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.

While there are divergent views among the many and varied personnel working at the UN, Devra Berkowitz, the initiator of a recent video on this issue found top officials eager to speak out on the need to bridge the G and P divide.

“From securing the interviews, writing questions, shooting and editing it’s definitely been a labor of love,” said Berkowitz of her effort to produce a video that showcases the concerns she has experienced firsthand. “I am keeping my fingers crossed that all this hard work pays off.”

Ms. Berkowitz is joined by others who are hopeful that the General Assembly will act on a draft resolution that would pave the way for G staff to apply for P posts. Thanks to her video, the draft resolution already has the endorsement of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.

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.”