|
|
Mr. Chairman,
We thank Under Secretary General Yukio Takasu, new Assistant Secretary-General Carole Wainaina, and Director Ethics Office Joan Dubinsky for introducing the relevant reports of the Secretary-General. We also thank the ACABQ Chairman, Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, for introducing the related report of the Advisory Committee. We thank Mr. Ian Richards, for the statement made on behalf of the staff of UN Secretariat, Funds and Programmes. We warmly welcome and congratulate Ms. Carole Wainaina over her appointment. We wish her well and look forward to working closely with her.
Pakistan delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
Mr. Chairman,
Pakistan attaches importance to the issue of human resource management reforms. The performance and effectiveness of the United Nations depends on the quality of its workforce. An independent international civil service with the highest standards of performance, integrity and accountability is therefore indispensable to achieve the designated goals.
The reform agenda in regard to human resources management remains work in progress. We are pleased with the broad objectives and direction of the reform efforts. Streamlining of contractual arrangements, harmonization of service conditions and a managed mobility framework represent significant advances in the recent past.
We reiterate our support for continuity of reform; and value the efforts undertaken by the Secretary General, USG Yukio Takasu and his team in the OHRM to carry forward this important task. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly evaluate the impact of the reform measures in order to refine and improve them.
Mr. Chairman,
Pakistan delegation has taken note of the additional information and data provided by the Secretary General on the mobility framework. We reaffirm our support for the framework as a means to assist the United Nations in ensuring equitable burden-sharing at hardship duty stations.
Mobility is a major change process for the Secretariat as it seeks to respond to the growing imperatives of a field oriented Organization. While we examine the additional details, there is a need for more specificity on the impact on the current staff selection system; treatment of external candidates, advertisement of positions, geographic representation and gender balance. The proposals also need more clarity on how the proposed staffing processes and mechanisms would mitigate the risks of the time-consuming system of recruitment.
We also take note of the proposals on performance management and the Young Professionals Programme (YPP). We look forward to discussing these reports further in regard to the underlying assumptions, the expected benefits and the anticipated impact on the work of the organization.
Mr. Chairman,
The principle of equitable geographic representation is a Charter obligation. It is also necessary to ensure that the United Nations reflects the diversity and dynamism brought about by staff from all regions of the world.
Considerable progress has been made in several areas of human resource management over the past decades. The system of desirable ranges, however, has yet to embrace meaningful changes. Disparities in the representation of Member States in the Secretariat continue to persist despite a clear direction provided by the General Assembly for a comprehensive review of the system of desirable ranges .
There is merit in considering the possibility of re-establishing an open-ended Working Group of the Fifth Committee to consider the formula for the determination of equitable geographical representation of Member States in the Secretariat, on the basis of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter, as set out in Assembly resolution 41/206 C of 11 December 1986 and other relevant resolutions.
We recall our previous suggestions that the new human resources management scorecards should promote geographic representation as one of its priority indicators. We recommend a robust role of performance management board for the accountability of programme managers in the area of delegated authority in respect to recruitment process and effective implementation of scorecards.
We take note of the Secretary General’s latest report on desirable ranges. The recommendations in the report are modest and in our view do not address the systemic issue of inadequate representation of Member States in the organization. We look forward to the additional scenarios for calculating the desirable ranges.
In conclusion, we assure you, Mr. Chairman, of our constructive engagement in the consultations on this agenda item.
I thank you.