nations ability to carry out its mandates. Both the Secretariat and the Secretary-General should provide further information on the matter, the latter in the context of the first performance report on the 1996-1997 budget. The Assembly could then resume consideration of the matter after receiving that report.

MOCTAR OUANE (Mali) associated his delegation with Costa Rica's statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Secretariat had arrived at the decisions that it would reach vacancy rates that were above the 6.4 per cent approved by the Assembly. The process used to reach such decisions was a cause of concern for his delegation. He wondered to what extent intergovernmental bodies had been involved in the process of deciding how to make savings from the budget. The issue of vacancy rates was another cause for concern. The Secretariat had gone beyond the professional rate of 6.4 per cent established by the Assembly. The impact of such a high vacancy rate on

Fifth Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

United Nations programmes should be clarified. The funding of priority programmes deserved the attention of Member States. The attempt to fund new mandates should not make the Assembly lose sight of the budgetary procedures it had established.

Activities and programmes affecting the least developed countries were at the forefront of the work of the United Nations. Therefore, the proposed cut of $7.7 million from the funds of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was a cause for concern. The Secretariat had not explained how it had reached those figures and what effect such cuts would have on UNCTAD programmes. Adequate resources must be devoted to programmes that were useful to the least developed countries, and economy measures should not hamper such programmes.

Citing the report of the ACABQ, he expressed doubts as to whether the proposed changes in the budget were compatible with the terms of section II, paragraph 12, of resolution 50/214 of 23 December 1995, in which the Assembly had asked the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate resources were allocated in the budget for activities specifically relating to the least developing countries.

Statements on Human Resources Management

BILAHARI KAUSIKAN (Singapore) thanked the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, Denis Halliday, for "troubling themselves yesterday to try and explain the situation surrounding the Secretary-General's report on violence against women migrant workers". However, there were no surprises in either statement. "Both of them made exactly the kind of statement that we, unfortunately, have come to expect of the Secretariat." Stating that Mr. Desai was an honourable man, he said he was, however, "conscribed by the corporate culture of the Organization to which he belongs".

Singapore's delegation would interpret the two statements made by the Secretariat in the light of a fundamental management issue since the Secretariat had provided the Fifth Committee with a vivid example of the kinds of problems to which attention should be drawn, he said. Restating the four concerns his delegation had raised on the expert meeting in question, he said those concerns had been substantiated in an aide-mémoire. The Secretariat's first response to the concerns was essentially to say that what occurred in the meeting in question was normal United Nations practice. "That was precisely the staff attitude or corporate culture that we are not prepared to accept." If the action at that meeting was normal practice, a repetition of misconduct 26 times did not make it right. It was unacceptable "to accept what has been done before merely because it has been done before". That was

Fifth Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

not a characteristic of a dynamic and forward looking staff. It was for that reason that the issue was raised in public.

Recalling a statement made by the current President of the Assembly, he said that the Secretariat should note that "it was not business as usual". In its response the Secretariat used its "favorite excuse" of technical error, which could not explain the pattern of systematic bias, nor attempts to mislead, distort or omit Singapore's reservations on the meeting or on the report in question. When such an excuse was used, "no one could be held responsible". Stressing that his delegation "did not generally attack some anonymous civil service" but had expressed very specific concerns, he said the crux of the entire matter was individual responsibility and individual accountability. Only when Member States insisted on that would the Secretariat be able to free itself from indiscriminate collective attacks and truly reform itself.

The Secretariat's generally high standard of professionalism and conduct should not hide the few who did not always meet those standards under the cloak of anonymity bestowed by the general label of "international civil service", he continued. "The spotlight was now on the Division for the Advancement of Women and its Head." If the Head did not repeat the conduct that his delegation complained about, she had nothing to fear nor did the vast majority of the Secretariat who performed their duties with professionalism. He would continue to insist on the principle of personal responsibility and personal accountability. Singapore did not accept that it should not speak because it did not suit the Secretariat. Reiterating that international civil servants should be held individually accountable, he said they should also be individually rewarded and commended for what they did right. The contribution of the diligent and professional should not be overlooked in the interest of the idle and unprofessional.

MILES ARMITAGE (Australia), speaking also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, stressed that the internal justice system as it now functions must be respected. Its procedures must be scrupulously followed to ensure that cases before it were not accessible to political influence from any quarter. All subject to it must receive the benefit of due process. Those who were accused must have the opportunity to confront and respond to their accusers. In that connection, he welcomed the statements made by Mr. Halliday and Mr. Desai to the Committee yesterday. He commended the dedication and professionalism of the Organization's staff in furthering the purposes and the principles of the United Nations.

Turning to the Secretary-General's strategy for the management of Organization's human resources, he said that at the time of great change being experienced by the Organization in which personnel costs accounted for 70 per cent of its total expenses, efforts must be made to reduce those costs without

Fifth Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

affecting programme delivery. The Assembly could also play an important role in fulfilling its own prerogatives, in setting the strategy's general directions and in examining the main management tools selected to implement the strategy. Had the Organization made more progress in implementing the strategy, the Secretariat would have been better able to deal with the human resources implications of the savings exercise. The capacity to direct the staff redeployment programme should already have been at the Secretary- General's disposal.

Although the report referred to too many activities that were yet to be implemented, much of it was encouraging, he said. For example, the progress of the performance appraisal system (PAS) was encouraging. He looked forward to its full implementation. The introduction of a mandatory people management training programme was also a significant development. Optimizing the Organization's human resources was crucial and the leadership skills of senior managers needed to be at the forefront of best practice if staff were to be motivated. An effective network of global recruitment sources and contacts would be essential to increasing the efficiency and quality of output of the recruitment process.

The merit principle should be further strengthened in recruitments, placements and promotions, he continued. That was also important with regard to improving the status of women. The suggestion of managed reassignment should be one of the Secretariat's important objectives. It would be a practical way to develop the breadth of skills and the flexibility for the staff to be responsive and flexible. The decentralization of personnel functions would allow the existing Office of Human Resources Management to focus on functions acutely needed by the Organization such as human resources management planning and policy advice. The Fifth Committee should endorse the current direction of the Secretary-General's human resources management strategy and encourage its expedited implementation.

LAILA OMER BASHIR (Sudan) said that the role of the Organization, as enunciated in the United Nations Charter, should be strengthened. There were areas in which the Organization could recruit and use personnel locally, after ensuring that they were appropriately trained for the duties they would be engaged in. The recruitment of staff at the local level would reduce the Organization's costs and help spread the acquisition of skills in some nations. The Organization's training services could be involved in training personnel hired at the local level, for instance, for peace-keeping operations and for handling complex emergencies. National competitive examinations should be stressed as a means of recruiting staff in order to ensure equity in the composition of the United Nations workforce. The recruitment of university graduates was important for many developing countries as it would help make young people in that part of the world more involved in the activities of the United Nations.

Fifth Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

Regarding the advancement of women, the representative said that some impediments were placed in some nations in the way of efforts towards the advancement of women. The efforts made in the Secretariat should be increased in order to ensure that the percentage of women was placed on equal footing with that of their male counterparts. Cost reductions should not disable the United Nations ability to attract qualified personnel. The principle of equitable geographical distribution was very important and should be respected.

On the violations of the privileges and immunities of officials of the United Nations, she reaffirmed her country's condemnation of criminal activities that hindered the field work of United Nations personnel. Sudan had respected the privileges and immunities of United Nations officials and personnel and would continue to do so. She expressed the hope that the United Nations would not close its eyes to criminal acts carried out by rebels in the southern parts of the Sudan. She also hoped that such acts would not be carried out in future.

JEAN-BAPTISTE HAJAYANDI (Burundi) said, on the privileges and immunities of United Nations officials, that some unfortunate cases in Burundi had been mentioned, such as the assassination of three people working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the attacks against personnel associated with the World Food Programme (WFP) in the northern part of the country. Burundi's Government had condemned such acts carried out by armed militias or groups and had immediately carried out a judicial inquiry into the incidents. Burundi had been in crisis for about three years, a situation that created a climate in which some criminals could operate. The Burundian Government intended to involve all of its citizens in actions that would ensure lasting peace in the country. Such actions would include dialogue between all sides of the conflict. That was a gamble that the Government hoped to win, with the cooperation of all sides and of its neighbours.

The representative appealed to all those on mission in Burundi to respect the appeal made by security agents, given the situation in the country. The Government would do all in its power to ensure the safety and security of all people in the country, particularly the international civil servants who were assigned there.

HIDEKI GODA (Japan) welcomed the proposed introduction of a comprehensive programme of development for junior professional as a step in the right direction. Japan had observed with concern the implementation of the Secretary-General's strategy for managing the Organization's human resources. The goals of the strategy were sound but its components needed careful review. The main components included planning, career and performance management capacity, management culture and management skills development, work planning and performance appraisal management, decentralization and

Fifth Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

delegation of authority, enhanced attrition and early retirement, and additional human resources management elements.

On planning, career and performance management capacity, he said that such a capacity was essential for managing human resources. Since the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) was not yet fully operational, the Secretariat should clarify its current capacity and explain when it would fully be in place and working. He also asked for information on how the planning unit in the Office of Human Resources Management was working.

Turning to the recruitment of staff, he expressed strong support for the national competitive examinations at both the P-2 and P-3 levels as an important tool for recruiting qualified personnel and correcting inequities in the geographic distribution of posts. The examinations should be maintained and enhanced to provide a pool of qualified candidates and introduce new blood into the Organization despite the present difficult financial situation. The Secretariat should further shorten the time it took to hire successful candidates for posts. The recruitment of seven women outside the context of those examinations should be clarified. The Secretariat should clarify the legislative basis of that action and indicate how many men were recruited in that manner. He expressed concern about the proposal to have newly recruited staff members complete two assignments lasting four or five years. Since the minimum requirement for promotion to a P-3 post was two years of service, that proposal would reduce the rate at which promotions were granted. Staff who performed well should continue to be considered for promotion to P-3 after two years.

Referring to the issue of management culture and management skills development, he welcomed the Secretariat's initiative to enhance its management training programmes, which would help improve the operation of the Organization. On the "Staff College" project, his delegation supported training programmes whose curriculum focused on United Nations system-wide goals and which accepted participants from all United Nations organizations as well as from outside United Nations bodies. The programmes could provide participants with an opportunity to develop broader perspectives. But he expressed reservations about the present "Staff College" project because, first, the involvement of such institutions as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) had been sought without the Assembly's authorization. Second, Member States did not have a clear picture of the entire project. Therefore, more details should be provided.

Turning to the issue of work planning and the PAS process, he expressed regret that the system's introduction had been delayed due to the Organization's financial situation. The Secretariat should implement the system worldwide and report on the progress made in that regard to the fifty- third Assembly session. On the decentralization and delegation of authority,

Fifth Committee - 9 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

he shared the view that personnel administration should be streamlined to eliminate redundancies and enhance efficiency. But before authority was decentralized, it was necessary to establish a system of accountability and responsibility, without which the delegation of authority could lead to chaos. He sought more information on how the proposed early separation programme had helped human resources management, apart from making savings from the regular budget. Due consideration should be given to candidates from underrepresented and unrepresented countries in the efforts to ensure gender balance in the Secretariat. Turning to the Secretariat's composition, he said that Japan remained underrepresented. It would continue making efforts to correct the situation by, among other things, recommending qualified candidates. The Secretariat should enhance efforts to recruit staff from unrepresented and underrepresented States.

LETITIA CHAMBERS (United States) said the United States was committed to strengthening the Secretary-General's role as the Organization's Chief Administrative Officer. Her delegation was pleased that he had taken a multifaceted approach to improving the management of the United Nations personnel resources. It would require a change in the management culture which would take determination. She looked forward to seeing its full implementation. In that connection, she welcomed the implementation of the PAS and the people management training programme. Their results could only be positive. The Organization should commit the time and the resources needed to implement those strategies.

Her Government placed great importance on the advancement of women, she continued. Although the Organization had attained its 1995 goal -- of 35 per cent participation rate for women -- in 1996, it was nowhere near its 1995 goal of a 25 per cent participation rate for women at the D-1 level and above. Every effort should be made to raise those percentages. The Secretary-General should recruit and promote qualified women. On the issue of harassment and particularly sexual harassment, she welcomed the creation of the staff- management task force to deal with the issue and the survey which was being conducted, stressing that a programme of eliminating harassment should be pursued aggressively.

Regarding the issue of retirees, she said the United States' position was that no United Nations retiree should receive more in salary and pension benefits than he or she had earned prior to retirement. Although she appreciated the Organization's concerns about the skills of retirees, she said those skills were not unique to them. A six-month ceiling for their recruitment in any one year was too long and there was no need to exempt conference services personnel from the salary cap of $22,000. The temporary employment situation was an ideal opportunity for outsourcing which would reduce costs.

Fifth Committee - 10 - Press Release GA/AB/3097 11th Meeting (PM) 22 October 1996

On the issue of privileges and immunities of United Nations officials, she deplored the risks confronting the Organization's staff which led to the deaths of 10 staff members in the reporting period. Regarding the restrictions on travel of United Nations officials, she said the United States had scrupulously ensured freedom of travel for all staff members on official business. However, it deserved the right to restrict the purely recreational private travel of certain officials or staff members for national security reasons. The issue should be addressed in the Assembly's Sixth Committee (Legal).

The costs of staff representation was excessive, she said. The number of staff released either full- or part-time was out of proportion to the size of the staff represented and should be reduced. The costs of such representation needed to be explained to the Committee. The Secretary-General must be allowed to exercise his authority within the framework set by the Assembly, regarding the limits of the regular budget and performance of mandates. "We will find ourselves bogged down in micro-management if the Member States cannot agree to support the Secretary-General in his capacity as Chief Administrative Officer. It is imperative that the Member States allow the Secretary-General to manage the Organization", she concluded.

* *** *