Human Resources Management

A/RES/53/221View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 119 Human resources management, published in 1999.

What else is in this group?

22 documents · 1995–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/79/280	Human resources management	194	–
2023	A/RES/77/278	Human resources management	4,540	–
2018	A/RES/72/254	Human resources management	501	–
2017	A/RES/71/263	Human resources management	2,644	–
2014	A/RES/68/252	Human resources management	1,762	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

3 reports · 2000–2002

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2002	A/57/310	Consultants and individual contractors report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/53/221
2002	A/56/834	Consultants and individual contractors report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/53/221
2000	A/55/321	Consultants and individual contractors report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/53/221

What subjects does this mandate have?

13 subjects

Career Development Competitive Examinations Consultants Employment Policy Geographical Distribution Performance Appraisal Personnel Management Post-Retirement Employment Recruitment Rules and Regulations Staff Composition Vacancy Management Women's Status

What’s in this document?

117 operative paragraphs

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that reports on human resources management are submitted in accordance with the relevant provisions of General Assembly resolutions 52/214 and 53/208;

I.PRINCIPLES

Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in carrying out a thorough analysis and approval of posts and financial resources as well as of human resources policies with a view to ensuring full implementation of all mandated programmes and activities and the implementation of all policies in this regard;

Also reaffirms that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibility for administrative, budgetary and human resources management matters;

Emphasizes that proposals on the reform of human resources management should be in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, regulations and rules and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and that those proposals which require an amendment of the regulations and rules or a departure from provisions of prior Assembly resolutions shall be submitted to the Assembly for its consideration and approval before their implementation;

Decides that all issues relating to human resources management, including its reform, shall continue to be considered by the Fifth Committee in the context of the item entitled “Human resources management”;

Reiterates its full support for the Secretary-General as the chief administrative officer of the Organization, and underlines its full respect for his prerogatives and responsibilities under the Charter;

Reaffirms its support for the integrity and independence of the international civil service;

Reiterates that no human resources management reform should be either a budget reduction or a staff reduction exercise;

Requests the Secretary-General to include in his budget proposals provisions for all resources necessary for the implementation of human resources management policies, and stresses that activities relating to human resources management, including its reform, should be financed according to the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and that, where there are requirements for additional resources, the decision should be taken by the General Assembly in accordance with established budgetary procedures and the Financial Regulations and Rules;

Recognizes that the staff of the United Nations is an invaluable asset of the Organization, commends its contribution to furthering the purposes and principles of the United Nations, and stresses that staff representatives should participate in the process of human resources management reform in accordance with article VIII of the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

II.ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT

Reiterates the role, authority and responsibility of the Office of Human Resources Management of the Secretariat in establishing human resources policies and guidelines as well as in ensuring compliance with recruitment, placement and career development procedures throughout the Secretariat;

Decides that the Office of Human Resources Management shall remain the central authority for the monitoring and approval of the recruitment and placement of staff and for the interpretation of the regulations and rules of the Organization and their enforcement;

Notes the intentions of the Secretary-General outlined in his report on human resources management reform,⁶ and looks forward to the proposals the Secretary-General intends to submit to the General Assembly for its consideration;

⁶A/53/414.

Recognizes the central role of the Office of Human Resources Management in ensuring the full implementation of basic human resources mandates set by the General Assembly in the context of recruitment and placement processes;

III.HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING

Cognizant of the relationship between human resources planning and programme and budgetary planning processes,

Emphasizing that effective human resources planning has an impact on all aspects of human resources management,

Recognizes the continuing need for central human resources planning within the Office of Human Resources Management of the Secretariat to ensure full implementation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to establish a Secretariat-wide integrated human resources planning system under the central authority of the Office of Human Resources Management, and requests him to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Expresses concern at the growing number of resignations of staff in the Secretariat, in particular of those in the Professional category, and requests the Secretary-General to carry out a study to ascertain the causes of such separations and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Emphasizes the importance of a human resources planning system, including an integrated approach to recruitment policy, job classification and contractual policies, based on the fundamental principles of the Charter and the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Regrets that some regional commissions and duty stations of the Organization, particularly those in developing countries, have a high vacancy rate, which consequently hampers the execution of their respective mandates, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure the proper mobility of staff between all the regional commissions and duty stations to correct this situation;

Reaffirms that staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him to any of the activities and offices of the United Nations, in accordance with staff regulation 1.2;

Emphasizes the requirement of mobility of all internationally recruited staff of the Organization as an integral part of their obligation, and requests the Secretary-General to give full consideration to the need for greater mobility in the context of human resources planning, in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c), and to include any problems in increasing staff mobility and possible measures for their solution, as appropriate, in his report on human resources management to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Requests the Secretary-General to establish mechanisms towards, and to implement a policy of, enhanced mobility across functions, departments and duty stations, and encourages him to explore, through the Administrative Committee on Coordination, the possibility of enhancing mobility among organizations of the United Nations system and to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session on progress made;

IV.DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Recalling its resolution 49/222 A, by which it endorsed the new strategy for human resources management,

Recognizes the need to promote responsibility and accountability of staff members at all levels;

Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to streamline administrative procedures further and to eliminate duplication in relation to human resources management through the delegation of authority to programme managers, and requests him to ensure, before delegating such authority, that well designed mechanisms of accountability, including the necessary internal monitoring and control procedures, as well as training, are put in place, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Also notes that no comprehensive system of accountability and responsibility has been established;

Requests the Secretary-General, while preparing his report on the system of accountability and responsibility, to include the following elements as well as the elements enumerated in section E, paragraph 5, of General Assembly resolution 48/218 A of 23 December 1993:

A mechanism to review the decisions of the programme managers;

Back evaluation;

The role of the appointment and promotion bodies and the departmental panels;

The role of the programme managers in the preparation and submission of budget proposals as well as programme delivery;

The role of coordination, supervision and leadership;

The accountability of staff to the Secretary-General in exercising his delegated authority;

The degree to which programme evaluation influences personnel performance appraisal;

Emphasizes that the administrative and managerial discretionary powers of the Secretary-General should be in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the staff, financial and programme planning regulations and mandates given by the General Assembly;

Notes with concern that some administrative instructions on the delegation of authority do not conform to the provisions of decisions of the General Assembly on this matter, and requests the Secretary-General to comply fully with the decision of the Assembly in this respect;

Reiterates that every staff member of the United Nations shall be responsible and accountable to the Secretary-General, in accordance with financial rule 114.1 and staff rule 112.3;

Emphasizes that any delegation of authority should be in accordance with the Charter and regulations and rules of the Organization and should entail clear lines of authority and accountability as well as improvements in the administration of justice, taking into account the central role played by the Office of Human Resources Management in setting the policies and guidelines in respect of the human resources management of the Organization and monitoring their observance and implementation;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit, through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, at the main part of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, a consolidated and comprehensive compendium of all administrative circulars on the delegation of authority;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General in section II, paragraph 2, of its resolution 51/226 to enhance managerial accountability with respect to human resources management decisions, including imposing sanctions in cases of demonstrated mismanagement of staff and wilful neglect of or disregard for established rules and procedures, while safeguarding the right of due process of all staff members, including managers;

Requests the Secretary-General to review the internal system of justice in order to ensure the timely, fair and effective administration of justice;

V.RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT

Recognizing the value of staff mobility to the Organization,

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity serve as the paramount consideration in the employment of staff, with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in accordance with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations;

Reiterates that the recruitment, appointment and promotion of staff shall be made without distinction as to race, sex or religion, in accordance with principles of the Charter and the provisions of the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Requests the Secretary-General, as a matter of priority, to ascertain whether racial discrimination exists in recruitment, promotion and placement, in order to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Charter, the regulations and rules of the Organization and the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and to report thereon to the Assembly at the main part of its fifty-fifth session;

Reiterates that external vacancy announcements should continue to be submitted to the permanent missions of Member States and be displayed on the notice boards in United Nations premises, as well as posted on the United Nations home page, and decides that they should be effectively circulated on the date of issue and that the deadline for the submission of applications should be at least two months from the date of issue;

Requests the Secretary-General to circulate internal vacancy announcements to permanent missions when issued;

Endorses the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph 8 of its report on internal vacancies in the Secretariat;⁷

⁷A/53/691.

Reaffirms the policy of the Secretary-General to circulate vacancies for posts at the P-5 level and above both internally and externally;

Decides that the Secretary-General may consider external candidates for posts at the P-4 level, while giving fullest regard, in filling these posts, to the requisite qualifications and experience of staff already in the service of the United Nations;

Notes with concern that the Secretary-General, in his report on human resources management,⁸ approved seventeen exceptions for the recruitment of gratis personnel in the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, in contravention of section III.B, paragraph 26, of General Assembly resolution 51/226;

⁸A/53/342, paras. 91–94.

Reaffirms the provisions of section III.B, paragraph 26, of its resolution 51/226, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure full compliance in the future;

Requests the Secretary-General not to extend the current contracts of the personnel mentioned in paragraph 9 above and, in this context, to ensure full compliance with the current recruitment procedures of the International Tribunal;

Also requests the Secretary-General, while filling vacant posts in language services in the Secretariat, to ensure the highest performance of translation and interpretation in all six official languages;

Further requests the Secretary-General to continue to improve existing recruitment and placement procedures with a view to making them simpler, more transparent and more timely;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, without exception, uniform application of the regulations and rules of the Organization in all departments of the Secretariat, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

Urges the Secretary-General, when making appointments to posts subject to geographical distribution, to continue and intensify his efforts to ensure that all Member States, in particular unrepresented and under-represented Member States, are adequately represented in the Secretariat, bearing in mind the need to increase the number of staff recruited from Member States below the mid-point of their desirable ranges;

Reaffirms that the national competitive examination programme is a useful tool for selecting the best-qualified candidates from inadequately represented Member States, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to hold the examinations for posts subject to geographical distribution at the P-2 and, if necessary, P-3 levels;

Urges the Secretary-General strictly to comply with the principle that appointment to P-2 posts and to posts requiring special language competence for conference services be made exclusively through competitive examinations, and requests, in this context, that he include in his future reports the information justifying non-compliance with that principle;

Reaffirms the policy that appointments at the P-3 level shall normally be made through competitive examinations;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that candidates selected through national competitive examinations are placed in a timely fashion and that special efforts are made to recruit candidates from the national competitive examinations roster against existing vacancies until these rosters are cleared;

Also requests the Secretary-General to adapt the number of occupational groups selected for national competitive examinations to the requirements of the Organization, with a view to facilitating the placement and future mobility of selected candidates in the Organization, and to report on the number of candidates placed by department or office as well as on possible failures to place successful candidates, including the reasons therefor, in his report on human resources management to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Further requests the Secretary-General to offer or to continue to offer probationary appointments to all staff members who have passed a competitive recruitment examination and to consider such staff members for conversion to permanent appointment after successful completion of the period of probationary service;

Requests the Secretary-General to complete the realignment with the national competitive examination of the competitive examination for promotion to the Professional category and above of staff members from other categories, in particular regarding academic qualifications and equitable geographical distribution, as well as equal treatment with regard to probationary appointments;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to implement section V, paragraph 2, of resolution 51/226, and encourages him to continue his efforts with a view to increasing the share of fixed-term appointments throughout the Secretariat;

Reaffirms that secondment from government service is consistent with Articles 100 and 101 of the Charter and is beneficial to both the Organization and Member States, and urges the Secretary-General to pursue this practice on a wider scale, as appropriate;

Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to present detailed proposals on the dual-track system of career and non-career appointments, and requests him to submit them to the General Assembly, taking into account the experience of other international and regional organizations in human resources management and benefiting from worldwide experience in human resources management outside the Organization as well as from the work being done in this field by the International Civil Service Commission;

Requests the Commission to prepare a study on the question of the fixed-term contracts in the United Nations, taking into account the needs and interests of the Organization and current trends in personnel management;

VI.STAFF DEVELOPMENT: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Recognizing that career development is an indispensable part of effective personnel management,

Noting the objectives of the Secretary-General with regard to staff development, performance management and career support,

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the performance appraisal system is applicable to all staff within the meaning of Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts for the consistent application of the performance appraisal system throughout the Secretariat;

Approves the step-by-step approach to performance recognition as set forth in paragraphs 24 to 34 of the report of the Secretary-General on performance management;⁹

⁹A/53/266.

Takes note of the proposals on the need to address the issue of underperformance in paragraphs 35 to 43 of the report referred to in paragraph 3 above, and requests the Secretary-General to submit revised policy proposals to deal systematically and effectively with underperformance;

Notes with concern that no comprehensive and systematic career development policy has yet been developed by the Secretary-General, and reiterates its request that such a policy be developed on a priority basis in the interest of maintaining a strong and efficient international civil service, in accordance with the principles enshrined in Article 101 of the Charter;

Requests the Secretary-General, in the further enhancement of the career development system of the Organization, to implement a transparent promotion policy, augmented by the effective use of a simplified and appropriate performance appraisal system, adequate training and competitive examinations, in order to provide for the recognition of competence and outstanding performance and to facilitate the continuous professional growth of staff at all levels;

Notes the initiatives undertaken so far by the Secretary-General with regard to staff training;

Requests the Secretary-General to consider opening staff training courses, as appropriate, to members of permanent missions, within the framework of the approved budget, and without prejudice to meeting the staff training needs of the Organization;

Also requests the Secretary-General to streamline the personnel manual;

VII.EMPLOYMENT OF RETIREES

Endorses the observations and recommendations on the employment of retirees, contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions;2

Requests the Secretary-General to have recourse to the employment of retirees only if the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by existing staff;

VIII.CONSULTANTS AND INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTORS

Endorses the new definitions of consultants and individual contractors as contained in the report of the Secretary-General on comprehensive guidelines for the use of consultants in the Secretariat;¹⁰

¹⁰See A/53/385.

Notes with concern the observation of the Board of Auditors that the inadequacies earlier identified by the Board in the hiring of consultants persist;¹¹

¹¹See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-third Session, Supplement No. 5 (A/53/5), vol. I, chap. II.

Reiterates its request that the recommendations of the Board of Auditors as endorsed in General Assembly resolution 51/226 and its resolution 53/204 of 18 December 1998 be fully implemented, and requests the Secretary-General to submit a report through the Board to the Assembly at the main part of its fifty-fourth session;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to submit an annual report to the General Assembly on consultants hired by the United Nations during the preceding year, with an indication of their functions;

Takes note of the comments on consultants made by the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in paragraph 15 of its report,2 and requests the Secretary-General to ensure full compliance with the provisions of section VI, paragraph 7, of its resolution 51/226;

Reiterates that the Secretary-General should refrain from using consultants to carry out functions assigned to established posts and that consultants should be hired only in accordance with the existing rules and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and where in-house expertise is not available in the Organization;

Emphasizes that, in areas where consultants are frequently hired for a period of more than one year, the Secretary-General should submit proposals, where necessary, for the establishment of posts;

Stresses that consultants should generally not receive training at the expense of the United Nations;

Notes with concern that 31 per cent of contractors were hired from only four Member States and were paid 38 per cent of total fees during the biennium 1996–1997, and requests the Secretary-General to take remedial measures in this regard;

Reaffirms the principle contained in a recommendation of the Board of Auditors and endorsed in General Assembly resolution 51/226 that the objective of attracting consultants on a wider geographical basis should be achieved, inter alia, by fixing appropriate norms and by closer interaction with substantive offices and requesting units at all duty stations;

Takes note of the guidelines contained in the report of the Secretary-General9 subject to the following provisions:

There should be a separation of functions between the requesting officers and the officer who processes the contract;

The approved terms of reference should form part of the contract;

The selection of consultants and individual contractors should be on a wider geographical basis and the question of travel expenses should not distort the geographical balance in the awarding of contracts;

In the awarding of contracts, gender balance should be achieved without prejudice to wide geographical distribution;

The Office of Human Resources Management of the Secretariat should have authority to take a final decision on whether further contracts should be awarded to contractors in the case of an unsatisfactory performance evaluation by a programme manager;

Requests the Secretary-General to circulate the revised guidelines as a matter of priority, throughout the Secretariat, with a view to ensuring full compliance;

IX.COMPOSITION OF THE SECRETARIAT

Notes with concern that twenty-four Member States were unrepresented and ten under-represented in the Secretariat as at 30 June 1998;¹²

¹²A/53/375 and Corr.1, para. 16.

Also notes with concern the significant reduction in the number of posts subject to geographical distribution at the P-2 and P-3 levels, as well as the increase in such posts at the D-2 and Assistant Secretary-General levels;

Urges the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures, as a matter of priority, to address the imbalance in the post structure of the Secretariat in the context of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2000–2001, bearing in mind that more than one hundred posts subject to geographical distribution at the director level will be vacated by 2002 owing to the retirement of the present incumbents;

Requests the Secretary-General, when submitting future reports on the composition of the Secretariat, to discontinue the established practice of showing the representation of staff according to major geographical groupings as referred to in annex II to his report,¹³ and to list countries in alphabetical order;

¹³A/53/375 and Corr.1.

Recalls that, in accordance with Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations, the Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff as the Organization may require;

Reaffirms that no post should be considered the exclusive preserve of any Member State or group of States, including at the highest levels, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, as a general rule, no national of a Member State succeeds a national of that State in a senior post and that there is no monopoly on senior posts by nationals of any State or group of States;

Requests the Secretary-General to take all the necessary measures to ensure, at the senior and policy-making levels of the Secretariat, the equitable representation of Member States, especially those unrepresented and under-represented, in particular developing countries, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, and to include relevant information thereon in all future reports on the composition of the Secretariat;

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to increase further his efforts to improve the composition of the Secretariat by ensuring a wide and equitable geographical distribution of staff in all departments;

Takes note of the observation in the report of the Secretary-General on the composition of the Secretariat¹⁴ with regard to the anticipated vacancies in posts subject to geographical distribution, and requests the Secretary-General, when filling those vacancies, to take into account the continuing inequitable representation among the Member States;

¹⁴Ibid., para. 102.

Urges all Member States, in particular those with inadequate representation in the Secretariat, to make every effort to identify qualified candidates for consideration for appointment in the Secretariat, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure that, among equally qualified candidates, preference is given to candidates from under-represented Member States;

X.STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE SECRETARIAT

Reaffirming section VI of its resolution 45/248 B of 21 December 1990,

Reaffirming also that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with responsibility for the administrative and budgetary matters relating to the question of the status of women in the Secretariat,

Decides that all reports dealing with administrative and budgetary aspects of the status of women in the Secretariat shall be considered by the Fifth Committee;

Notes that, while there has been improvement in the status of women in the Secretariat, the rate of progress in the representation of women from developing countries, particularly at the senior level, has been very slow, and in this context urges the Secretary-General to make greater efforts to redress this situation in accordance with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session;

Recalls its resolution 53/119 of 9 December 1998, including the reaffirmation of the goal of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000 in all categories of posts within the United Nations system, especially at the D-1 level and above, with full respect for the principle of equitable geographical distribution, in conformity with Article 101 of the Charter, and taking into account the continuing lack of representation or under-representation of women from certain countries, in particular from developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition;

Notes with concern the imbalance in the representation of women from different regions, and requests the Secretary-General to take appropriate remedial action when pursuing the goal of 50/50 gender distribution;

Decides that the objective of 50/50 gender distribution by the year 2000 should be pursued in compliance with the provisions of Articles 8 and 101 of the Charter and staff regulation 4.3 in order to ensure equal opportunities for qualified women and men in recruitment and promotion;

XI.STAFF-MANAGEMENT CONSULTATIONS

Takes note of the views of the staff representatives;4

Emphasizes the need further to improve the staff-management consultative process in all issues relating to human resources management;

Reaffirms the need for the Secretary-General to use, to the fullest extent, the staff-management consultative mechanisms set out in staff rule 108.2;

Requests the Secretary-General to take into account the views of staff representatives, in accordance with article VIII of the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and its resolution 35/213;

XII.AMENDMENTS TO THE STAFF REGULATIONS AND RULES

Recalling its resolution 52/252,

Requests the Secretary-General to expedite the issuance of the report requested in paragraph 10 of its resolution 52/252;

Decides that staff rule 101.3 (c) should read:

“(c) Performance reports shall be prepared regularly for all staff members, including at the Assistant Secretary-General level and above, in accordance with procedures promulgated by the Secretary-General.”;

Requests the Secretariat to publish an index to the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that revised staff regulations and rules, or amendments thereto, are issued in a timely manner after their approval by the General Assembly.