At Launch of Careers Portal, INSPIRA, Deputy Secretary-General Says

40,000 United Nations Staff is ‘Lifeblood of the Organization’

Following is the text of Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks at the launch of INSPIRA, today, 22 April, in New York:

Today, as we launch INSPIRA and the United Nations Careers Portal, we reinforce our dedication to investing in our talent.

It is the energy of our staff that drives the United Nations each and every single day.

Working across the globe, as individuals and in teams, you deliver daily on the mandates entrusted to us.  You are the lifeblood of the Organization. 

You operate in an environment that is truly international and multicultural, which respects, as well as, promotes diversity and functions at its best through the efforts of teams of diverse people like you. 

The Careers Portal will change the way we promote career opportunities at the United Nations; the way we show what the Organization does; where it works; what we look for in staff and what we offer as an employer of choice.

And we are showcasing the Organization through you -- our staff.

Around you, there are pictures of some of the 150 staff members featured on the new Careers Portal of the United Nations.  Some of whom are among us here today.

They come from a wide cross section of locations, offices, job networks, grade levels and nationalities.  They are all bold examples of the diversity within our Organization -- from Human Rights Officers in Darfur, to translators in Geneva to Political Officers in Freetown.

You talk about your journey to and through the United Nations.  You provide examples of what a career in the Organization may look like.  You talk about what drives you every day.  Through your stories, we are looking to inspire others.  

To all of you who were profiled, a note of thanks for showcasing the important work that our team of 40,000 people carries out every day.

And to the teams behind the development of INSPIRA and the Careers Portal, thank you for your unwavering commitment and dedication.  You made this happen.

As Under-Secretary-General [Angela] Kane said, “It is for real”. 

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For information media • not an official record