STAFF'S PERSEVERANCE IN MONTHS AHEAD WILL BE CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS OF HIS REFORM PACKAGE, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL
Press Release
SG/SM/6322
STAFF'S PERSEVERANCE IN MONTHS AHEAD WILL BE CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS OF HIS REFORM PACKAGE, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL
19970912 'Let Us Be Proud to Work and Represent This Unique and Irreplaceable Instrument of Common Progress', Kofi Annan States on Occasion of Staff DayFollowing is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of United Nations Staff Day, which is being observed today:
It gives me great pleasure to join you on this, my first Staff Day as Secretary-General. You are the heart of this world Organization. I salute the splendid job you have been doing against a backdrop of unprecedented change and uncertainty.
You richly deserve this day, on which we celebrate the staff itself -- its dedication, its diverse talents. A day on which we pay homage to the civilian and military personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. A day on which we gather strength for the challenges ahead. And challenges we do face.
The fifty-second session of the General Assembly begins on Tuesday. With my reform package high on the agenda, we are entering a crucial period of debate. Reform has been with us for some time now, and has already brought significant improvements in the way we work. But the next few months promise a number of decisions that will have an even bigger impact.
I welcome this process. I have been an agent of it. I believe in it. At the same time, I must stress that reform is not an end in itself. It should complement, not eclipse, our substantive work. It should assist, not dominate, our efforts to carry out the wishes of Member States.
The mindset of reform should become an essential part of the way we do business. But no matter how vital reform is for our future, we should not allow the process to obscure the broader picture: our work for peace, development and human rights. We must keep these priorities firmly in view.
That is what the world's people demand of us -- not that we become eternally inward-looking. It is unhealthy, not to mention uncaring, for individuals to become self-obsessed.
The same is true for organizations, especially the United Nations. Our credibility and effectiveness depend heavily on connecting with the world's people -- on understanding the nature of their daily lives, and on being the embodiment of their needs and aspirations.
I know we are all proud that the United Nations system is the world's largest, most universal and most respected organization of service to humankind. But with that stature and indispensable role comes a heavy burden. To survive into the twenty-first century, we must improve; we must do more; and we must do it better. Reform is a necessary path in that direction.
I am well aware that some staff members are sceptical about the aims of reform.
Some regard reform as another word for weakening the Organization, deterring it from its central mission or downsizing it to the point of irrelevance.
Others say restructuring is what troubled organizations do to create the appearance of change even as real solutions elude them.
There is also concern that the quest for quick, quantifiable results is running roughshod over people and programmes. It is said that the Secretariat is being made to pay for the deficiencies of Member States.
And I understand that the fears and doubts associated with reform can divert precious energies from our pressing work and can be a terrible blow to morale.
On Staff Day you should hear straight talk from the administration. I would like to stress my commitment to ensuring that the reform process, to the extent possible as it now intensifies, unfolds smoothly and in keeping with the interests of the staff. We shall keep one goal in mind: strengthening the Organization and the international civil service.
There will be disruptions in our work, and in long-held assumptions. There will be gains as well as setbacks. That is the nature of change.
But through it all special care will be taken with respect to staff priorities as they have been conveyed to me by the Staff Committee and through the Staff-Management Coordination Committee.
I was encouraged when the President of the Staff Committee, in a recent letter to me, wrote that staff and management now enjoy a free exchange of views and a general respect for each other's positions. I agree fully with this assessment. Staff-management relations are improving. Let us continue this progress.
- 3 - Press Release SG/SM/6322 12 September 1997
Let me emphasize again that competitive conditions of service are part and parcel of the Organization's renewal. My budget for the 1998-1999 biennium -- which is a negative-growth budget -- calls for significant new investments in training and opportunities for continuous learning for all categories of staff. We will make greater use of the United Nations Staff College in order to pool the system's resources. Such efforts are already under way. They represent key investments in the future.
I will continue to give high priority to the promotion of gender equality in the Secretariat. The Plan of Action for the Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat for 1995-2000 remains in effect. Mary Robinson, the new High Commissioner for Human Rights, takes up her post today. The new Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources, Rafiah Salim, joins us one month from now. I promise you more such appointments, and progress at all levels.
I call again on Member States to ratify the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel of 1994. Field staff are in the forefront of our work for international peace and understanding. They must be protected against unjust detention, violence and terrorism, all of which, I am sad to say, increasingly plague their work.
I would like to thank all those who worked so hard to finalize the new Code of Conduct, which I will be submitting to the General Assembly for its consideration and adoption. This is a signal achievement of staff-management consultation.
A task force is now beginning a thorough review of our human resources management. In this regard, and in general, I am extremely grateful for the many initiatives put forward by the staff; and for your support as well as your constructive criticisms.
My reform package is now before the Member States. Together, we will continue the difficult task of turning proposals into reality, of putting concrete reforms in place so that our urgent work can proceed. Your perseverance in the months ahead will be critical for success.
I am a servant of this Organization as you are. Let us all be proud to work for and represent this unique and irreplaceable instrument of common progress. Let us be proud members of the International Civil Service, with a total commitment to excellence. We have reached a moment of great opportunity. So let us make the most of it. But first, have a wonderful Staff Day 1997.
* *** *