PH Echoes ASEAN Position on Managing Human Resources in the United Nations System
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations underscores ASEAN’s priorities on various human resource management processes. (Photo Credit: New York PM)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 06 March 2023 — At the UN Fifth Committee’s 26th Formal Meeting and opening of work, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, speaking on behalf of ASEAN, outlined the group’s priorities on Human Resource Management (HRM) issues and acknowledged the secretariat’s plan to embark on a new staff selection programme to ensure an effective and agile recruitment process.
At the start of the meeting, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Martha Helena Lopez introduced five Secretary-General reports on human resources management, including “Ways Forward in the Implementation of the Reform Mandates for the period 2023–2026”, which summarizes progress made in implementing various Assembly resolutions organized along three outcomes — diversity, agility and accountability.
According to Ambassador Peñaranda, “ASEAN acknowledges the secretariat’s planned initiative to overhaul the current staff selection system of the UN secretariat through the new Staff Selection Programme 2.0, which focuses on changes in policy, processes and technology, to facilitate the strengthening of the organization’s recruitment process.”
He added that these changes will address the specific concerns on HRM processes, including in the areas of geography, gender, youth, multilingualism, disability inclusion, accountability and anti-racism. He expressed the hope that the said programme, along with proactive outreach activities, would be able to promote an efficient implementation of the HRM reform for 2023-2026.
DPR Peñaranda also stated that the new staff selection process, as part of the organization’s human resources strategy for the upcoming years, should prioritize recruitment and retention of talents with the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with substantial consideration of the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible, as stipulated in Article 101 of the UN Charter.
Other priorities of ASEAN include promoting gender parity, which, for DPR Peñaranda involves greater efforts to ensure parity in peacekeeping field operations; and addressing racism, where he reiterated the need to establish an inclusive workplace where staff members are treated with dignity and respect, and one which supports work-life balance, health and well-being of the organization’s workforce.
Ambassador Peñaranda added that priority should also be given to the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities (PWDs), including leveraging partnerships with organizations that promote disability inclusion and workforce diversity for PWDs, which facilitate effective recruitment process and improve their accessibility.
Finally, he called for appropriate continued training and development of staff as well as efficient measures to facilitate inter-agency mobility of staff, in particular for encumbered positions and those from un-represented and under-represented Member States of the United Nations system. END
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