Photographs © 2014 Devra Berkowitz
UN General Assembly could end limits on General Service personnel
As the United Nations commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a rising chorus is calling for an end to inequalities in the UN’s own staffing system. The General Assembly is considering reform measures that both staff and officials say could create a more egalitarian system.
Managers at all levels have decried their inability to even consider experienced and qualified GS staff for Professional (P) posts, saying this frustrates efforts to achieve excellence, while the GS staff have said the injustice forces them to consider options beyond the UN. There is widespread agreement that this is a demoralizing and shameful loss – especially for an Organization that prides itself on advancing human rights.
A GS staff member who produced a video on the issue, Devra Berkowitz, found many others shared her hope that the Fifth Committee would endorse a recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) paving the way for GS/FS staff to apply for P posts.
In the video, Under-Secretary-General for Management Jan Beagle calls for change. “The Secretary-General’s management reform agenda is really about repositioning the Organization to deliver results more effectively, and it’s about finding new ways of doing business, and clearly this is a major change that has been a long time coming,” she said. Given the extensive experience and solid credentials of so many GS staff, she questioned why “they should not be able to apply like everybody else.”
If the General Assembly votes to end the divide, the United Nations Secretariat would be playing catch-up with other parts of the UN system that have already abolished the G to P exam, reaping the advantages of establishing a level playing field for all staff.
One GS staff featured in the video, Israa Hamad, holds a Masters Degree, served in duty stations around the world, and is fluent in half of the UN’s official languages. “I believe in this glass building,” she said, “so please help us keep on believing, and keep on dreaming, and keep on moving forward.”
Photographs © 2014 Devra Berkowitz