Fifth Committee

STATEMENT BY DELEGATE TO THE 65TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, MS JASMINE TAN, ON AGENDA ITEM 134: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, FIFTH COMMITTEE, 28 OCTOBER 2010

1 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Let me also thank the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro for her statement, the Under Secretary-General for Management, Ms. Angela Kane for introducing the reports of the Secretary-General; the Director of the Ethics Office, Ms. Joan Elise Dubinsky, for introducing the report on the activities of the Ethics Office; and to Ms Susan McLurg, Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for introducing the related report of the Advisory Committee.

Mr Chairman,

2 It is a truism that people are our most valuable resource. For a small country like Singapore that lacks natural resources, people are our only resource. As a nation, we have made it a priority to develop our people, building a sturdy foundation for us to chart a steady path of economic growth over the years. In the same way, human resources management (HRM) is necessary to equip the UN with personnel who can efficiently discharge the mandates, duties and responsibilities of this Organisation. Given the dynamic nature of HRM, periodic systemic flaws will arise and should be promptly addressed. In this regard, my delegation welcomes the proposals for human resources reform in the UN. We agree with the thrust of the Secretary-General's proposals to create a level playing field for UN staff by harmonizing conditions of service and streamlining contractual arrangements. At the same time, reforms must also be underpinned by the goal of building a culture of accountability in the system. On that note, and having reviewed the reports, I would like to raise the following three points.

Long-term workforce planning

3 The Organisation needs to strengthen workforce planning and monitoring functions on a strategic level so as to clearly determine and better define its long-term needs. The Secretariat possesses a bird's eye view of how human resources requirements are evolving across departments, in terms of headcount, expertise and skill sets required. It is time for the Secretariat to put this asset to work and enact personnel policies that forecast the human resources needs down the line, from career modeling, to training, roster management and mobility policies. My delegation is concerned to see the Secretariat's assessment in its report that all-encompassing workforce planning for the Secretariat had proved to be of limited value. Such thinking is defeatist and outdated. My delegation is convinced that the task of instilling a modern and progressive mindset in the Secretariat needs to be addressed comprehensively and as a matter of priority.

Responsiveness in staff selection and recruitment

4 Another HR operation that is long overdue for modernization is the practice of staff selection and recruitment. As the UN's mandate continues to expand, the need to compete with other global institutions for the best and brightest talents to implement these mandates becomes more critical. We should acknowledge that the days when well-qualified candidates see the Organisation as their first choice of employer are over. A fierce global competition for talent is at hand, where the swiftest recruiter gains the best people. Yet the Organisation is taking longer than before to fill a post - from an average of 182 days in 2008 for non-field locations, to an unacceptable 197 days, or 6 and a half months, last year. In today's fast-moving world, good candidates will not put their lives on hold for that amount of time. In the end, the Organisation loses out in terms of the level of talent recruited, as well as its failure to respond quickly to organisational needs. The stark reality is that the UN needs to do much better on this score.

5 In addressing this issue, the Secretariat should not substitute stop gap measures for a much needed overhauling of its practices. Moreover, the Secretariat should avoid taking steps that would shut off fair access for developing countries, such as reducing the advertising period for posts. Instead, the Organisation should conduct a more comprehensive review of its entire recruitment process - including, how it shortlists candidates, conducts interviews and run reference checks - to improve its overall response time. At the end of the day, all the best intentioned projects, proposals, and plans to introduce new enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to enhance the UN's administrative practices will come to naught if the Organisation stays trapped in an outmoded mindset and a self-inflicted morass of bureaucracy.

Rigorous performance appraisal system

6 A rigorous performance appraisal system is the cornerstone of any HR management framework. It is not enough for the UN to attract and retain people to work in the organisation. As international civil servants, they must also be held accountable for their performance at every step of the way. New initiatives from the Staff-Management Coordination Committee, such as linking individual workplans with departmental strategic frameworks, and plans to implement a multi-rater feedback mechanism are steps in the right direction. However, a more realistic and stringent performance appraisal approach is needed, one that does not routinely rate an inordinate number of staff as 'meeting or exceeding performance expectations'. Ineffective, apathetic and incompetent staff should be objectively identified to allow for proper remedial action, while good performers should be given due recognition and reward. My delegation understands the many sensitivities and challenges associated with this issue, since the core of HRM is the management of people, but we believe that such a review and reform of the performance appraisal system will benefit the Organisation in the long-term.

Mr Chairman,

7 HRM is not an abstract concept but a dynamic constant with material and financial implications. My delegation's intention today is to highlight serious concerns that merit deeper and thorough consideration by this Committee. We stand ready to have a full and frank discussion on the points we have flagged and other related issues. Singapore supports the Secretariat's efforts to better equip itself with the best available human resource tools to carry out all its mandates, duties and responsibilities. Clearly, however, the system that we have in the Organisation is not a perfect one. Nonetheless, we hope that Member States can work in concert with the Secretariat to address these issues in an honest and comprehensive manner.

Thank you, Mr Chairman.

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