Human Resources Management

A/RES/67/255View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 135 Human resources management, published in 2013.

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?

17 reports · 2013–2022

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2022	A/77/578	Composition of the Secretariat : gratis personnel, retired staff, consultants and individual contractors, and United Nations Volunteers report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/67/255
2020	A/75/591/Add.1	Composition of the Secretariat : gratis personnel, retired staff and consultants and individual contractors report of the Secretary-General : addendum	A/RES/67/255
2019	A/74/82	Composition of the Secretariat : staff demographics report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/67/255
2018	A/73/79	Composition of the Secretariat : staff demographics report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/67/255
2017	A/72/123	Composition of the Secretariat : staff demographics report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/67/255

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Career Appointments Geographical Distribution Mobility and Hardship Allowance Performance Standards Personnel Management Recruitment Staffing

What’s in this document?

91 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms that the staff of the United Nations is an invaluable asset of the Organization, and commends its contribution to furthering the purposes and principles of the United Nations;

Pays tribute to the memory of all staff members who have lost their lives in the service of the Organization;

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

I.Human resources management reform

Emphasizes the fundamental importance of human resources management reform in the United Nations as a contribution to the enhancement of the efficiency and the effectiveness of the United Nations and of the international civil service, and reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of these reforms;

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

Notes the variety of human resources management reform initiatives that the Organization has undertaken since the adoption by the General Assembly of its resolutions 63/250 and 65/247, and recognizes that the continued implementation of the reform initiatives will better equip the Organization to address a variable and demanding environment, in which integration and harmonization will provide the basis for longer-term efficiencies in productivity and an improved work environment that will, in turn, better enable the Organization to meet its mandates;

Urges the Secretary-General to ensure that the lessons learned from the implementation of previous reforms are taken into consideration in the formulation of new proposals;

Stresses that such initiatives must be guided by decisions of the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at the main part of its sixty-ninth session a progress report on the implementation of ongoing human resources management reforms, including those approved in its resolutions 63/250 and 65/247 and in the present resolution, with a particular focus on whether these reforms are yielding the expected benefits and other efficiencies and concrete improvements;

Stresses the importance of ensuring coherence among various ongoing human resources management initiatives in order to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness and to avoid duplication and contradiction;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that proposals presented for consideration by the General Assembly are as detailed and comprehensive as possible and aim to go beyond identifying broad principles, overall direction and key elements;

Recalls paragraph 67 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to work with the relevant non-Secretariat entities, as appropriate, to amend all administrative service arrangements to ensure that the Secretariat, as the administrating entity, cannot be held financially liable for administrative decisions taken by employing entities;

Reaffirms that the human resources management scorecard should reflect that the paramount consideration in the employment of staff and in the determination of conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to recruiting staff on as wide a geographic basis as possible, and requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly a proposal thereon, including the performance-related criteria;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all administrative instructions and any other internal instructions on human resources, as well as any information on technology-related applications, are in full compliance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly;

Re-emphasizes that a credible, fair and fully functioning performance appraisal system is critical to effective human resources management, and requests the Secretary-General to redouble his efforts to ensure its rigorous implementation;

Requests the Secretary-General to take corrective measures with regard to the responsibility of second reporting officers for the quality and timeliness of performance appraisals;

Notes the efforts taken by the Secretary-General to improve the performance appraisal system in line with section IV, paragraph 42, of its resolution 65/247, and expresses concern about shortcomings identified in the current system of sanctions for underperformance, which may have an adverse effect on productivity and undermine the ability of the Secretariat to implement the mandates entrusted to it by the General Assembly;

Also notes that improvements to the performance appraisal system must be exclusively designed and executed by the Secretary-General in his capacity as chief administrative officer of the Organization, without prejudice to the role of the General Assembly;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure smooth integration between Inspira and Umoja in order to ensure an efficient, responsive and comprehensive system for human resources management in the Organization;

Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General to meet learning and development needs in a cost-effective manner, and encourages him to take further steps in this regard, including providing relevant training, and requests him to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session in his next overview report;

Requests the Secretary-General to promote e-learning in order to provide equal opportunities for staff to access training, taking into account that e-learning represents a flexible and effective way of delivering some types of learning;

Recalls that in its resolution 63/250, the General Assembly approved a new contractual framework (comprising temporary, fixed-term and continuing appointments) and that in its resolution 65/247, the Assembly decided on the modalities for granting continuing appointments, including eligibility criteria;

Regrets the overall slow progress to date in implementing continuing appointments, while noting the progress that has been made in developing the legal framework and promulgating the details of the continuing appointments regime, and welcomes the development of an electronic tool in Inspira to support the administration of continuing appointments;

Requests the Secretary-General to expedite the review of the level of the post envelopes and the continued implementation of the continuing appointments regime;

Reiterates its requests that the Secretary-General report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the continuing appointments regime in the context of his next report on human resources reform;

Reaffirms the judicial independence of the system of administration of justice, recalls section II, paragraph 21, of its resolution 63/250 and regulation 4.5 of the Staff Regulations of the United Nations, and also reaffirms that the renewal or conversion of fixed-term contracts shall strictly follow the provisions set out in section II, paragraph 21, of resolution 63/250 and regulation 4.5 of the Staff Regulations;

Recognizes that workforce planning should be considered an ongoing process, that the staffing requirements of the Organization are contingent upon mandates and that there is scope for the Secretary-General in forecasting future staffing requirements for major occupational groups, including the number of staff needed and the skill sets required;

Recalls paragraphs 12 and 13 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and underlines the need for a comprehensive and robust workforce planning system as a key component of human resources management, including with regard to mobility and career development frameworks, which can contribute to planning for the long-term needs of the Organization;

Emphasizes that it is the responsibility of managers to ensure the implementation of policies related to staff health and well-being, in particular in field locations, and underlines the importance of integrating this element into the relevant existing accountability frameworks;

Recalls its resolution 65/247, in which it requested that the Secretary-General report on efforts to enhance the understanding and implementation of the principles of work-life balance and a flexible workforce across the Secretariat;

Encourages the Secretary-General to continue to take positive steps in this regard, including, inter alia, through fostering a greater understanding among managers of the benefits of authorizing, where appropriate, remote work, family-friendly policies and more flexible working arrangements and the more effective working practices that such arrangements can facilitate, with due regard for the need to monitor the impact on staff performance and the importance of ensuring that access by Member States to the Secretariat remains unaffected;

II.Recruitment and staffing

Requests the Secretary-General, in the context of the ongoing human resources management reforms and business transformation projects, to continue to ensure the equal treatment of candidates with equivalent educational backgrounds during the recruitment process, taking fully into account the fact that Member States have different education systems and that no education system shall be considered the standard to be applied by the Organization;

Welcomes the provision in the United Nations careers portal of material useful for external candidates applying for vacancies, and requests that the Secretary-General take further actions in this regard with a view to promoting opportunities for external candidates;

Notes with serious concern that the 120-day target for filling a post has still not been reached, stresses the importance of filling posts in a timely manner, and in this context requests the Secretary-General to investigate the reasons for delays at each stage of the staff selection and recruitment process and to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session on the outcome of that work, including proposals for appropriate measures to address the issues identified;

Reaffirms the need to respect the equality of the two working languages of the Secretariat, also reaffirms the use of additional working languages in specific duty stations as mandated, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to ensure that vacancy announcements specify the need for either of the working languages of the Secretariat, unless the functions of the post require a specific working language;

Confirms that the placement of successful candidates from the young professionals programme should be made at the P-1 or P-2 level, depending on the qualifications of the relevant candidate, the requirements of the related job description and the availability of posts;

Endorses the arrangement, as set out in paragraph 46 of the report of the Advisory Committee, whereby staff members who are nationals of a country participating in the national competitive recruitment examination or the young professionals programme may apply for participation in the examination or programme as external candidates if they meet the eligibility criteria (the “G to N” arrangement), and expresses hope that both the young professionals programme and the “G to N” arrangement will improve geographical representation of underrepresented and unrepresented Member States;

Notes the implementation of the new young professionals programme, and requests the Secretary-General to monitor its progress towards achieving improved geographical representation of underrepresented and unrepresented Member States;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide adequate and effective training for young professionals, taking into account the important role of the young professionals programme in improving the geographical representation of underrepresented and unrepresented Member States and in ensuring the continued rejuvenation of the Secretariat;

Emphasizes that candidates sitting for the young professionals programme examination should neither be advantaged nor disadvantaged by the geographical location of their examination;

Requests the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review of the method and format of the young professionals programme examination, including its cost implications, while ensuring a level playing field for candidates of all parts of the world, in order to ensure that it is conducted in the most efficient, effective and equitable manner possible, and to report thereon, with concrete proposals, to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

Also requests the Secretary-General to undertake increased efforts to reach out to potential young professionals programme candidates from participating and eligible countries;

Expresses serious concern that progress towards the goal of 50/50 gender balance in the United Nations system has remained elusive, and reiterates its requests to the Secretary-General to increase his efforts to attain and monitor the goal of gender parity in the Secretariat;

III.Comprehensive assessment of the system of geographical representation

Reiterates that the principle of equitable geographical distribution in the composition of the Secretariat does not conflict with the paramount consideration in the employment of staff, namely, the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, as set out in Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations;

Recalls section IX, paragraph 17, of its resolution 63/250 and paragraph 63 of its resolution 65/247;

Also recalls paragraph 54 of the report of the Advisory Committee, regrets in this regard that the Secretary-General has once again failed to present proposals for a comprehensive review of the system of desirable ranges, and requests the Secretary-General to present to the General Assembly, no later than at its sixty-ninth session, proposals with a view to establishing a more effective tool for ensuring equitable geographical distribution in relation to the posts financed through the regular budget;

Further recalls paragraph 64 of its resolution 65/247, and reiterates its requests to the Secretary-General that he present proposals to effectively increase the representation of developing countries in the Secretariat and report on the progress thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

Requests the Secretary-General to make available, through HR Insight, on a quarterly basis, data on the representation of developing countries in the Secretariat, with a view to increasing the scope of the data, as feasible;

Recalls paragraph 65 of its resolution 65/247 and paragraph 17 of its resolution 66/265 of 21 June 2012, in which it requested the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to ensure proper representation of troop-contributing countries in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support of the Secretariat, taking into account their contribution to United Nations peacekeeping, and to report thereon in the context of his proposed budget for the support account for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014;

IV.Mobility

Recalls its resolutions expressing support for staff mobility in the Organization, and notes the efforts made by the Secretary-General in submitting his proposed mobility and career development framework to the General Assembly;

Welcomes the commitment of the Secretary-General to develop a managed mobility policy to ensure that the Organization is more capable of delivering on the diverse and complex mandates entrusted to it by Member States;

Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to introduce a managed mobility policy, beginning with a two-year preparation phase, followed by a period of staged implementation, starting from 1 January 2015, and acknowledges that this is subject to further decisions and approval by the General Assembly;

Also notes that the overall objective of the Secretary-General’s proposed staff mobility and career development framework is to develop a workforce that is global, dynamic and adaptable in order to deliver effectively on the mandates entrusted to the Organization by Member States and to foster the skills and capacities of staff;

Recalls paragraph 19 of its resolution 65/247 and Article 101 of the Charter, reaffirms the principle of non-discrimination against external recruitment, and stresses the importance of ensuring opportunities for external candidates to be considered for selection and recruitment in order to avoid potentially limiting the ability of the Organization to select the best candidates on as wide a geographical basis as possible, while not precluding any additional measures deemed necessary for the effective mobility of existing staff, bearing in mind the above-mentioned principle;

Also recalls paragraphs 19 to 21 of the report of the Secretary-General⁸ and paragraph 84 of the report of the Advisory Committee, notes in this regard that the scope of the mobility policy has yet to be determined, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to refine the scope of the proposed mobility and career development framework on the basis of the current proposals, taking into consideration the career profile of the United Nations;

⁸A/67/324/Add.1.

Decides that mobility means a change in position that involves one change or a combination of changes in role, function, department or duty station or a move from the Secretariat to, or to the Secretariat from, an agency, fund or programme of the United Nations system;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide to the General Assembly for its consideration, no later than at the main part of its sixty-eighth session, a comprehensive report, with the aim of further refining the proposed mobility policy, which should cover, inter alia, the following items:

Accurate and reliable historical data on staff mobility patterns;

A detailed analysis of the impact of the mobility and career development framework on the selection and recruitment system, including external recruitment, as well as options that could mitigate any possible negative effects in this regard;

The expected number and configuration of the job network boards and special constraints panels and their precise roles, the functions and authority of the network staffing officers, the role of staff representatives and the terms of reference, rules of procedure and operating guidelines of the job network boards, taking into account the role of the Secretary-General as chief administrative officer of the Organization, and the maintenance and preservation of management’s final decision-making authority in respect of placement recommendations and actions thereon, as well as clear mechanisms that ensure the accountability of job network boards and hiring managers, as well as of the Secretary-General, including in matters of equitable geographical distribution for fulfilling the human resources management recruitment parameter set by the Charter and the General Assembly and for the delivery of mandates;

The criteria to be used by the special constraints panel for granting exemptions from reassignment;

An analysis of the implications of the mobility and career development framework for gender parity, particularly for women from developing countries, including a plan on achieving the gender balance target;

A comprehensive list of the number and type of positions that will be non-rotational;

A comprehensive analysis of the projected administrative and financial implications, including direct and indirect costs, of the mobility policy for all duty stations over the medium term, including training costs, taking into account current and immediate past patterns of mobility, the likely patterns of mobility based on the total number of staff who will be subject to the policy and workforce planning;

A strategy for the maintenance of institutional knowledge retention, as well as an analysis of the possible effects on mandate delivery of increased turnover and potential outflow of staff, taking into account the effects of minimum and maximum post occupancy limits;

Quantifiable key performance indicators and targets for the goals, as stated in the mobility and career development framework, including more equitable burden-sharing and the provision of equitable opportunities for international staff in hardship and headquarters duty stations;

An analysis of the possible impact of the proposed mobility policy on the geographical distribution of staff;

An assessment of the potential burden of mobility policy-related claims in the system of administration of justice of the Organization and proposals for limiting any such burden, bearing in mind obligations and liabilities arising from the existing contractual arrangements;

Takes note of paragraph 111 of the report of the Advisory Committee;

Requests the Secretary-General to outline and present to the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session an alternative proposal, in addition to the proposed mobility and career development framework, that, inter alia, incorporates revised incentives and approaches that promote geographic mobility, especially in field-oriented job families;

V.Composition of the Secretariat

Reiterates its request to the Secretary-General to continue his ongoing effort to ensure the attainment of equitable geographical distribution in the Secretariat and to ensure as wide a geographical distribution of staff as possible in all departments and offices and at all levels, including at the Director and higher levels, of the Secretariat;

Recalls paragraph 145 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon, in the context of his overview report, to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

Reiterates that the Secretary-General has 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;

Stresses that one-dollar-a-year contracts should be granted only under exceptional circumstances and be limited to high-level appointments, and requests the Secretary-General to prepare guidelines regarding the use of these contracts, along the same lines of those established for when-actually-employed appointments, and to report thereon, in the context of his next overview report, to the General Assembly at the main part of its sixty-ninth session;

Requests the Secretary-General to inform the Advisory Committee, on a regular basis, of the issuance of one-dollar-a-year contracts and of the establishment of all posts and positions that are at the D-1 level and above, that are funded under extrabudgetary temporary assistance or when-actually-employed contracts and for which the approval of an intergovernmental organ is not required, and to report thereon to the General Assembly in the context of his report on the composition of the Secretariat;

Also requests the Secretary-General to present the requirement for government-provided personnel in the relevant budget proposals to the General Assembly, looks forward to the issuance of guidelines for the recruitment of government-provided personnel, and further requests the Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly;

Recalls the introduction of the new human resources management scorecard in 2011, and requests the Secretary-General to closely monitor the trends of gender and geographical representation in order to take corrective measures, as required, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

VI.Consultants

Reiterates its concern over the increase in the use of consultants, especially in the core activities of the Organization, stresses that the use of consultants should be governed by the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, in particular section VIII of its resolution 53/221 of 7 April 1999, and that they should be drawn from the widest possible geographical basis, and requests the Secretary-General to make the greatest possible use of in-house capacity and to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session on the measures taken to that effect;

Reiterates that in areas where consultants are frequently hired or rehired for a period of more than one year, the Secretary-General should submit proposals, where necessary, for the establishment of posts and should report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

Requests the Secretary-General to identify the substantive areas, functions and activities, if any, for which consultants are hired or rehired for a period of more than one year and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, including on total costs incurred therein;

VII.Staff-management relations

Recognizes the importance of its continued informal interaction with staff representatives on human resources management issues;

Requests the Secretary-General to revise the Secretary-General’s bulletin on the Staff-Management Committee,⁹ in line with the existing staff regulations;

⁹ST/SGB/2011/6.

VIII.Practice of the Secretary-General in disciplinary matters and possible criminal behaviour

Notes with concern the ongoing backlog of disciplinary cases and that many disciplinary cases have not been concluded within a reasonable time frame, and in this regard urges the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to complete disciplinary cases in a timely manner and eliminate the remaining backlog of cases as soon as possible;

IX.Activities of the Ethics Office

Notes with appreciation the contributions of the Ethics Office to promoting the highest standards of ethics and integrity among staff members of the Organization;

Notes with satisfaction the positive trend of participation in the voluntary financial disclosure initiative, particularly at the senior leadership level, and urges the Secretary-General to encourage senior officials who have not yet publicly disclosed a summary of their assets to do so as soon as possible;

Notes the intention of the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing policy for protection of staff against retaliation when reporting misconduct in the Organization, and requests the Secretary-General to expedite the development of modalities in this regard and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session;

X.Other matters

Expresses confidence that the Secretary-General will comply with the judgements of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and the United Nations Appeals Tribunal with regard to the award and severance of employment contracts in the Secretariat;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on improvements made in the process for reporting misconduct, fact-finding and resolving situations resulting from misconduct, including, but not limited to, the following issues:

The relationship between the policy administered by the Ethics Office and the various oversight, adjudicative, disciplinary and dispute resolution mechanisms of the Organization;

Internal mechanisms for reporting misconduct, including through the supervisory chain of command;

Mechanisms external to divisions for reporting misconduct.