PH Underscores Importance of Geographical Diversity, Gender Parity in the UN
The Philippine Mission to the United Nations’ Third Secretary and Fifth Committee Expert Marivil V. Valles at the 23rd formal meeting of the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on 04 March 2020. (New York PM photo)
NEW YORK 10 March 2020 – The Philippines, represented by the Philippine Mission to the United Nations’ Third Secretary and Fifth Committee Expert Marivil V. Valles, underscored the importance of a geographically-diverse and gender-balanced international and skilled workforce in realizing the goal of a United Nations (UN) that works at the 23rd formal meeting of the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee on 04 March 2020.
“We believe that equitable geographical representation and gender parity provide a strong foundation for an efficient and effective UN organization,” Third Secretary Valles said.
Third Secretary Valles welcomed the ongoing efforts by the UN Secretary General to reform the UN’s human resources management, and highlighted in particular the importance of women empowerment and the need to provide equal importance to both men and women in the organization.
She also raised the observation on demographic movements on the composition of the UN Secretariat, noting the decrease in the number of staff, from end of the year 2017 to end of 2018.
She stated that UN employees serving in both permanent and fixed terms across all regions who have proven very good track record in their respective areas of service must be protected.
Third Secretary Valles further mentioned that the establishment of high-level positions in the organization should come with a thorough review of existing functions and structures to avoid overlaps in duties and responsibilities.
In view of these developments, Third Secretary Valles requested the Secretary General to provide updates pertaining to the current staff movements, highlighting the need to provide for a more extensive analysis on the staff demographic patterns to better understand the underlying factors for such movements and enable the delegates to recommend appropriate policies for a more efficient United Nations. END
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