General Conference Twenty-ninth Session, Paris 1997 IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICY OUTLINE

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1 General Conference Twenty-ninth Session, Paris C 29 C/40 28 August 1997 Original: English Item 9.11 of the provisional agenda IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICY Source: 28 C/Resolution OUTLINE Background: In accordance with this resolution, the Director- General submits to the General Conference a report on the implementation of personnel policy. Purpose: The purpose of this document is to present the progress made in the implementation of personnel policy since the twentyeighth session of the General Conference against the objectives set by the personnel policy established by the Director-General in February Concrete steps taken to implement this policy include: the introduction of recruitment techniques and tools adapted to UNESCO s needs; the revival of the Young Professionals Programme; the development of a training handbook, in 1995, based on a house-wide needs analysis; an increase in the level of representation of women and the streamlining of administrative processes. In implementation of the resolution mentioned above, this document was also submitted to the Executive Board at its 152nd session. Comments by the Executive Board are contained in an addendum to this document. Decision required: paragraph 47.

2 INTRODUCTION 29 C/40 1. During the course of the biennium, the Personnel Policy established by the Director-General in February 1990 continued to be a valid framework for human resources management. This policy aims at reinforcing the Organization's capacity to accomplish its mission in an efficient and effective manner through a proactive recruitment strategy, a reliable performance appraisal system, a promotion policy to reward excellence, a future oriented training and development strategy and a mechanism to foster mobility to meet organizational needs and career aspirations. 2. Concrete steps taken to implement this policy were: the introduction of recruitment techniques and tools adapted to UNESCO s needs; a new performance appraisal system introduced in 1990 and revised in 1994; a merit-based promotion system introduced in 1994; the revival of the Young Professionals Programme in 1989; the development, in 1995, of a training handbook based on a house-wide needs analysis; a revision of rules regarding the use of temporary assistance and outside expertise; an increase in the level of representation of women; the streamlining of administrative processes; and a house-wide post classification review in Following a drastic reduction of the workforce in the late 1980s, it is worthy to note that since 1990 UNESCO has slowly but continuously been reducing the number of its staff without diminishing its programme activities. RECRUITMENT 4. As stated by the Director-General on numerous occasions, recruitment is an essential part of human resources management which may be defined as an activity aimed at obtaining through a competitive and transparent process, the best staff members with qualifications and skills matching the functions of the posts opened to recruitment. 5. A number of improvements made to the methods of recruitment were reported in document 28 C/70, Part I, submitted to the twenty-eighth session of the General Conference. Since then, further initiatives were taken by the Bureau of Personnel to support management in its endeavours by improving the recruitment process. These include: (i) advertising vacancies through Intranet which permits to reach a larger population of UNESCO staff; (ii) analysing candidates qualifications and experience systematically against requirements of advertised posts; (iii) an Interview Guide made available to the Secretariat to assist in conducting interviews in a more effective and efficient manner; and (iv) acknowledging receipt of all applications to improve communication and informing candidates of results of recruitment exercises. 6. In UNESCO the time required to recruit new Professional staff members is on average six months (from the advertisement to the date of decision of appointment). As an initial step towards improving the turnaround time in recruitment, the Bureau of Personnel undertook an analysis of the process throughout the Secretariat including the time required for each activity. The next step will be to find ways of diminishing the turnaround time. The Bureau of Personnel is contemplating possibilities such as advertising through the Internet and developing a way to permit candidates to submit their curriculum vitae electronically. As resources are more limited, it becomes imperative that people recruited are the most competent to contribute to UNESCO s mission. Given the risk associated with recruitment, the Bureau of Personnel can contribute to develop interview approaches conducive to the success of each recruitment exercise.

3 29 C/40 - page 2 7. It is to be noted that, early in 1996, the Director-General established a High Level Task Force (HLTF), chaired by the Deputy Director-General, to assist him in adapting the staffing table to the changing needs and priorities of programme implementation and in keeping staff costs within the ceiling approved by the General Conference. The mandate of the High Level Task Force has been broadened in March 1997 to include the review and introduction of management improvements and efficiency measures in the functioning of the Organization, with a view to the optimum use of all its resources, both human and financial. 8. Table 1 provides information on Professional posts advertised during this biennium in comparison to the previous biennium. Information regarding the current biennium is for the period 1 January 1996 to 1 July The number of appointments of Professional staff at different grades during this biennium is shown in Table 2. Biennium Table 1 - Number of Professional posts advertised Headquarters Other established offices Total ( to ) Table 2 - Appointments of Professional staff during the period 1 January July 1997 DDG ADG D-2 D-1 P-5 P-4 P-3 P-2/P-3 P-1/P-2 Total Male Female Total One of the objectives of the Personnel Policy is to progressively increase the number of junior Professional posts (P-1 to P-3) and to fill by internal recruitment as many posts as possible at more senior levels (P-4 and above). This approach is aimed at rejuvenating the Organization while providing career progression opportunities to experienced and well deserving staff members. 10. Table 3 illustrates the progression made since 1994 to increase the number of junior Professional posts, thus contributing to the rejuvenation of UNESCO. During the biennium, 32 per cent of Professional posts were at the P-1 to P-3 levels and during the current biennium this percentage has been increased to 35 per cent. As a number of senior staff members (P-5 and above) will be retiring during the course of the next biennium, the Director- General plans to increase the percentage of P-1 to P-3 posts to 40 per cent.

4 29 C/40 - page 3 Table 3 - Percentage of P-1 to P-3 posts against total number of Professional posts 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% P4 and above P1 - P3 30% 20% 10% 0% Year 11. Table 4 illustrates the results achieved with respect to filling P-4 and above posts internally, thus benefiting from well experienced staff in the various areas of the Organization and responding to the need of staff for career progression. The filling of these posts was achieved predominantly through transfers of staff members at equal grades. Table 4 - Promotions and transfers of staff members to posts at P-4 level and above Grade DDG 1 ADG 1 1 D D P P Total REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN UNESCO 12. Significant progress has been achieved in the level of representation of women in the Professional category which has been constantly increasing in the past ten years. Following recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Equal Opportunities, the Director- General established specific targets to be reached by the year This target has already been largely met for the junior levels (P-1 to P-3) with a representation of over 50 per cent as illustrated in Table Additional efforts will be needed to reach the target at the more senior levels. To this end, the Director-General decided that until the year 2001, 50 per cent of Professional staff appointed to UNESCO should be women. Contacts have been established with professional women associations which were referred to the Bureau of Personnel by Member States. Table 2 shows that during this biennium, 54 per cent of advertised posts were filled by women.

5 29 C/40 - page 4 This achievement is important, considering that recent trends indicate that the number of applications from women is well below applications submitted by men. 14. The Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities (ACEO), established by the Director- General is working on specific recommendations concerning the status of women as well as on the various aspects of their career prospects in the Secretariat. Its first report will include concrete and specific measures to increase the number of Professional women at P-4 level and above. Table 5 - Representation of women by grade against year 2001 objectives % 1 January June Objective Max Objective Min P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 D1 D2 ADG Grade GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 15. The equitable geographical distribution remains a most important objective. Document 29 C/41 provides detailed information on the status of representation of all Member States. As can be seen from Table 6, the Secretariat receives a very small number of applicants (14 per cent of the total number of applications) from non- and under-represented countries. The Director-General invites these Member States to take on a more active role in diffusing vacancy notices and in submitting qualified candidates. Recruitment missions to non- and under-represented Member States are being contemplated by the Secretariat. To achieve a more equitable representation, the Secretariat is also making efforts to control the recruitment of citizens from over-represented Member States. The Young Professionals programme is one of the Director-General s initiatives to improve the geographical distribution. However, this programme alone cannot achieve the desired level of representation. Table 7 shows the number of appointments in the Professional category and above at Headquarters and in Other Established Offices during the current biennium by regional group and gender.

6 29 C/40 - page 5 Table 6 - Geographical distribution of external applicants 1 to posts advertised 1 January July 1997 Geographical group Overrepresented 25 Member States 2 Number of applicants Normally represented 82 Member States Number of applicants Underrepresented 36 Member States Number of applicants Nonrepresented 41 Member States Number of applicants Total 184 Member States Number of applicants I - Europe & North America ,054 II - Eastern Europe III - Latin America IV - Asia V(a) - Arab States V(b) - African States Total, applications Average number of applicants per Member State 933 1, , Received up to 1 July Geographical representation as of 1 January Table 7 - Appointments by regional group and gender during the period 1 January July 1997 Regional Group Male Female Total I - Europe & North America II - Eastern Europe 2-2 III - Latin America IV - Asia V(a) - Arab States V(b) - African States Total YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME 16. The Young Professionals Programme continues to generate positive results in terms of bringing in young (30 years old and younger) and qualified people from under- and nonrepresented Member countries. Since the reactivation of this programme in 1989, 55 Young Professionals joined UNESCO. Of the 55 new recruits, 19 were from non-represented countries, 36 from under-represented states and 29 are women. Since the twenty-eighth session of the General Conference, 23 Young Professionals were recruited of which 13 are women. In addition to their first year of on-the-job training, Young Professionals benefit from an intensive tailored-made training programme. Given its highly satisfactory results, it is

7 29 C/40 - page 6 important that this programme be maintained. During the course of the biennium, the Director-General is planning to increase the number of junior level posts in order to recruit younger staff including Young Professionals. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM 17. A fair, accurate and consistent performance appraisal system is the corner-stone of effective performance management. It is an essential support to other core processes such as promotions and recognition. 18. The new performance appraisal system, introduced in UNESCO in 1990, was substantially revised and redesigned in October The global objective of the system remained the same, which was to increase the efficiency of the Secretariat through the overall improvement of staff performance. This system is also an important tool for staff development as well as a support for administrative decisions such as contract extensions, training and separations. 19. The changes introduced in 1994 aimed chiefly at increasing the consistency and the objectivity of performance appraisals, through the assessment of concrete and specific work assignments set between the supervisor and the staff member at the beginning of the appraisal period. In addition, performance ratings were more precisely defined. The revised system also stresses the importance of dialogue and regular feedback on performance. 20. Since January 1991, 62 cases of contested performance reports were examined by the Reports Board. Over this period, 14 staff members were separated on grounds of unsatisfactory performance. 21. Staff performance is a delicate topic to address. It is a most important human resources management tool which needs to continuously be monitored. Support must be provided to supervisors. To this end, the Bureau of Personnel plans to develop a specific training programme aimed at: (1) assisting supervisors to set objectives; (2) reinforcing the principles of dialogue and feedback; (3) clarifying evaluation criteria; and (4) providing guidance in how to use the system as a management, training and development tool for the benefit of their staff, as well as for the benefit of their section. 22. The second focus will be to reinforce the use of the Performance Appraisal System as a tool for staff development and career planning. To this end, a mechanism will be introduced whereby training and development needs as well as career and mobility aspirations will be identified through the performance appraisal process and followed through by the respective sections in the Bureau of Personnel. Finally, the current internal processing of performance reports will be reviewed with a view to simplify and streamline the process. 23. Performance awards are a recent topic in the United Nations common system. In 1996, a General Assembly resolution invited Executive Heads of United Nations organizations to develop proposals in that respect. It is widely agreed that such awards and bonuses need to be supported by a reliable performance appraisal system. As far as UNESCO is concerned, the introduction of such rewards will be examined as and when it is considered that the performance appraisal system has reached that stage.

8 29 C/40 - page 7 MERIT BASED PROMOTION 24. This system has been introduced in 1994, with the objective of ensuring that staff members be promoted on merit, in a fair and rigorous way. It established a mechanism to identify the most meritorious staff members with the required potential to assume higher responsibilities. A first list was established for , including the names of 203 staff members. A second list comprising the names of 175 staff members was recently published. 25. A preliminary review of the system indicates mixed results. In the first exercise, 81 staff members were promoted, which represents 40 per cent of the total eligible staff. Since this system has been in operation for over two years, time has come to assess its impact. The Bureau of Personnel will undertake a full review of the system and propose necessary revisions. 26. It should be pointed out that a revision of the merit based promotion system should not be envisaged in isolation but in the context of a global review of the promotion and rewards processes. Moreover, a fair promotion system must be based on a sound, objective and reliable performance appraisal system. Successful changes in the performance appraisal process will therefore have a determining influence on the effectiveness of promotion processes. STAFF MOBILITY 27. The Director-General has, on numerous occasions, expressed the need for staff mobility in particular staff movements from Headquarters to the field and vice versa in order to fully optimize human resources. To encourage staff movements, incentives such as additional salary steps, temporary special post adjustment and additional allowances were offered to staff members. In addition, offers of employment have been modified in order to make it clear to new staff members that they may be requested to be transferred during the course of their career at UNESCO. Since 1989, there has been a slight increase in the number of staff movements from Headquarters to the field as well as between field locations, as illustrated in Table 8. Table 8 - Staff movements between Headquarters and Other Established Offices from HQ within OEO to HQ

9 29 C/40 - page To reinforce the existing mechanisms, the rotation issue is being thoroughly reviewed. The objective of this exercise is to establish a clear rotation policy, guidelines and mechanisms which will effectively stimulate staff rotation. Such a policy should come as a natural support to the decentralization strategy developed by the Organization and sectors decentralization plans. 29. In this context, and for the purpose of increasing staff mobility, the following approach was approved by the Director General: sectors will be requested to establish their proposed programme decentralization plans prior to the beginning of each biennium; in co-operation with sectors, the Bureau of Personnel will prepare staff movement projections, taking into account requirements of posts in terms of qualifications and skills, as well as the staff's profile, skills and aspirations; an inventory of posts with the corresponding profile requirements will be developed by the Bureau of Personnel in co-operation with sectors; such job profiles will also be used in the recruitment process; the High Level Task Force will review decentralization plans and staff mobility projections proposed by sectors. 30. Staff rotation will be primarily driven by the Organization's needs, it being understood that the ultimate goal is to achieve the best possible match between the Organization's needs and the individual's development aspirations. Field experience will be recognized as a positive step towards enhancing staff members career prospects. STAFF TRAINING PROGRAMME 31. Training is an important component of human resources development to ensure that staff members have the necessary skills, knowledge and competences required to accomplish the Organization's mission. The training manual developed in 1995, the result of an organizationwide survey on training needs which were validated by sectors, is now available on Intranet. It has proven to be an effective response to staff training needs based on priorities. 32. During the course of this biennium, in addition to its ongoing training programmes (orientation, briefings, languages) a particular emphasis was placed on: Informatics 33. After reaching its objectives in computer literacy, the Training Section proceeded to the second phase of its programme aimed at further upgrading staff members computer skills in areas of spread sheet, data base and the Internet applications. From 1995 until the end of June 1997, 178 courses in informatics were given to 1,183 staff members at levels GS-2/3 to D-1. In addition to bringing the Secretariat at the cutting edge in informatics, another objective of the Training Section will be to develop UNESCO managers in office automation practices.

10 29 C/40 - page 9 Management Development 34. Management development at mid and senior levels is important for the effectiveness of the Secretariat. A Management Development Programme for senior staff was introduced in The overall aim of this programme was to enhance the skills of managers in UNESCO and thus to contribute to a climate of change, innovation and creativity. A total of 284 staff members participated in this programme. 35. In view of the challenges that lie ahead it is now important for the Secretariat to reinforce its managerial development. For this purpose, a new management programme is being developed. Starting at the senior level, this programme will focus on strategic organizational issues that have a direct impact on human resources. The second phase, which will involve the middle-level staff, will be used to develop a shared understanding of what constitutes effective management at UNESCO. It will also be important to recognize that personnel management is not the sole responsibility of the Bureau of Personnel but a shared responsibility throughout the Organization. 36. A comprehensive training programme for administrative officers is in its final phase of development. This programme which covers the three main areas of responsibilities for administrative officers (finance, budget and personnel administration) is aimed at training junior administrative officers as well as upgrading the knowledge and skills of more senior administrators. POST CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM 37. In the context of the 1993 salary survey for the Paris General Service and related categories, UNESCO announced its intention to replace the present six-grade structure by a seven-grade system before the next survey, scheduled for The purpose of this measure is to bring Paris in line with the six other headquarters and to modernize the existing Paris General Service post classification system, which dates back to This change in the grade structure implies the development of a new post classification standard and subsequently, the classification of all General Service posts at Headquarters in accordance with the new standard. 38. Considerable progress has been made in this complex project to develop the new sevenlevel job classification system in Paris for which UNESCO is serving as lead agency. Instead of developing a completely new standard, it was decided to review a number of existing sevenlevel standards in other duty stations. The Rome standard was found to provide the best basis for further developmental work. Significant testing and adaptation work has already been done to ensure that the new standard will be compatible with the Paris structure, and it is expected that the developmental work will be finalised in the fall of The draft standard will then be submitted to ICSC (International Civil Service Commission) for approval. During the course of 1998 all General Service posts should then be classified in accordance with the new standard to enable preparations to be made for the next salary survey, and to allow for subsequent conversion to the seven-grade structure in conjunction with the implementation of the survey results. A committee composed of management and staff representatives was established to provide information and progress reports on the development of the new standard.

11 29 C/40 - page 10 MODERNIZING THE ROLE OF THE BUREAU OF PERSONNEL 39. To meet current and future challenges, it is essential to bring the personnel function in UNESCO in line with the latest developments in human resources management. From being predominantly administrative focused, the Bureau of Personnel must become strategic as well as a partner adding value to the management of the Organization. 40. The Bureau of Personnel has gradually increased its specialist capacity and will ensure the continuous upgrading of expertise of its staff to keep in line with best practices in the private and public sectors. To be in a better position to meet the challenges that face human resources management of UNESCO, the Bureau of Personnel will undertake a re-engineering exercise which will entail a thorough review of all personnel processes. 41. To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Organization it is important for sectors to become more active in administrative matters. For this purpose, the Bureau of Personnel is currently assessing the feasibility of delegating to sectors the responsibility to administer a number of personnel administrative tasks such as annual leave, internship programme and administration of performance reporting. A handbook entitled Introduction to Staff Management has been developed as an introduction to the regulations, rules and administrative instructions. This material is meant for officials involved in personnel administration to assist them in understanding the general framework of staff management. 42. Despite a low budget and few resources, in the past three years considerable efforts were made to computerize a number of personnel-related matters to streamline administrative processes and systems. These initiatives were aimed at modernizing the manner by which the Bureau of Personnel provides its services to the Secretariat and to Member States. Achievements are: a Local Area Network (PER/LAN); an integrated system of Information on Personnel (ISOP) covering most of the personnel functions administered by PER; a Performance Report Application (PERFOREP) widely used at Headquarters and, to some extent, in field offices; new developments have recently been completed to facilitate the access to personnel data through Intranet; a Post Management system (GESTPOST) allowing to keep track of post actions and history; a fact sheet application, currently under development to support human resources management decisions through the provision of valid and relevant information on staff. CONCLUSION 43. To respond to the world community's increasingly complex demands within constrained resources, efficiency and effectiveness remain critical factors to UNESCO's success. As stated in the Medium-Term Strategy covering (28 C/4) The effectiveness of the Secretariat depends to a large extent upon its human resources which constitutes one of the most precious assets of the Organization. It is imperative that staff members be of the highest calibre and that their skills be those required for their tasks. Programme changes must be matched by changes in the skills available in the Secretariat. 44. To ensure effective support to UNESCO's programme implementation which is becoming more and more multidisciplinary, the Director-General will spare no efforts to adapt management practices to new needs. To this end the commitment of managers is absolutely necessary and close partnership and co-operation from Member States will also be essential. 45. The fundamental principle on which the Personnel Policy was developed will continue to be the guiding light for the sound management of human resources. Endeavours will be

12 29 C/40 - page 11 pursued to adapt the Personnel Policy to the need for more flexibility and creativity in managing human resources conducive to the success of the Organization. 46. In conclusion, the Director-General will continue to pay particular attention to the following: attract, hire and retain the best people and develop, through the Performance Appraisal System, means to identify staff members unsuited to the needs of the Organization for appropriate decisions; adapt the staffing structure to meet programme priorities at Headquarters and in field offices in a cost-effective way while achieving the right balance between regular staff and temporary assistance; rejuvenate human resources by increasing the recruitment of young staff members; increase the number of women at senior levels; redefine principles and guidelines to support decentralization and increase staff mobility; further simplify and streamline personnel administration processes and delegate authority as appropriate. 47. The General Conference may wish to consider adopting a resolution along the following lines: The General Conference, Takes note of the report of the Director-General on the implementation of the Personnel Policy (29 C/40) and the achievements made in this respect; Recognizes the determination of the Secretariat to manage its workforce based on sound human resources management principles; Appreciates the initiatives taken by the Director-General to enhance the role of the Bureau of Personnel and to foster a sense of collective responsibility within the Organization regarding the sound management of staff; Invites the Director-General to pursue his efforts in providing a leadership conducive to the success of the Organization and to optimize resources while providing challenging career opportunities; Invites the Director-General to submit a progress report on this subject to the Executive Board at its 157th session and to the General Conference at its thirtieth session.

13 General Conference Twenty-ninth Session, Paris C 29 C/40 Add. 20 October 1997 Original: English Item 9.11 of the provisional agenda IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICY ADDENDUM OUTLINE In accordance with 28 C/Resolution 29.1, the Director-General reports to the General Conference at its twenty-ninth session on the implementation of personnel policy and the progress made in this respect since the twenty-eighth session. This report (29 C/40) was also submitted to the Executive Board at its 152nd session. The Board amended the draft resolution proposed in paragraph 47 of document 29 C/40. Decision required: paragraph At its twenty-eighth session, the General Conference adopted resolution 29.1 in which it invited the Director-General inter alia to continue to implement the short- and long-term personnel policy with a view to establishing the conditions required to develop further the Organization s human resources and to submit a progress report on the subject to the Executive Board at its 152nd session and the General Conference at its twenty-ninth session. The Director-General accordingly submitted to the Board at its 152nd session a report on the implementation of personnel policy and the progress made in this respect since the twentyeighth session (29 C/40). 2. At the end of its deliberations on this matter, the Executive Board has amended the draft resolution appearing in paragraph 47 of document 29 C/40 and proposes to the General Conference to adopt a resolution drafted as follows:

14 29 C/40 Add. - page 2 The General Conference, 1. Takes note of the report by the Director-General on the implementation of personnel policy (29 C/40 and Add.) and the achievements made in this respect; 2. Recognizes the efforts of the Director-General to constantly improve management of the Secretariat s workforce and to foster a sense of responsibility within the Organization regarding the sound management of staff; 3. Invites the Director-General: (a) (b) (c) to pursue his efforts in providing a leadership conducive to the success of the Organization; to optimize resources while providing challenging career opportunities; and to submit to it a progress report on this subject at its 157th session and to the General Conference at its thirtieth session.

15 General Conference Twenty-ninth Session, Paris C 29 C/40 Corr. 23 October 1997 Original: English Item 9.11 of the agenda IMPLEMENTATION OF PERSONNEL POLICY CORRIGENDUM The following correction should be made to document 29 C/40: Page 3: Table 4 - Promotions and transfers of staff members to posts at P-4 level and above should be replaced by the table below: Grade January-31 July 1997 DDG 1 1 ADG 1 1 D D P P Total