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Personnel Problems and the United Nations Secretariat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2009

Richard N. Swift
Richard N. Swift
Affiliation:
Associate Professor of Government, New York University
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Extract

The United Nations Charter states that, in building the Secretariat, the Secretary General must give “paramount consideration” to achieving “the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity”, and adds that he must recruit “on as wide a geographical basis as possible”. A dozen years have passed since these standards were set down at San Francisco, and in those years two Secretaries General have attempted to apply them. In their efforts to create a professional civil service, they have had to face extraordinarily difficult problems, but it is clear that the Secretariat today largely fulfills the expectations of the Charter

Type
Articles
Information
International Organization , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , Spring 1957 , pp. 228 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © The IO Foundation 1957

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References

1 Article 101, par. 3.

2 General Assembly Official Records VII (1953)Google Scholar, Annexes, “Agenda Item 75: Report of the Secretary General on Personnel Policy,” (A/2364), cited hereinafter as “[First] Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 7.

3 Ibid., p. 8.

4 General Assembly Official Records Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of ibe Secretary-General … III (1948), p. 127–28Google Scholar, IV (1949), p. 152; [First] Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 7; Yearbook of the United Nations, 1950, p. 146.

5 General Assembly Official Records Supp. No. II, Annual Report of tie Secretary-General… II (1947), p. 74Google Scholar, III (1948), p. 127, IV (1949), p. 152–153, VI (1951), P. 204.

6 Two examinations are given for English-language candidates; one each for French and Spanish.

7 The best general discussion of the usefulness of examinations in recruiting for international organizations is in Ranshofen-Wertheimer, Egon F., The International Secretariat, Washington, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1945, p. 351–335Google Scholar. See also The International Secretariat of the Future, London, Oxford University Press, 1944, p. 25Google Scholar. The original United Nations views appear in Document PC/20, Report of the Preparatory Commission, p. 91–92, and the most recent authoritative statement is in International Civil Service Advisory Board, Report on Recruitment Methods and Standards for the United Nations and Specialized Agencies (1950)Google Scholar, hereinafter cited as 1CSAB Report on Recruitment, p. 28–30.

8 The formula was developed by the Secretary-General in Document A/652, “Composition of the Secretariat and the Principles of Geographical Distribution,” (September 2, 1948), pars. 9, 10. See also General Assembly Official Records, Resolutions 153 (II), 1947, and 233 (III), 1948Google Scholar.

9 “[First] Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 7.

10 General Assembly Official Records III (1948)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 128.

11 General Assembly Official Records IV (1949)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 153.

12 “[First] Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 7.

13 Document A/C.5/689, “Changes in Geographical Distribution,” December 7, 1956, p. 2, 9–10.

14 The information in this paragraph and the material that follows on the Secretariat's efforts to deal with the enlarged membership of the United Nations is taken from the provisional records of the Fifth Committee contained in Documents A/C.5/563 and 564, January 10 and 12, 1957. The Secretariat's position was set forth by Mr. J. A. C. Robertson, Director of Personnel.

15 Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee (1956), p. 14.

16 Document A/3558 (February 25, 1957), “Report of the Fifth Committee [on Salaries],” p. 31–33.

17 Document A/C.5/SR.564 (January 12, 1957), p. 12. Other quotations here are either from this record or that of the preceding meeting of the Fifth Committee. Mr. Ranshofen-Wertheimer, incidentally, argued that representatives of a country like his, famous for its administrators, should be equivalent to its “quota”, while at the same time conceding that there were three Austrian staff members already employed, which is within the limits of the Austrian quota.

18 Document A/C.5/L.393, “Staff of the United Nations Secretariat: Report of the Secretary-General” (September 28, 1956), p. 12.

19 Document A/C.5/693. … Report of the Working Group … (January 11, 1957) contains the text of a draft resolution prepared by Canada, Guatemala, India, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Rumania, Spain, and Syria.

20 Document A/C. 5/689, “Changes in Geographical Distribution,” p. 2–3.

21 Ibid., p. 1–2.

22 General Assembly Official Records VII (1952)Google Scholar. Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 178; yearbook of the United Nations 1952, p. 94–95.

23 General Assembly Official Records VIII (1953)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 158.

24 Document A/2533, “[Second] Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 30.

25 Ibid., p. 31.

26 Ibid., p. 35 and Documents ST/SGB/94/Rev.4, Staff Rules (1955), Rules 104.9 and 104.13.

27 Document A/C.5/691/Add.I, “Statement by the Staff … Council [on Salaries],” p. 6.

28 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Salary Review Committee: Report of the Secretary-General,” (December 14, 1956), hereinafter cited as “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 4–5.

29 Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee, p. 18.

30 Secretariat manning tables provide for three categories of employees beneath the Under-Secretaries: D (Directors and Principal Officers), P (Professional), and G (General Service). In the D category there are two ranks, D-I and D-2; in the P and G categories, there are five each. In addition there are separate categories for the Field Service and Manual Workers.

31 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 8.

32 Ibid., p. 29–32.

33 General Assembly Official Records XI (1956)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1A, Introduction to the Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 8.

34 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 29–32.

35 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 24, 26; Document A/C.5/691/Add.I, “Statement by the … Staff Council [on Salaries],” p. 3.

36 Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee, p. 13–14.

37 Document A/C.5/691/Add.I, “Statement by the … Staff Council [on Salaries],” p. 2.

38 Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee, p. 3–4; General Assembly Official Records XI (1956)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 116.

39 Compiled from tables in Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee, p. 5, 5, 53.

40 General Assembly Official Records, Resolutions (XI), 1957Google Scholar.

41 The Advisory Committee is one of the standing committees of the Assembly provided for in the Rules of Procedure and consists of experts appointed in theirindividual capacities.

42 Document A/3558, “Report of the Fifth Committee [on Salaries],” p. 7–9.

43 Document A/C.5/691/Add.I, “Statement by the … Staff Council [on Salaries],” p. 14.

44 Document A/C.3/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 29–32; Document A/3558, “Report of the Fifth Committee [on Salaries],” p. 15.

45 Document A/3558, ’Report of the Fifth Committee [on Salaries],” p. 7–9.

46 Ibid., p. 16–21, 38–42. See also Document A/C5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 24–25, Document A/C.5/698 and Document A/C5/705, “Statement by the Secretary-General.”

47 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 25.

48 Document A/05/691/Add.I, “Statement by the … Staff Council [on Salaries],” p. 18.

49 Ibid., p. 18.

50 Document A/C.5/691, “Report of the Secretary-General [on Salaries],” p. 25.

51 The present Staff Rules, Document ST/SGB/94/Rev.4 (August 15, 1955), became effective on September 1, 1955. They are based on the following Resolutions of the General Asscmblyt 590 (VI), February 2, 1952; 781 and 782 (VIII), December 9, 1953; 882 (IX), December 14, 1954; 887 (IX), December 17, 1954. They cover twelve subjects: 1) duties, obligations and privileges, 2) classification of posts and staff, 3) salaries and related allowances, 4) appointment and promotion, 5) annual and special leave, 6) social security, 7) travel and removal expenses, 8) staff relations, 9 separation from service, 10) disciplinary measures, 12) appeals, and 12) general provisions.

52 General Assembly Official Records VII (1952)Google Scholar, Supp. No. I, Annual Report of the Secretary-General…, p. 178.

53 General Assembly Official Records VI (1951)Google Scholar, Supp. No. 1, Annual Report of the Secretary-General …, p. 204.

54 Of the three members of the Joint Appeals Board, the Secretary-General chooses a chairman from a panel he appoints after consulting with the Staff Committee, and the staff each choose one representative.

55 Staff Committee Bulletin, Document SCB/21, February 18, 1957.

56 Staff Rule III. I (b).

57 The Joint Disciplinary Committee has three members: a chairman, selected from a panel appointed annually by the Secretary-General after consulting with the Staff Committee, one member appointed annually by the Secretary-General, and one member elected by staff member, proceedings before the Appeals Board and the Tribunal would the Staff. The Staff actually elects three staff members, one from each of three different rank groups in the Secretariat, and the staff representative in each case comes from the group to which the staff member concerned belongs.

58 General Assembly Official Records, Resolutions 351 (IV) and 957 (IX), 1949 and 1954Google Scholar.

59 UN AT Judgment No. 4: Hotvrani et al.

60 UN AT Judgment No. 5: Howrani and Judgment No. 16: Morrow.

61 UN AT Judgment No. 6: Kieney.

62 UN AT Judgment No. 15: Robinson.

63 UN AT Judgment No. 8: Alper; Judgment No.17: De Pojidaeff.

64 UN AT Judgment No. 9: Kehoe.

65 UN AT Judgment No. 14: Vanbove.

66 General Assembly Official Records VI (1952)Google Scholar, Resolutions 590.

67 Document A/2364 “[First], Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy (1953),” p. 11.

68 UN AT Judgment No. 18: Crawford.

69 Staff Regulation 1.4; UN AT Judgment No. 18: Crawford. Oddly enough, in this case, both the Secretary-General and the Tribunal agreed that, becauseof the Statute of Limitations, the employee probably had no legal right to use the Fifth Amendment.

70 UN AT Judgments No. 25: Van Tassel and No. 27: Zap, H.

71 UN AT Judgment No. 26: Zap, M. The Tribunal subsequently upheld the Secretary-General's right to deny staff members permanent contracts on the basis of the Walters Committee's recommendations.–UN AT Judgments Nos. 43: Levinson, 44: Bergb, 45: Mohan, 46: White, 47: Carter, 48: Wang, 49: Cartuthers, 50: Brown.

72 UN AT Judgments Nos. 19: Kaplan, 20: Middleson, 22: Kagen-Pozner, 23: Sokolow, el at.

73 Document A/2364, “Report of the Secretary-General on Personnel Policy” (1953). P. II, 29–30.

74 Ibid.

75 UN AT Judgment No. 28: Wallach. The Tribunational nal ultimately upheld the Secretary-General in this case because the employee refused to answer the Secretary-General's questions about the truth of the answers appearing on his employment application. See Judgment No. 53: Wallach.

76 UN AT Judgments Nos. 29–38.

77 UN AT Judgments Nos. 29, 31, 33–37, 39–42.

78 Friedmann, W. and Fatouros, A. A., “The United Nations Administrative Tribunal,” International Organization (Vol. 11, No. 1), Winter 1957, p. 13–29CrossRefGoogle Scholar—and Eagleton, Clyde, “Legal Affairs”, in Eagleton, Clyde and Swift, Richard N., eds., Annual Review of United Nations Affairs 1955–1956. New York, New York University Press, 1957, p. 154–155Google Scholar.

79 Regulation 9. I(a) in Staff Rules.

80 These factors were recognized and discussed by a 1955 Committee of Experts and the Salary Review Committee. See Document A/3209, Report of the Salary Review Committee, p. 13–14. For the reaction of the Staff, see Document A/C.5/691/Add.I, “Statement of the … Staff Council,” p. 1, 7–8.