SG/SM/6052

INDEPENDENCE OF UN STAFF MUST BE 'BEDROCK OF OUR WORK', SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

It has been a year since I have had the opportunity to address members of the staff -- and it has been a momentous year for the United Nations.

Last year witnessed the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization. Through statements in the General Assembly, more than 200 hundred world leaders reaffirmed their support for the United Nations. The Declaration issued at the anniversary spoke of the contribution and sacrifices of staff in no uncertain terms:

"On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, we, the Member States and observers of the United Nations, representing the peoples of the world ... express our gratitude to all men and women who have made the United Nations possible, done its work and served its ideals, particularly those who have given their lives during service to the United Nations."

In the months that followed, Member States gave renewed attention to crucial issues -- such as the financial crisis and structural reform -- through working groups of the General Assembly. The effort is under way to realize the commitment made by Member States, in the Fiftieth Anniversary Declaration, to "give to the twenty-first century a United Nations equipped, financed and structured to serve effectively the peoples in whose name it was established".

Yet, many problems still plague us. The financial difficulties of the Organization remain serious. As at end-August 1996, there were some $2.8 billion in assessments left unpaid. These include $700 million on the regular budget, and $2.1 billion on the peace-keeping budget. Only 89 Member States have paid their dues in full. This is better than the situation last year. But our financial position remains critical.

Unless substantial additional contributions are made soon, the position of the United Nations will again reach a dangerously low level before the end of the year.

The financial crisis of the United Nations is due, in part, to an unprecedented expansion of the Organization's work, and to internal difficulties of some Member States. But it is also a symptom of a deeper problem. The international community has not yet clearly determined what it expects of the Organization. It has not yet determined the extent to which it is willing to engage the critical issues on the international agenda, and to do so through the United Nations.

Following the end of the Second World War, it took many years for a new international system to come fully into being. Today, with the end of the cold war, we are again in a period of transition. The role of existing institutions is being questioned. But the rules for a new international system have yet to be fully established.

We can be certain, however, that the problems increasingly confronted by the world -- as truly global problems -- are not amenable to solution by individual States, or even groups of States. A strong United Nations is a necessity for the future. It is this United Nations of tomorrow that you are building, today, with your work and your sacrifice.

Constructing a strong United Nations for the future is not an event. It is a process. The process is well under way, but it is far from completed. Your perseverance will be crucial to its success.

Patience and understanding should not be confused with passivity. We, as staff, must exert every effort to convince Member States of the essential nature of their Organization. We must be prepared to fight for broader understanding of the United Nations. We must be prepared to open the way to a better future.

As Secretary-General, I spare no effort to impress on Member States that the contribution of the United Nations must be inscribed over the long term. The Organization cannot afford to limit itself to dealing with the emergencies of the day.

Experience has shown that, each urgent peace-keeping effort must be followed by a long-term commitment to help consolidate the achievements of that effort. And each effort must also be integrated with long-term peace- building. Otherwise, communities may relapse into war and bloodshed.

In the Security Council and in the General Assembly, I have argued, time and again, for a long-term vision -- for policies that promote sustainable development as a foundation for lasting peace. A main thrust of my contribution to An Agenda for Peace and An Agenda for Development has been to emphasize the need for a comprehensive, long-term approach. The long view must be the view that guides the United Nations of the future.

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On the managerial front, I have endeavoured, in my annual report and in many statements, to clarify the respective responsibilities of Member States and the Secretary-General. I have engaged in continuing dialogue with Member States on the ongoing process of organizational and structural reform -- and the direction along which it should proceed.

I addressed the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) twice last year on the financial crisis and on conditions of service.

I stressed that both issues are crucial to the viability of this Organization into the next century. An organization which is not financially secure will not be able to address long-term issues. It will not be able to respond to persistent trends or new challenges. An organization with poor conditions of service will be unable to attract the skilled personnel needed to perform the tasks entrusted to it. Ensuring competitive conditions of service must be viewed as an integral part of the process of reform and renewal now under way.

In the past year, we have also made a renewed effort to set the public record straight, in response to ill-informed criticism of the Organization. We have achieved some success. But the time has come to lay to rest this canard of a slow-moving, overpaid bureaucracy. I know how hard you work. And I know the purchasing power of United Nations salaries. All of you, at all levels, must help explain the true situation to those around you.

We, the staff of the United Nations, must be proud of the capacity we have shown to do more and more with ever-diminishing resources.

As international public servants, we have a right to be proud of our work for the world community. We are proud!

In the past year, we in the Secretariat have shown an impressive capacity to cope with change and manage it effectively -- to adapt our work methods to rapidly evolving conditions. And we have done so, while remaining faithful to the purposes and principles on which the United Nations was founded.

It has not been an easy process. Since January, we have found ways to achieve the mandates entrusted to us -- including new and more demanding tasks -- while reducing the number of regularly budgeted staff positions by some 1,000. This has been achieved through a combination of natural attrition, early separation packages and the staff redeployment programme. Through swift and effective action, we have been able to contain the negative impact on staff. And we have thus far been able to accommodate a vast majority of the staff members affected. The search for postings for remaining staff continues.

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Even in these difficult circumstances, staff and managers have not lost sight of the need to promote gender equality in the Secretariat. Every effort has been made to ensure that staff cuts do not affect women disproportionately. We must continue to give priority to this important objective.

The process of streamlining may well need to continue, at least for some time. However, my senior management team and I remain committed to mitigating, to the fullest extent possible, the hardship that further post reductions may imply for serving staff. I have also given instructions that measures be taken to reinstate promotion and placement opportunities for deserving staff, where circumstances permit.

I greatly appreciate the cooperation that staff at all levels have extended throughout this process. Indeed, the experience and imagination of staff -- of those who actually carry out the day-to-day work of the Organization -- are the only reliable basis for identifying efficiency gains that are real and sustainable.

In my strategy for the management of human resources, I emphasize the importance of creating a new, performance-based management culture. One that encourages each individual to perform to his or her greatest potential. And one that contributes to improved organizational performance.

The creation of such a culture requires strengthened leadership skills and managerial capacity. I have, therefore, introduced a mandatory programme of people management training. In a one-year period, over 90 per cent of D-1 and D-2 staff at all duty stations have taken part. I personally participated in a special Senior Management Symposium with heads of departments and offices at Headquarters. It served to develop a stronger, shared understanding of the role of senior-most management, and of staff expectations for leadership and support. Some of the benefits of this Symposium -- in terms of enhanced collaboration among departments -- are already apparent.

I am convinced that increased staff development and training opportunities -- for all categories of staff -- are essential to build the Organization's present and future capacity, and to meet the career aspirations of individual staff members. Investments in training are key investments in the future.

I will report to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session on these and other measures under way to strengthen our management of human resources. The United Nations must set the example in ensuring a safe and supportive work environment, which affords equal opportunity to all staff -- men and women -- to participate in the work of the Organization, and to fulfil their career aspirations.

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As part of this effort, you will be asked, in the coming weeks, to complete a comprehensive questionnaire about harassment in the United Nations work place. Only your honest assessment will make it possible to address effectively this important concern.

Each of us has a part to play in ensuring that United Nations staff, at any duty station, are protected and supported in the performance of their duties.

In the same vein, I am also pleased to note that a more constructive spirit of staff-management consultations has evolved over the past several months. Representatives of management and staff have been working with dedication to sustain these consultations. In this spirit, I look forward to receiving the considered recommendations and advice of the twentieth session of the Staff Management Coordination Committee, which convenes later this month.

At the inter-agency level, as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, I have been doing -- and will continue to do -- all that is possible to promote staff safety and security, and to maintain the integrity of the common system, with competitive conditions of service.

I have often emphasized that Member States have, in the Secretariat, a unique international civil service. Its geographic, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity cannot be matched by any other work force in the world. The overwhelming majority of United Nations staff are highly qualified and bring to the Organization a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives.

But there is no greater factor in our contribution to the international community than our independence as international civil servants. The independence of the Office of the Secretary-General and the independence of the international civil service -- these are our most precious assets.

Just as we are responsible to all Members of the United Nations, so we must be of service to all Members of the United Nations.

The independence of the United Nations Secretary-General and staff guarantees our service to the world community. It is -- and it must be -- the bedrock of our work.

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