Mr. Chair,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina*, the potential candidate country Georgia, as well as Andorra and Monaco align themselves with this statement.

At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the presence of the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management; the Director of the Ethics Office; as well as Chair of the ACABQ. I thank them for presenting the reports under this agenda item.

The wealth of this Organization lies in its people, its most valuable asset. The women and men who work at the United Nations are instrumental to deliver the Organization’s mandates, to uphold its principles, and to defend its values. We would like to thank the Secretary General for his continuous efforts as chief administrative officer to modernize the United Nations human resources system: after 5 years of debate, it is high time we improved the UN human resources framework and policies in order to meet the current and future needs of the Organization.

We came close to achieving this last year: the second time our first resumed session was focused on items predominantly pertaining to HRM allowed significant progress towards a better understanding of eachother’s positions. However, despite active and constructive engagement, we were unable to handle the numerous and dated reports, carried over after several years of stalemate. In a show of determination to move forward, we decided for a fresh start and requested a new set of reports. We therefore now have a more conducive setting, and building upon our past efforts, we are convinced the Committee has the capacity to reach a meaningful outcome.

Mr. Chair,

The proposed “ways forward in the implementation of human resources management reforms for the period 2023–2026” are laying grounds for a forward-looking, needs-responsive, integrated, and modern human resource management system, focused on diversity, agility, and accountability.

First: We are convinced that, as set out in the UN Charter, the workforce of the Organization should continue to embody the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, while reflecting the people it serves, including in terms of geography, gender, age, and capabilities. Our shared aim, as membership, is to foster a diverse workforce and to that end we stand ready to explore ways for finetuning and developing an accurate reflection of such in the Secretariat. We welcome the progress reported in the new composition report, and continue to support the Organization’s efforts to further enhance its workforce diversity, in all its components:

• we encourage further system-wide efforts towards achieving gender parity at all levels, including in the field;
• we emphasize that due regard shall be paid to attracting and retaining talent on as wide a geographical basis as possible;
• we insist on the need to ensure access of persons with disabilities;
• we repeat our call to rejuvenate the Organization, and acquire new and younger talents;
• finally,we reiterate the importance of multilingualism and the need for linguistic diversity to be adequately reflected in the human resources management of the UN.

Second: For an agile worforce and staff to feel motivated, there must be an effective system of performance management at all levels, to incentivize and reward excellence, but also to address underperformance. To that end, we believe in the fundamental importance of a comprehensive and strategic workforce-planning system. The recruitment process should ensure that the Organization attracts and hires the most suitable candidate with the right skillsets, within the 120 days target for staff-selection. The Organization should foster career development through enhanced training, so that UN staff can acquire and continuously hone the skills necessary to adapt to a variety of challenging UN work environment. Similarly, a well-functioning mobility framework, both in headquarters and even more importantly with the field, is critical for the Organization, the UN staff, as well as the mandates and people they serve: it offers staff the opportunity to broaden their base of experience and to develop their careers to the fullest while ensuring that we can fully leverage the diversity and richness of mandates and duty stations within the UN Secretariat.

Third: We continue ascribing great importance to the rollout of a strong and robust accountability framework. A cornerstone of Management Reform, and an integral part of the delegation of authority, accountability is key (i) to fostering a culture of ethics, inclusivity, and transparency, (ii) to preventing all forms of discrimination, and (iii) to addressing any type of misconduct, with a focus on a victim-centred approach, and make zero tolerance a reality. An Organization free of discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual explotation and abuse should be a common priority. In this regard, we welcome the efforts of the Ethics Office and underline the necessity of strengthening its independence.

Mr. Chair,

Our endeavor this session is to ensure that current and future Human Resource Management reforms meet the needs of both the Organization and its staff. The European Union and its Member States pledge to work constructively with all parties to achieve a consensual resolution in this regard and to work with you and all members of the Fifth Committee in a spirit of constructive cooperation, consensus and collegiality.

I thank you Mr. Chair.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.