EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON MANAGING DIVERSITY IN CIVIL SERVICE TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 3-4 MAY

EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON MANAGING DIVERSITY IN CIVIL SERVICE

TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 3-4 MAY

NEW YORK, 30 April (DESA) -- In the context of The Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, the Division for Public Economics and Public Administration, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), will hold an expert group meeting on Managing Diversity in the Civil Service on 3 and 4 May at Headquarters.

The meeting will open at 10 a.m. on 3 May in Conference Room 6, with remarks by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, and Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Chairman of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, Bagher Asadi.  They will be followed by the keynote speakers, Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, and the Mayor of Atlanta, United States, Bill Campbell.  Ms. Fraser-Moleketi will speak about tackling diversity in the South African Public Service, and Mr. Campbell about managing diversity in the city of Atlanta.

During the two-day meeting, 30 eminent specialists from all over the world will explore the various dimensions of diversity and clarify the concept, which encompasses all individual differences affecting the performance of tasks or the conduct of relationships.  Thus, it has an impact on outputs, outcomes and services, as well as on many other aspects of the work of an organization.  Ensuring and managing diversity in the civil service is especially critical if a government wants to have credibility and be trusted by its citizens, while reflecting the image of a model employer.

Four panels will be organized on definitions, regional aspects of diversity, and selected themes, such as ethnic minorities, women, ageing, and disability in the civil service, as well as strategies for managing diversity in the public sector.  The Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Human Resources Management, Rafiah Salim, will speak about managing diversity in the United Nations on

panel III at 10 a.m. Friday, 4 May.

The meeting will conclude with recommendations by the experts for effective diversity management policies of human resources in the public sector.  As a follow-up activity, the Division is planning to develop training and information materials on the subject.  Additional information about the meeting and technical papers can be found at http://www.unpan.org/whatsnew002.asp

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