Having examined the reports of the Secretary-General on the composition of the Secretariat/105 and on the implementation of personnel policy reforms,/106

Concerned that the reforms of personnel policy as well as the implementation of the various resolutions on the composition of the Secretariat are proceeding too slowly and a coherent personnel policy has not yet been realized,

Concerned about the urgent need to secure an improved representation of developing countries at senior and policy-making levels and reiterating the objective of achieving adequate representation of hitherto unrepresented and under-represented countries,

Reaffirming that the paramount consideration in the employment of staff at every level is the need for the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity and convinced that this is compatible with the principles of equitable geographical distribution,

Taking note with appreciation of the reports of the Joint Inspection Unit on the implementation of the personnel policy reforms approved by the General Assembly in 1974,/107 on women in the Professional category and above in the United Nations system/108 and on General Service staff of the United Nations and Geneva-based specialized agencies,/109

Welcoming the intention of the Secretary-General to launch a plan of action to improve the geographical distribution of the Secretariat during 1979-1980,

Concerned about the need to improve the proportion of women in the Secretariat within the context of equitable geographical distribution,

Calling upon the Secretary-General and all the United Nations organizations to put an end to any form of discrimination based on sex, as laid down in Article 8 of the Charter of the United Nations, in conditions of employment, recruitment, promotion and training and to ensure that the opportunities for employment and promotion of women in the United Nations system are equal to those of men,

I

1. Requests the Secretary-General to adopt the following measures and guidelines regarding recruitment of Professional staff:

1. Bulletins containing a statement of all existing vacancies as well as all those expected to arise in the course of the following year should be issued every six months, in order to facilitate the submission by Member States of candidates for recruitment;

2. Publicity should be given regarding recruitment of personnel in co-operation with Member States, inter alia through United Nations offices, universities and professional organizations, including women's organizations whenever appropriate, to fulfil the recruitment policies outlined in the present resolution;

3. Composition of the roster of candidates should be improved, in order to make it more geographically representative and make it better reflect the recruitment needs of the Secretariat among various occupational groups as well as to increase the number of women on the roster, and, prior to filling a vacancy, a thorough search should be made of the roster for suitable candidates;

4. Professional staff of the United Nations should be encouraged to work at more than one duty station and satisfactory performance during such tours of duty should be considered an additional positive factor in evaluating them for promotion;

5. Information on the over-all results of the staff performance review should be made available to the General Assembly;

6. Definition of occupational groups together with criteria for new definition of such groups should be established and a list of occupational groups for General Service and Professional categories along with standards for entry, promotion and rotation of staff should be drawn up;

7. Movement of staff from the General Service category to the Professional category should be limited to the P-1 and P-2 levels and be permitted up to 30 per cent of the total posts available for appointment at those levels and such recruitment should be conducted exclusively through competitive methods of selection from General Service staff with at least five years' experience and post-secondary educational qualifications;

8. Competitive methods of recruitment should be used in consultation with the Governments concerned, organized on a national, subregional or regional basis, for selection of staff at the P-1 and P-2 levels with a view to making the geographical distribution of posts in the Secretariat more equitable;

9. Necessary measures should be devised to protect the confidentiality and objectivity of the methods of selection described above and to ensure that the methods of testing take into account the cultural and linguistic diversity of the membership of the United Nations;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the above measures, with detailed numerical data wherever appropriate, to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session;

II

1. Requests the Secretary-General to establish a target of 40 per cent of all vacancies arising in Professional posts subject to geographical distribution during the period 1979-1980 for the appointment of nationals of unrepresented and under-represented countries in order to ensure that all such countries achieve their desirable ranges during that biennium, while ensuring that the representation of countries which are within desirable ranges does not decrease;

2. Reaffirms that no post should be considered the exclusive preserve of any Member State, or group of States, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that this principle is applied faithfully in accordance with the principle of equitable geographical distribution;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to apply the regulations regarding the age of retirement and not grant extensions beyond the established age of retirement except for the minimum time required to find a suitable replacement, which shall be initially until the end of 1979 and thereafter not normally for more than six months after the established age of retirement;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to take further steps to increase the representation of developing countries at senior and policy-making levels during 1979-1980 in implementing the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to reduce the average age of staff at the P-1 and P-2 levels to thirty-five by taking necessary measures for recruitment of young professional persons and the enhancement of their career opportunities within the United Nations;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a progress report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session and a final report to the Assembly at its thirty-fifth session on the implementation of the steps described above;

7. Expresses its appreciation for the work of the Panel to Investigate Allegations of Discriminatory Treatment in the United Nations Secretariat and requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Panel with the necessary facilities for its activities;

III

1. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to increase the number of women in posts subject to geographical distribution to 25 per cent of the total over a four-year period in accordance with the principle of equitable geographical distribution and requests other United Nations organizations similarly to establish targets for this purpose;

2. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the executive heads of the other organizations within the United Nations system to issue, in accordance with the principle of equitable geographical distribution, policy statements and directives necessary to foster equal employment and career development opportunities for women;

3. Requests the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the executive heads of the other organizations within the United Nations system, in pursuit of these objectives:

1. To ensure that women are henceforth fairly represented on personnel advisory and administrative boards;

2. To review existing recruitment literature, publicity and promotion procedures, internal training programmes and staff rules in order to ensure that women and men enjoy equal opportunity for promotion and career development;

3. To review and revise, as necessary, staff rules and procedures covering assignments of married couples to the same duty station, maternity leave, part-time employment and flexible working hours;

4. Invites the Administrative Committee on Coordination to review the situation regarding recruitment of, and career development opportunities for, women in the secretariats of the organizations within the United Nations system and to submit periodic reports to the General Assembly incorporating specific proposals to achieve this objective, from the thirty-fourth session of the Assembly onwards;

5. Calls upon Member States to assist the United Nations and the specialized agencies to increase the proportion of women in the Professional category and above by nominating more women candidates and co-operating with the Secretary-General in the recruitment measures outlined in the present resolution;

6. Requests the Joint Inspection Unit to continue to study and report on the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution dealing with personnel policy reforms and the improvement of the representation of women in the Professional category and above in the United Nations system, from the thirty-fifth session of the General Assembly onwards;

IV

1. Requests the Secretary-General to establish the entrance level qualifications and maximum levels of grades for various occupations of the General Service category at Geneva on the basis of the levels of equivalent grades for the same occupations in New York and to finalize the classification of posts in the General Service category at Geneva before 30 April 1979;

2. Further requests the Secretary-General to implement the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit contained in its report on General Service staff of the United Nations and Geneva-based specialized agencies/109 which will improve the efficiency of recruitment and effectiveness of the work of the General Service category at Geneva, in co-operation with the agencies, with due regard to the need for economy as suggested in the report of the Administrative Committee on Co-ordination/110 and taking into account the comments of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraphs 43 to 47 of its first report to the General Assembly at its thirty-third session/111.

90th plenary meeting
20 December 1978