Personnel questions

 

Personnel questions

A Composition of the Secretariat The General Assembly, Reaffirming its previous resolutions on personnel questions, in particular resolution 39/245 of 18 December 1984, Concerned that the targets set in the 1983-1985 medium-term plan of recruitment were not achieved, Recalling Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, which states that "the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity.Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible",

1. Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to strengthen the role and emphasize the authority of the Office of Personnel Services of the Department of Administration and Management in recruitment and other personnel matters throughout the Secretariat and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-first session;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to develop and apply a second medium-term plan of recruitment for the period 1986-1987 with specific targets for recruitment from unrepresented and underrepresented countries with a view to bringing all Member States within their desirable ranges and to make special efforts to increase the number of staff recruited from Member States below the mid-point of their desirable ranges in order to bring them towards their mid-point;

3. Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure the representation of developing countries and other countries in senior and policy-formulating posts, with due regard to equitable geographical distribution and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-first session proposals for the review of the system of desirable ranges with a view to achieving a balanced application of all factors relevant to the calculation of the desirable ranges, including the population factor, taking into account the views of Member States expressed in the Fifth Committee during the fortieth session;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to speed up the recruitment process by setting strict time-limits for the departments and offices concerned to complete the recruitment procedures;

6. Takes note of the Secretary-General's proposal to introduce, on an experimental basis, a competitive examination at the P-3 level for candidates with the required qualifications and experience and requests him to submit a report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-first session, taking into account the comments of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the views of Member States expressed in the Fifth Committee during the fortieth session;

7. Further requests the Secretary-General, in his efforts to guarantee to staff members a just and expeditious resolution of disputes and grievances, to streamline the appeals procedures and continue the study on the feasibility of establishing an office of Ombudsman, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-first session;

8. Approves the introduction, in accordance with the recommendation of the International Civil Service Commission, of after-service health insurance coverage for former locally recruited staff who participated in the medical expense assistance plan in appendix E to the Staff Rules of the United Nations, on the understanding that the Secretary-General will present to the General Assembly at its forty-first session the financial implications of reformulating the scheme to make it comparable to other health insurance schemes of the common system.

B

Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat

The General Assembly, Recalling Article 8 of the Charter of the United Nations, which states that "the United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs", Further recalling Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, which states that "the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest conditions of efficiency, competence and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible", Recalling article 8 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which calls upon States Parties to "take all appropriate measures to ensure to women, on equal terms with men and without any discrimination, the opportunity to represent their Governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organizations", Reaffirming its relevant resolutions on the need to increase both the overall number of women in posts subject to geographical distribution and the proportion of women at the senior and policy-making levels of the Organization, Noting the recommendations contained in paragraph 358 of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women with respect to the recruitment, promotion and career development of women by all bodies and organizations of the United Nations system, Convinced that women should have equal opportunity to serve the international community at all levels of responsibility and that progress in this regard can only be achieved through commitment at the highest levels of the organizations demonstrated through accountable management practices,

1. Welcomes the continuing efforts of the Secretary-General to improve the status of women in the Secretariat and, in particular, the action programme and work plans set out in the report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, and his providing all necessary assistance for the effective carrying out of all these tasks;

2. Takes note of the Secretary-General's decision to reappoint during the biennium 1986-1987, on a temporary basis, a Co-ordinator for the Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat of the United Nations;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to increase the number of women in posts subject to geographical distribution with a view to achieving, to the extent possible, an overall participation rate of 30 per cent of the total by 1990, without prejudice to the principle of equitable geographical distribution of posts;

4. Reiterates that the functions of the Co-ordinator should not duplicate those of the Office of Personnel Services and stresses that the latter Office shall continue to exercise overall responsibility and implement all directives of the General Assembly and policies of the Secretary-General on personnel matters, including the implementation of all policies on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, in particular the action programme and work plans set out in the report of the Secretary-General;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its forty-first session on the progress made in implementing the action programme and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

6. Reiterates its request to Member States to continue to support the efforts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations to increase the proportion of women in the Professional category and above by, inter alia, nominating more women candidates.

C

Respect for the Privileges and Immunities of Officials of the United Nations and the Specialized Agencies and Related Organizations

The General Assembly, Recalling Articles 100 and 105 of the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming its previous resolutions, in particular resolution 39/244 of 18 December 1984, Reiterating the obligation of the staff in the conduct of their duties to observe fully the laws and regulations of Member States,

1. Takes note with concern of the report submitted to the General Assembly by the Secretary-General on behalf of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination;

2. Deplores the increasing number of cases involving the abduction and detention of United Nations officials, experts and military personnel by armed groups and individuals;

3. Calls upon all Member States that currently have United Nations officials under arrest or detention to review these cases and to co-ordinate efforts with the Secretary-General to resolve each case with all due speed;

4. Calls upon the staff of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations to comply with the obligations resulting from the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, in particular regulation 1.8, and from the equivalent provisions governing the staff of the other agencies;

5. Calls upon the Secretary-General, as chief administrative officer of the United Nations, to continue personally to act as the focal point in promoting and ensuring the observance of the privileges and immunities of officials of the United Nations and the specialized agencies and related organizations, and to take all necessary measures to implement the mandates of the General Assembly as reflected in paragraphs 7 and 8 of resolution 39/244..