MORE EFFICIENT TO RECRUIT EXPERTS ON FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS, THAN TO INCREASE SPENDING ON RETRAINING UN STAFF, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/AB/3263
MORE EFFICIENT TO RECRUIT EXPERTS ON FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS, THAN TO INCREASE SPENDING ON RETRAINING UN STAFF, FIFTH COMMITTEE TOLD
19981113 Committee Discusses Human Resources Management, Oversight Office, Approves Decision on Conference Facilities in Palais WilsonInstead of spending more money on training United Nations staff to bring them in line with new goals, it would be more efficient and less expensive to recruit experts on fixed-term contracts, the representative of the Russian Federation told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) during discussion this morning on human resources management.
The Organization should let "dead wood" go, rather than retraining such staff, he continued. Transition to a system of non-career service should be studied. The United Nations needed to recruit experts according to emerging needs. In the current structure, in which more than 70 per cent of staff were in "cradle to death" permanent contracts, that would be difficult.
Thailand's representative, on the other hand, called for investing more resources in training staff, particularly internationally recruited staff. The United Nations funds and programmes spent about 2 per cent of staff costs on training and the private sector spent around 5 per cent, while the Secretariat invested only 0.75 per cent. That was too low.
He drew attention to the fact that women constituted the majority of General Service staff but were under-represented in senior positions. Women represented 36.1 per cent of Professional and higher categories; 12 per cent of Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant Secretaries-General; and 22 per cent of Director grade staff. He called for increased action to achieve the General Assembly's target of 50/50 parity between women and men by the year 2000.
That target should not be an end in itself, Ukraine's representative said. Recruitment preference should be given only to female candidates who demonstrated equal or higher professional qualities than their male competitors.
He supported competitive compensation for United Nations staff, but the primary reward for superlative performance should be pride in working for the Organization, he said. If such pride existed, Member States could expect the best from staff. However, that was often not the case.
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The representative of Bangladesh said it was disturbing that only 10 Member States occupied almost 50 per cent of the posts in the Secretariat. Career development plans and incentives should be offered to retain young professionals. Stressing that financial stability was key to the reform process, he asked what impact increased dependence on extra-budgetary resources for funding posts would have on staff morale.
India's representative said the formula for determining States' ranges for posts subject to geographical representation should give more weight to States' populations. She called for increasing the number of women from developing countries in the Secretariat and broader geographical representation in all posts.
Also this morning, the Committee approved a draft decision introduced orally by Movses Abelian (Armenia), the Committee's Chairman, on the programme budget for 1998-1999. By its terms, the Assembly would take note of the Secretary-General's report on conference facilities in the Palais Wilson in Geneva.
The Committee also continued discussing the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services. The Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, Karl Th. Paschke, made a concluding statement.
As he responded to comments made by States during earlier discussions, the Under-Secretary-General said he strongly rejected allegations that media coverage of an ongoing disciplinary matter was the result of a leak from the Oversight Office. Neither the Oversight Office nor the United Nations had anything to gain from publicity in advance of the outcome of the disciplinary process, he stressed.
On human resources management, the representatives of Indonesia (for the Group of 77 developing countries and China), Croatia, Togo, Republic of Korea, China, Ghana, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia spoke. On the Oversight Office, statements were made by the representatives of Syria, United States, Egypt and Kuwait.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 November, to take up financial reports and reports of the Board of Auditors on United Nations funds and programmes, including the regular budget, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It will also hear follow-up remarks related to the Oversight Office.
Fifth Committee Work Programme
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met this morning to continue its discussion on human resources management, the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight Services and the programme budget for 1998-1999.
(For background on reports on human resources management, see Press Releases GA/AB/3251 of 8 October and GA/AB/3258 of 9 November; for background on reports on the Oversight Office, see Press Release GA/AB/3260 of 10 November, and for background on reports on the programme budget see GA/AB/3261 of 11 November.)
Office of Internal Oversight Services
According to the Oversight Office's report on the audit of employment of retirees (document A/53/642) there are shortcomings in the recording of retirees data, and need for clarification of the provisions of decision 51/408, in particular as to whether the provision limiting the employment to retirees to six months per year was applicable to all retirees or only those receiving a United Nations pension. During 1995 to 1997, there was gender imbalance in the recruitment of retirees, and a number of retirees were not medically cleared by the Medical Services Division prior to their recruitment.
The Office says there is need to limit the hiring of retired language services staff to those employed locally; to revise administrative instruction ST/AI/213/Rev.1 to reflect new policies and procedures that had been adopted since its issuance; and to ensure that the new remuneration limits were applied consistently to all retirees receiving pension benefits, including those recruited under special service agreements and on a when-actually-employed basis.
The report says that the Office of Human Resources Management and the Oversight Office disagree in their interpretations of the term "retirees" and the applicability of the six-month limitation provision. For that reason, the Office of Human Resources Management did not concur with some of the data and observations presented in the report, but it has agreed with all the recommendations.
Statements on Human Resources Management
KARL TH. PASCHKE, the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, introduced the Oversight Offices report on the audit of the employment of retirees. As a result of the Office's examination, 64 cases of non-compliance with guidelines had been found. Among the most significant problems were that there was no standard definition of "retirees", and that there were differing understandings of the term within the Secretariat. Some believed that the rules
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were only designed to avoid "double-dipping", and therefore only applied to former staff in receipt of a pension. As, according to the report, the issue included the effect on other recruitment practices, that was not the understanding it employed.
The audit had noted a high number of retirees recruited during 1995 to 1996, he said. Retirees were still being recruited on a non-local basis, which involved substantial costs to the United Nations. Lack of control of special service agreements had resulted in retirees being paid in excess of the General Assembly's remuneration limits. He also noted that there was a gender imbalance in recruitment of retirees, and that some retirees recruited did not have Secretariat medical clearance. The report made recommendations to address the shortcomings and problems found by the audit, he added.
CECEP HERAWAN (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, welcomed the Secretary-General's report on human resources management, but emphasized that any proposal to reform human resources management must be in conformity with the United Nations Charter, its rules and regulations and relevant General Assembly resolutions. The Group took note of the Secretary-General's commitment in paragraph five of the report, and his statement of the key elements of the reform. The Group looked forward to comments and recommendations of the matter from the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
Because the Group believed human resources were important, it welcomed assurances that the reform exercise was not a matter of budget reduction, staff cuts or a means to fund the Development Account, he said. Noting that delegation of authority was a key element of proposed reforms, the Group believed that accountability mechanisms, including internal monitoring and an effective justice system, were essential. In that regard, the issue should be considered in depth by Member States, and more information on potential constraints was sought from the Secretariat. The Group proposed that the general discussion on the item be concluded only after sufficient discussion time, because documents had been issued late and ACABQ comments were not available.
The Group felt that the Performance Appraisal System could be an essential accountability device, and that sanctions for failure by staff or managers should be part of the system, he said. Developing countries comprised 74 per cent of the membership of the United Nations, but had low staff representation at senior levels. The Group placed great importance on General Assembly instructions that the Secretary-General improve the equitable geographical distribution of staff, and requested the Secretary-General to provide further information on the way Assembly resolution 49/222 was being implemented.
The Group took note of improvements reported in the recruitment of women, he said, and urged the Secretary-General to improve such recruitment from developing countries. It also noted with concern the increasing number of
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resignations from the Secretariat. Regarding the use of consultants, the Group was concerned by the Secretary-General's report on activities of the Oversight Office on the audit of the use of consultants, which highlighted the continuing weakness in internal control in engaging consultants. The selection of consultants should be on the basis of equitable geographical distribution. That just 30 per cent of consultants came from developed countries was a matter of concern. The recommendations in the new proposed guidelines for use of consultants should be thoroughly examined by Member States.
IVAN SIMONOVIC (Croatia) said his Government fully supported the Secretary- General's programme of reform and endorsed the idea that the staff were the United Nations most important asset. Immediate modernization and reform in that sector was essential for a revitalized United Nations. Closer partnership was needed between Member States, staff and management. To achieve a more efficient organization, there was need for qualified staff. The United Nations was a global organization, and all 185 Member States should be represented in the Secretariat. Equitable geographical distribution and quality of candidates were two elements that must be considered in recruitment but those should be seen as complementary, since qualified candidates could be found in every region. It was just a matter of finding the appropriate means for recruiting them.
Croatia supported the national competitive examinations as the best method for recruiting young qualified people from each Member State at the entry level, he said. However, the unreasonable delays experienced by many successful candidates on the roster prior to being offered posts was discouraging. Croatia was troubled that some persons on the rosters for as long as five years were only being offered positions now. Potential future staff should not be treated in that way.
Noting that the average age of Secretariat staff was 45.5 years, and that the average age at the Director level was 53.9 years, he said the United Nations, in the interest of reform, should work harder on creating methods to attract young ambitious men and women, rather than discourage them. A problem related to new countries was the lack of national staff at higher-level appointments, he said. The recruitment process should be simplified and made more transparent.
Despite efforts to improve the situation, some 34 countries remained under- represented and un-represented while 13 States were over-represented, he said. The Eastern European region had seen a dangerous decrease in its representation at senior levels during the last 10 years. On gender balance, he acknowledged improvement during the last 10 years, but said much more needed to be done. Statistical data showed that gender-balance distribution according to geographical representation was most unfavourable for women from the Eastern European region. Another area of priority concern was investing in career development of staff, to encourage them to remain in the Organization. Delegating authority to the managerial level in recruitment would simplify the
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process. However, that would have to coincide with assurances that geographical distribution would be fully respected.
JAYAPRADA NAHATA (India) said the recruitment process should be simplified so that the Organization was capable of completing recruitment within a reasonable time-frame and also provide adequate career growth to attract highly qualified candidates from all countries. Delegation of authority and responsibility, with corresponding mechanisms of accountability, should be undertaken with safeguards against arbitrariness, discrimination and unfair treatment of staff. Some categories of posts which were presently excluded from geographical representation should be included in the recruitment in view of the international character of the Organization. All recruitment -- not only for posts currently subject to geographical representation -- should be representative of the diversity of experience available today.
The weight of the membership and contribution factors (which are part of the formula for determining Member States' ranges for staff) in posts subject to geographical representation should be reviewed, she said. The Organization was based on the sovereign equality of States, not upon inequalities based on relative prosperity. There should be a more balanced ratio between those two factors. The weight of the population factor in the formula for determining desirable ranges should be increased. The reduction of the weight of the population factor from 8.7 per cent to 7.2 per cent in 1985 and then to 5 per cent in 1987 was contrary to the recommendation in General Assembly resolution 41/206 C. That anomaly should be rectified and the weight factor restored to the earlier level.
Greater efforts were needed to recruit qualified women candidates from the developing world, she said. The Secretariat should move beyond those posts subject to geographical distribution, which were only a small portion of all the posts in the United Nations system, and expand the number of women from developing countries in other categories of posts.
Any proposal to streamline emergency recruitment procedures, including decentralizing authority to various departments, merited consideration, she said. However, such delegation of authority should be exercised with caution and should address the diversity of talent available globally. Regarding the large number of United Nations staff resigning from service, she asked whether that was due to non-adherence of the Noblemaire principle (which provides that Professional salaries should be based on the best-paid civil service). Proper career planning and improvement of conditions of staff were prerequisites to attracting the best talent from all countries.
SEBADE TOBA (Togo) said that human resources management was a sensitive matter that must be considered carefully, so that solutions acceptable to staff and Member States could be found. Togo supported the Secretary-General's strategy. It could not but welcome mechanisms to improve management of the
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Organization. Recruitment and training reform measures should be encouraged, so as to attract the staff required to best perform the Organization's tasks and to limit resignations.
Apart from the principle of autonomy of departments, which seemed good, the increased delegation to programme managers caused concern, he said. Togo feared that the managerial prerogatives might lead to abuse. Efforts to achieve gender balance, and the language factor, should not be undermined. A strengthened Office of Human Resources Management, with penalties for those who did not deliver, would be needed. Delegation must go hand-in-hand with strong central accountability management.
CHANG-BEOM CHO (Republic of Korea) said that his country had consistently supported the Secretary-General's reform efforts and believed that strengthening United Nations staff was essential to the success of reform. The success of every organization depended on the competence of its human resources, and that was notably true of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General had already taken measures that had an impact on human resources management, he said. The Organization required a forward-looking strategy for human resources management, and, in that regard, he supported the Secretary-General's strategy. He appreciated efforts to promote a results-based culture. Given the unique character of the United Nations, respect should be given to diversity, due process, transparency and equal and fair treatment, as well as equitable geographic distribution and gender-balance. Additionally, the desired organizational culture would not be achieved without staff cooperation.
Delegation of authority was an integral part of human resources management reform, he said. Managers should be given the necessary responsibility, and, in turn, proper mechanisms of accountability needed to be established. Effective accountability measures as requested by the General Assembly were yet to be established, and he hoped for speedy progress in that regard.
The revised Performance Appraisal System would provide a basis for performance recognition and reward, and he hoped it would enable a system of bonuses and awards to be established, he said. Under-performance should also be addressed in an appropriate manner. He noted with concern that resignations were rising, and particularly that young professionals were resigning. In view of the age imbalances in the Secretariat, and to facilitate young people moving into the Organization, the recruitment process needed to be made efficient. More attention should be given to young people. In that regard, the national competitive exam remained a key tool, but special attention must be given to the long list of selected candidates awaiting offers.
The Organization must take a lead role in providing a framework of opportunities for career development, although responsibility for career development should be taken by all concerned, he said. He noted the constructive
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measures on that which were outlined, in the Secretary-Generals' report. The continued decrease in un-represented and under-represented countries and an increase of those in the desirable range was welcome. He also welcomed the increase in women at senior levels, although the number was far below the target level of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000.
He noted with keen interest that 11 per cent of staff would retire in the next five years, he said. The majority of retirees would be male, and 129 Director posts and 503 Professional posts would have to be newly filled. That would pose a challenge, but would also provide an opportunity to bring in young, talented people, to redress gender and geographical imbalances and to increase mobility within the Secretariat. He hoped those changes would add impetus to the current reform efforts.
ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said reform in human resources management remained a vital aspect of the ongoing reform process in the United Nations. There was no doubt it was a great challenge, but with shared commitment and adequate preparation that challenge could be handled.
Bangladesh supported the statement made by the representative of Indonesia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, he said. A balance needed to be struck between the requirement to ensure accountability and to give enough scope to the staff members to be creative in the performance of their responsibilities. Creativity and flexibility were essential concepts the delegation of authority. Another element in the accountability concept was the performance evaluation of the staff members. Elaborate guidelines needed to be prepared to balance the enhanced powers of managers and to bring the best out of staff members without creating an atmosphere of undesirable management pressure on them. Moreover, there needed to be a sharing of responsibility among the Organization, managers and the staff members in developing an effective strategy for career planning and development.
He said recruitment procedures should be streamlined to facilitate quick intake. The national competitive examination process offered the best means for recruitment of professional staff to the Organization at the entry level. A creative recruitment policy was also essential to bring about balance in the representation of the Secretariat staff composition. It was disturbing that only 10 Member States occupied almost 50 per cent of the posts in the Secretariat. It was essential that complementary career-development plans and incentives should be offered to retain the young professionals who formed the backbone of the Organization. Furthermore, what would the implication of the growing dependence on the extra-budgetary resources for funding posts have on the morale of the staff members? he asked. Financial stability was the key to any process, including the reform process.
VOLODYMYR YU. YEL'CHENKO (Ukraine) said that before authority was delegated to programme managers, accountability mechanisms should be clearly defined.
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Decentralizing power in human resources management should not weaken the control and monitoring abilities at senior levels. The Office of Human Resources Management should continue to play an active role in policy-setting and management reviews to ensure that the delegated functions were being discharged effectively and efficiently. Those activities should be complemented by the sound functioning of the Performance Appraisal System. He did not understand the rationale for the proposed creation of the management review panel as it would duplicate activities of existing structures, in particular, of the Joint Monitoring Committees. More information was needed on that proposal.
The creation of a framework to motivate staff to improve their performance should include competitive compensation packages and a system of rewarding superior performance, he said. However, the major reward for such performance should be the pride instilled by working at the United Nations. If such a sense of pride existed, Member States could expect the best from staff. Often, however, that was not the case. Measures were needed to address under- performance, including withholding within-grade increments, and even separation, but those measures should not be drawn out for years.
Career development had been a priority for his delegation, he said. He welcomed the Secretary-General's compliance with provisions of Assembly resolution 51/226 in bringing down the level of permanent appointment to posts subject to geographical distribution to 70.3 per cent. Equal proportions were needed for permanent and fixed term appointments -- the latter kept the Organization from becoming stagnant and self-confined. Posts at the level of P-4 and higher should be open to external competition, and equal opportunities for internal and external candidates should be strongly observed. At least 30 per cent of vacancies at the level of P-4 and higher should be met by external candidates. It was important to renew the practice of secondment from government service.
According to the Secretary-General's report on the composition of the Secretariat, there had been 372 promotions at posts subject to desirable ranges during 1996-1997, he said. Yet, Ukraine continued to be deprived of its right to participate in the policy-making processes in the Secretariat. Other concerns included the inadequate implementation of resolution 51/226 regarding the goal of 50/50 parity between men and women by the year 2000. That 50/50 ratio should not be a goal by itself. Preference in recruitment should be given only to female candidates who demonstrated equal or higher professional qualities than their male competitors.
The lengthy and bureaucratic recruitment process must be addressed as a matter of priority, he said. The responsibility for selecting consultants should be assigned to programme managers, but the Office of Human Resources Management should retain its responsibility for policy guidance, monitoring and reporting in that domain. He expressed strong concerns about the deteriorating security situation for staff in the field. Member States should spare no effort to
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eliminate risks to such staff. He called on concerned governments to honour their obligations in respect to the immunity of United Nations staff.
LIU YANGUO (China) welcomed the Secretary-General's efforts towards building a streamlined Secretariat. To meet the challenges it faced, the Secretariat should develop a management culture that matched its multi-cultural nature. The General Assembly should be kept apprised of progress and achievements in the reform process, but also of the problems and difficulties encountered. As part of the reform process, delegation of authority would have repercussions on project delivery and financial and management policies, as well as on the success or failure of reforming human resources management. Regarding the proposal to establish a management review panel, as well as the notion of letting managers be responsible for defending their administrative decisions before the appellate bodies, he said those were necessary and should be put in place without delay. Delegating authority in the absence of reform and control could cause confusion. Both training and monitoring in delegating authority should be stressed.
He said he was gratified to see that the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) had given human resources management a new look. He welcomed the Secretary-General's emphasis on maintaining geographical balance after delegating authority. While China agreed with the criteria of efficiency, competency and integrity, those should not come at the expense of geographical representation. Emphasizing one element over the other was a distortion of the United Nations Charter.
The number of Chinese nationals serving in posts subject to geographical distribution had been reduced by 3 posts to the present 40, he said. The desirable range for China was 39-53, with the mid-point of 46.46. For many years, its representation had been below the mid-point and was now approaching the lower limit. With attrition, that number could soon go below the lower limit, and China was extremely concerned. He hoped the Secretariat would adopt positive measures to remedy the situation. He supported the proposal to postpone consideration of a dual-track system. On the use of consultants, he stressed that consideration of costs should not undermine geographical representation. Overemphasizing costs would result in inequity.
SERGEI V. LAVROV (Russian Federation) said that the process of reform of the United Nations was necessitated by new realities. The urgent and drastic task of renewing human resources management policy and mechanisms was essential to that reform. The Russian Federation appreciated the Secretary-General's steps to streamline the Secretariat's structure and work, to enhance transparency and efficiency and to emphasize results. Various United Nations bodies were benefitting from these steps.
However, the proposed measures to improve personnel management, as set out in the report's strategic programme of additional reform measures, lacked
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specificity, he said. Clearly defined practical steps for implementation of the measures were not presented, nor were problems that might be encountered. The report was silent on ways Member States could assist or directly participate in the process. Also, the financial implications were unclear.
The Secretary-General placed emphasis on bringing human resources potential in line with new goals, through improved professional skills and training of staff, he said. At present, the United Nations allocated 0.75 per cent of human resources expenditures to that. The report lead Member States to believe that 2 per cent or more would be required. It would be more efficient and, importantly, less expensive to expand the fixed-term external recruitment of experienced experts. Otherwise the United Nations might turn into a permanent retraining centre. The Russian Federation was sceptical about the task of retraining the "dead wood". Such staff should simply be let go.
He said that the key to human resources management reform was decentralised personnel management. He supported the idea in principle, as it could best reform the system and enhance accountability of programme managers. Managers, in turn, should have the opportunity to recruit high-quality experts, who could be relied upon to deal with emerging tasks. However, given the current rigid structure in which more than 70 per cent of staff were in "cradle to death" permanent contracts, it would be extremely difficult to achieve positive results in tackling new challenges.
The Secretariat had undergone decentralised human resources management in the 1970s, he said. All the factors currently discussed were part of that process. Given the new responsibilities, it was not surprising that Department heads had not had enough time to effectively manage programme activities. It was important to take the 1970s experience into account when discussing proposals today.
In the report on the matter, he could not find any detailed observations on the dual track of career and non-career appointments, as requested by the General Assembly, he said. The dual track system should be a cornerstone of the new policy. The International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) had already done work on that area. While disregarding the General Assembly instruction and the ICSC position, the report did touch on the review of the ICSC, which was the exclusive prerogative of the General Assembly.
The Secretary-General had said that in order to implement the General Assembly instruction that 70 per cent of permanent appointments be subject to geographic representation, the recruitment freeze had to be extended, he said. The Russian Federation supported extension of the freeze. In the current environment, the personnel policy of the Secretariat should be based on fixed-term contracts which could be extended as the needs of the Organization dictated. He proposed that the ICSC and the Joint Inspection Unit prepare a comprehensive study on a gradual transition to a system of non-career service.
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He supported expansion of secondment, as it had proved efficient and was compatible with an independent civil service, he said. The Russian Federation was concerned that the number of senior posts remained unchanged, while the number of junior posts was down. That did not respond to General Assembly instructions to correct the grade structure of the Secretariat.
His country shared the well-balanced approach of the Secretariat towards performance management, he said. The view that non-financial incentives often proved more effective than financial incentives deserved attention, and he welcomed the Secretariat's intention to introduce such incentives. The Russian Federation was satisfied that poor performance would be fought in the most serious way.
He said the proposals to establish Performance Appraisal System management review committees, as well as a Global Joint Monitoring Committee, raised questions about the source of funding and about who would be appointed, for how long and in what capacity. The new system of performance monitoring had been presented vaguely, while Member States were not mentioned at all.
The Russian Federation supported concerns about safety and security of staff, and believed those responsible must be punished, he said. States should ensure all attacks were investigated. He also supported the Secretary-General's concerns about financing security measures.
LESLIE CHRISTIAN (Ghana) said his delegation agreed with the assertion made in the Secretary-General's report that accountability was integral to an organizational culture of empowerment, and that staff members at all levels must be held accountable for delivering assigned outputs in a timely and cost-effective manner. Existing control mechanisms would be re-evaluated with the view to strengthen those that support accountability and modify or eliminate those that undermine accountability.
It was imperative that accountability mechanisms should be nurtured and developed satisfactorily before authority was delegated, he said. With the delegation of authority to managers, it was envisaged that they would be given some financial control to enable them to utilize the Organization's resources for the implementation of activities and programmes. While that action was welcome, adequate safeguards must be put in place to ensure the proper and effective utilization of resources for the approved purposes.
His delegation welcomed the revision of the Performance Appraisal System that now linked performance more directly to career progression. The System also served as a management and staff development tool and promoted communication between staff members and supervisors on goals to be achieved. The revision should inter alia render the system less burdensome and simplify its administrative aspects. In addition, the Office of Human Resources Management must continue to assist departments and offices, especially those that were
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working to ensure fair and consistent application of the system. A step-by-step approach should be adopted, in consultation with staff, towards the introduction of performance recognition measures. At the same time, steps must be taken to deal systematically and effectively with underperformance.
MANOP MEKPRAYOONTHONG (Thailand) noted that the United Nations invested only 0.75 per cent of staff costs on training and staff development. That was too low. The United Nations funds and programmes spent 2 per cent, and the private sector organisations spent around 5 per cent. Intensive training for new skills development was necessary, especially for internationally recruited staff as they prepared for greater mobility within the Organization. He welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Staff College in Turin and looked forward to seeing more substantive training courses and related activities in management and coordination development offered in its programmes.
The advancement of women in the Secretariat was a matter of concern to his delegation, he said. Current statistics indicated an almost evenly balanced gender distribution throughout the Secretariat: 49.3 per cent women and 50.7 per cent men. However, women comprised only 36.1 per cent of the Professional category. The two most senior grades in the Secretariat (Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General) had low female staff representation -- only 12 per cent -- and at Director grades the percentage rose only to 22 per cent. In General Services and related categories, female staff constituted 62 per cent. The gender balance sought by the year 2000 could not be realized if that situation continued.
He emphasized his delegation's concern over rejuvenating the Organization. The average age of overall staff at present was 45.5 years. Reductions in the number of junior posts hindered the Secretariat's opportunity to recruit young staff. The Organization would face a difficult situation in 10 years if the situation was not addressed. His delegation had noted that the Secretary-General had said that human resources management reform was not an exercise in budget and staff reduction and was not a way to fund the Development Account. Also, the Secretary-General had said that such reform did not mean a direct application of management practices from the outside, which might have much to teach but were not necessarily applicable.
NAZARETH A. INCERA (Costa Rica) said that particularly in times of reform, it was important to ensure that staff morale was kept high, so they could be in the position to meet new challenges. The Secretary-General's report on human resources management reform should be subject to detailed analysis and her delegation hoped the ACABQ would provide its comments. The Committee's resolution on the matter should provide specific guidelines on personnel management. She noted with great concern that as of 30 June, 24 States had still been under-represented. Her country had only 4 staff members in the Secretariat and no women at the higher levels. It appeared that there was too much latitude for the Secretariat to interpret the
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Assembly's provisions regarding recruitment of nationals from States that were virtually under-represented. That matter required careful consideration during the current session.
Other questions pertained to the number of posts funded under the regular budget, she said. Why were a large number of authorized posts not covered? she asked. Also, she asked for details on the vacancy situation as of 30 October, and why such vacancies had not been filled. The information should be distributed as a conference room paper.
Turning to the Secretary-General's report on internal vacancies, she asked the Secretariat to give its opinion about the impact of wide-spread implementation of the Administrative Tribunal's judgement. Also, she would like further information on increasing the number of women in the Secretariat. On employing consultants, would the recommendation of the Oversight Office be interpreted as geographical balance being superseded by cost considerations? she asked. There was need for a detailed analysis of the prerogatives of the Secretariat and of the General Assembly.
She said it appeared that recruitment of retirees affected the career opportunities for regular staff. She reiterated the importance her delegation attached to the competitive examinations as a way of bringing fresh young blood to the Organization, and helping ensure that United Nations was better able to fulfil its mission. She asked for information on the way the exams were being carried out and asked about logistical support in human and financial terms for that activity.
BERHANU KEBEDE (Ethiopia) said it was necessary to give a clarification on the issue raised in paragraph 68 of the Secretary-General's report (document A/53/501), pertaining to some Eritrean staff members of the United Nations who had been declared undesirable aliens by the Government of Ethiopia. In violation of the United Nations Charter, some Eritrean staff members of the Organization in Addis Ababa had been involved in clandestine activities to advance the aggression of the Eritrean regime against Ethiopia. To that end, they had been given a pivotal role in the "internal war" that the Eritrean leader had threatened to unleash against Ethiopia. It should not be difficult to appreciate the danger that the continued presence of those individuals could pose to the national security of Ethiopia.
He said those staff members were active members of the extensive clandestine Eritrean People's Liberation Front political and intelligence networks, supported by the Eritrean Government to establish and control the resident Eritrean population, mobilize resources and provide infrastructure for such operations in Ethiopia. Some of the staff were also engaged in businesses contributing to the Eritrean People's Liberation Front. It went without saying that such activities were incompatible with their status as international civil servants. In defence of Ethiopia's national security interests, the Government
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had painfully decided, often a thorough investigation, to deport those individuals. No country could be expected to take unnecessary risks with its national security when faced with a clear and imminent danger. Moreover, after consultations, 12 Eritrean United Nations staff were allowed to stay, bringing the number of deportees down to 17 as opposed to what was in the Secretary- General's report. Although that had been communicated as early as September 7 to the concerned United Nations agencies in Addis Ababa, it was regrettable that that fact had not been reflected in the report.
VASKO GRKOV (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said his country appreciated the reforms taken in the area of human resource management. There was obvious improvement regarding gender representation and increased presence of female staff members in the Secretariat. However, geographical representation had not been carried out in a manner that was expected by most Member States. In the matter of permanent appointments, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was unrepresented in the United Nations staff personnel. The Secretary-General together with the Secretariat, should take steps towards solving that problem.
The present overall recruitment process was rather slow and did not meet current needs, he said. The recruitment process must be focused on attracting younger people. The National Competitive Recruitment Exams were important for recruitment at the entry level, but in the case of countries that were un- represented, sometimes candidates should be accepted without them, based on the candidate's qualification and experience. Moreover, his country was concerned that in the past few years more people had resigned from the United Nations system than had retired. Mostly, younger staff members at the P-2 and P-3 level were resigning. In order to stop such a negative trend, it was necessary to undertake appropriate career planning.
Statements Activities of the Internal Oversight Office
TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said he had taken note of the Under-Secretary- General for Internal Oversight Services, Karl Th. Paschke's introduction of the report. However, he still had questions. He welcomed the information that discussions with the Joint Inspection Unit and the Board of Auditors had taken place. He noted that the Oversight Office report had not included comments of department managers whose areas that were being investigated. The opinions of those managers would have given a more accurate picture of the situation in the departments, and he hoped they would be included in future reports.
In paragraph 30 and 31 of the report, the Oversight Office indicated that there was a duplication of efforts between the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he said. The Oversight Office considered that arrangement should have been made for these missions to share personnel costs. Syria expected some coordination and complementarity
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between different organs of the United Nations when they were discussing the same issue. The Oversight Office should be aware of the previous discussions of the missions held when the project budgets had been discussed. The UNTSO budget was not included in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations account and was therefore separate from UNDOF and UNIFIL. Some strange proposals to merge the budgets had been made, and those were now supported by the Oversight Office, but those proposals would damage the political mandates of the missions.
The report stated that the staffing levels of the missions should be reduced, he said. However, it also admitted that the political situation remained sensitive. He asked how Mr. Paschke could submit a proposal on a matter which fell within the competence of the General Assembly. When the Secretary- General had presented the Programme Budget, he had suggested some reduction in staffing levels of UNTSO, and there had been some proposals to reduce the budget of UNTSO, but Syria had seriously opposed them because they would affect the political mandate of UNTSO. The current staffing level was less than the desired level, and should remain untouched. Also, the mandate should not be touched. If the Secretariat had a proposal on reduction of UNTSO staffing levels, it should be made in the programme budget or the budget outline, not through the Oversight Office.
The report mentioned an investigation of forged documents on decolonization, he said. Since the matter was still under investigation, he asked why was it mentioned in the report. When he had sought information on another matter regarding UNDOF, he had been told that it had not been mentioned in the report because the investigation had not yet been completed. The position that investigations not concluded should not be mentioned, seemed to be contradicted by the references to the decolonization problem investigation. He asked Mr. Paschke to explain what his methodology was in reporting on matters under investigation.
The report mentioned that the Oversight Office agreed with management recommendations on the construction of new premises for UNDOF, he said. He asked which recommendations were being referred to.
He asked Mr. Paschke to provide more information on rental subsidies at the Israel duty station mentioned in the report, and asked what Organization was being referred to, and what United Nations body existed in Israel. Had there been rental subsidy payment to local staff in contravention of administrative instructions? he asked.
He then noted that the title of the Oversight Office in Arabic was not an accurate translation of the term "oversight", and he suggested that the Arabic title of the Office be corrected.
RICHARD SKLAR (United States) said the report of the Oversight Office identified inefficiencies, mismanagement and noncompliance, and contained
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recommendations to correct those problems. The United States agreed with the Under-Secretary-General's views, expressed in the preface, that the new guidelines for self-evaluation by programme managers would help ensure that the existing rules for programme planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation were implemented consistently throughout the Organization. While his delegation had been pleased to read of continued coordination between the United Nations oversight bodies -- the Oversight Office, the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and the Board of Auditors -- those bodies should agree on goals and outcomes for their coordination efforts and should measure and report on progress made in achieving those.
The Fifth Committee had yet to take action on the Secretary-General's proposals for enhancing internal oversight in the operational funds and programmes, he noted. The United Nations Legal Adviser had said that sufficient authority already existed to implement those proposals and he had been pleased to read that a number of funds and programmes had, on their own, implemented them. He welcomed that those bodies had sought assistance from the Oversight Office for strengthening oversight capabilities.
He then turned to details in the report. How had the management of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) been able to exceed the mission's authorized local staffing level by 25 per cent? he asked. Regarding UNTSO, he asked what had been done to correct excess staffing levels at the Mission's headquarters. On the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM), he hoped the Mission's management would be strengthened and was concerned about the slow progress in addressing issues such as the faulty accounting system. On the Organization's recruitment process, he asked what were the longest and shortest lengths of time and what achievements had been made in reducing the average.
The Oversight Office was an internal organization, and as such it was responsible to the Secretary-General, he said. Many Committee members were concerned that the Office had gone beyond its mandate. When that happened, his delegation would be the first to join others, but the number of cases where that might have occurred did not merit the amount of time spent on it in the Committee. The Secretary-General should perhaps identify recommendations that required action by Member States. It was within the Office's province to point out when continued spending and action -- mandated or not -- seemed to yield no result. Member States retained the right to decide whether to continue those programmes.
AHMED DARWISH (Egypt) said the Oversight Office provided a source of information for the Organization's reform and development. His delegation believed that coordination among oversight organs should lead to the Organization's better performance in all fields, as well as to financial savings and directing human resources in the best possible manner for the sound implementation of mandated programmes.
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He said his delegation supported priorities set by the Oversight Office and was satisfied with improved horizontal communication within the Organization, and that the opinions of heads of programmes and funds should be taken into account. On UNTSO, the staffing levels should be kept as they were, taking into account the sensitive political situation in the area.
ZIYAD MONAYAIR (Kuwait) thanked the Under-Secretary-General for the excellent report. His delegation was especially interested in the section of the report on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM), particularly regarding the payment of a per diem to personnel on that Mission. The report referred to those amounts only in percentage terms. What were the real amounts that had been recovered? he asked.
Kuwait was responsible for two-thirds of the Mission's budget, he said. When the decision had been taken on funding UNIKOM last April, it had been stated that it would not be responsible for the amounts lost. Regarding UNTSO, he said the number of staff members and financing should be maintained. Mr. PASCHKE, Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services, answered specific questions raised in previous days' discussions of the activities of the Oversight Office by the Committee. He said that, when the Office had been created, audit and investigations, along with inspections and evaluations, had been identified as oversight functions, and the General Assembly had not instructed him to give a greater emphasis to any of those. All had equal weight in the design of the Oversight Office. Internal audits should not be reduced because of external audits, as the two were complementary.
The Oversight Office had taken note of ACABQ comments on the Guidelines for Internal Control Standards, he said. While the Advisory Committee considered those guidelines too general to become part of the United Nations Financial Regulations, it had not recommended against their publication or observation. They were extremely useful as yardsticks of change and improvement of management procedures.
The conference in Switzerland, mentioned briefly in the introduction to the report, had been a conference on oversight matters, he said. Invitations had been extended and it had been financed by the Swiss Government.
Responding to questions concerning those Oversight Office recommendations not agreed to by management, he said those were the exceptions rather than the rule, because of the continuous dialogue with managers throughout an oversight assignment. Reports were shared with relevant offices in draft form. When there was disagreement, the two parties negotiated, because changes sought in the Oversight Office would only last if the addressee agreed with them.
Regarding the response of the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) to the Oversight Office's recommendations, he said that the CPC qualification -- that the Lessons Learned Unit did not have a mandate to modify
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programmes or policies that required intergovernmental concurrence -- was in accord with the Oversight Office's understanding. Therefore the CPC and the Oversight Office agreed.
When the Office had stated that the recruitment process lacked transparency, it had meant that throughout the lengthy process candidates had no way of knowing at what stage their application was, he said. That must be changed.
The Office's findings that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) had poor internal controls had led it to conclude that there was a risk of fraud and misuse, he said. It had made recommendations and was monitoring their implementation. He noted that he had recently met with UNCTAD senior management on the subject.
Responding to a question on why the Programme Performance Report did not examine reasons high-priority items had not been implemented, he said the report highlighted the concerted efforts of managers to implement them. High priority subprogrammes had accounted for 28 per cent of total outputs mandated for implementation in 1996-1997. The report noted that their implementation rate was higher than the average.
As to why unspent balances for special missions at biennium's end was not examined, he said special missions were not programmed in the narrative of the budget document. The unspent balance had emerged from re-calculations of the budget estimates at the end of the relevant period, so they could not have been spent on mandated activities during the period. They were therefore not relevant to a report on the implementation of the approved work programme.
Results-based budgeting was desirable, because it focused on quality rather than quantity of outcomes, he said. However, it was a complex subject, and the United Nations needed to be fully prepared for it, so he agreed that haste would be counter-productive.
When he used the term "client", he borrowed it from business to underline a relationship between partners and colleagues, he noted.
Regarding recoveries, the amount of $10.2 million referred to in the report was a result of 34 recommendations, he said. One recommendation alone on rental of United Nations Headquarters' space had saved $7 million. The $3.2 million remaining was made up of much smaller amounts. Most recommendations referred to managerial errors or omissions, rather than fraud. The recovery of $100,000 mentioned, pertained to a fraudulent payment involving the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM III).
The grouping and categorization of Oversight Office recommendations, including under the category "improved operational efficiency or effectiveness"
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used in the report, represented a new attempt by the Oversight Office to promote a better understanding of its work, he said. The process would be refined.
In response to a question asking why audit was the most extensive oversight function, he said that audit was the "infantry" of oversight, and the only function which could provide comprehensive regular coverage of the entire Organization.
He had been asked why the Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was not fully supportive of the Oversight Office's findings, he said. The Registrar had had problems with the Office's 1997 review, and he had maintained dissenting positions on two disciplinary matters despite extensive consultations between the Registrar and the Oversight Office. The dialogue was ongoing.
His remark in paragraph 9 of the annual report, on the status of the Secretary-General's report on oversight in Funds and Programmes, was a factual statement, not a criticism of the Fifth Committee, he said.
On the suggestion that the annual report should indicate the work programme for the following year, he said the report explained what priorities would be for the year ahead. More than half the published reports of the Office were mandated by the General Assembly, so the Assembly was heavily involved in shaping the work of the Office. Evaluation and monitoring were predetermined by legislative demands, through the CPC.
Inspection plans were presented in the biennial budgets as were general areas to be audited, he said. Only investigations, which were reactive by nature, did not follow a plan.
On the suggestion in the programme performance report that managers be given more flexibility in human and financial resource management, he said that was a call for further study and action by all who were part of the programme planning, budgeting and evaluation cycle.
The reference to additional resources for the Office in the annual report was not a formal request, he said, which would be made in the appropriate budget proposal. Rather, it was a comment on the adequacy of the Oversight Office's resources.
Additional clarification sought on savings reported in table 1 of the annual report was not easily provided, he said, because the figure given represented amounts identified and recommended for recovery, and it was management's responsibility to take action.
The reported finding of inadequate delegation of human resources management authority referred to other duty stations, he said. The Oversight Office was
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aware of the efforts of the Office of Human Resources Management to address the problem.
He rejected allegations that media and Internet coverage on a disciplinary case were the consequence of a leak from the Oversight Office. The Oversight Office had investigated the matter from January through April, and there had been no leaks during that period. Only after its report had been presented to the proper Secretariat authorities did the circle of those who knew of the case expand -- for logical reasons. It was telling that only then did the media start paying attention. He had been approached by several reporters, but had refused to comment because the disciplinary process was ongoing.
The theory put forward that the leak prejudged the outcome of the disciplinary process was contrary to his experience, he said. Neither the Oversight Office nor the United Nations had anything to gain from advance publicity of such matters. The brief synopsis of the case in the Oversight Office report did not name the staff members, described in the most inoffensive terms the investigation results, and stated that the case had not yet been resolved. It had been included because the investigation had consumed a considerable quantity of the Office's resources, and therefore needed to be mentioned in the report of the Office's activities. A full report would only be possible when the disciplinary process was finalized.
Programme Budget for 1998-1999
MOVSES ABELIAN (Armenia), Committee Chairman, read out a draft decision:
"The General Assembly takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on a cost-benefit analysis on the use of existing conference facilities available at the Palais Wilson at Geneva, contained in document A/53/320."
The Committee approved that decision.
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