UN conditions of service must attract motivated staff of highest calibre to carry

out twenty-first century mandates, says Secretary-General to new york meeting

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the sixty-seventh session of the International Civil Service Commission, delivered by Angela Kane, Under-Secretary-General for Management, in New York, 14 July:

I regret that I could not be here in person to welcome you to the United Nations for your sixty-seventh session.  As the United Nations faces growing demands around the world, the International Civil Service Commission has a vital role to play in ensuring that human resources systems and policies are responsive to the needs confronting us.  If the United Nations is to do its job effectively in the twenty-first century, executive heads and staff throughout the United Nations Common System need your support.

One of my priorities as Secretary-General is to ensure an independent international civil service with the highest standards of performance and accountability.  Our goal is to build a multi-skilled, versatile and mobile staff, working across disciplines to fulfil the Organization’s complex and interrelated mandates.  Only in this way can we keep pace with the times and the changing demands placed on us by Member States.

The organizations of the United Nations Common System must continue to be able to attract, develop and retain motivated staff of the highest calibre.  This is even more critical at a time when an unprecedented proportion of staff are expected to retire in the next four years.  The greater the challenges we face, the more important it is that the salaries and entitlements of our staff are not diminished.  They must be properly supported and fairly compensated, especially those who work in difficult and hazardous locations.

I look forward to the Commission’s consideration of staff allowances and entitlements of staff -- including the level of children’s and secondary dependants’ allowances, the methodology for determining the education grant, the revised mobility and hardship scheme, and the recruitment and retention measures at difficult duty stations.  I also welcome your review of a progress report on job evaluation standards for the General Service and related categories, as well as an update on performance management.

I fully share the concern of our staff about the impact of the sustained depreciation of the United States dollar on salaries and related allowances.  I understand that the extent of the problem is being assessed by the ICSC secretariat.  Since it affects the entire cadre of staff, across all United Nations common system organizations, I hope the Commission will be able to consider remedies and offer specific proposals.

Attractive conditions of service form an integral part of the challenges facing the United Nations family.  Only by succeeding in this area can we remain competitive in a dynamic global environment.  I thank every one of you for your commitment, and wish you every success in your important deliberations.

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For information media • not an official record