Human Resources Management

A/RES/65/247View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 134 Human resources management, published in 2011.

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?

9 reports · 2011–2022

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/65/247
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/65/247
2017	A/72/123	Composition of the Secretariat : staff demographics report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/65/247
2014	A/69/292/Add.1	Composition of the Secretariat : gratis personnel, retired staff and consultants and individual contractors report of the Secretary-General : addendum	A/RES/65/247
2012	A/67/329	Composition of the Secretariat : staff demographics report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/65/247

What subjects does this mandate have?

8 subjects

Career Appointments Career Development Geographical Distribution Performance Standards Personnel Management Recruitment Rules and Regulations Staffing

What’s in this document?

97 operative paragraphs

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,⁶ subject to the provisions of the present resolution and taking into account the provisions of General Assembly resolution 65/248 of 24 December 2010;

⁶A/65/537.

I.Human resources management reform

Emphasizes the fundamental importance of human resources management reform in the United Nations as a contribution to the strengthening of the international civil service, recalls, in this context, the reports of the International Civil Service Commission, and reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of these reforms;

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

Acknowledges that human resources management must play a central, strategic role in ensuring that the Organization works in an integrated manner;

Also acknowledges that human resources management must continuously work to develop an Organization that is responsive and supports a culture of empowerment and performance, allows equal access to career opportunities irrespective of programmes and sources of funding and provides staff members with the chance to learn and grow so that they can reach their greatest potential;

Notes the variety of human resources management initiatives that the Organization has undertaken since the adoption by the General Assembly of its resolution 63/250, 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;

Acknowledges the efforts made by the Secretary-General to address some of the issues raised in its resolution 63/250, and encourages him to further intensify his efforts in its implementation;

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;

Expresses concern over the fact that not all staff representatives have participated in the Staff-Management Coordination Committee, and reiterates its call upon the staff representatives from New York and management to intensify efforts to overcome differences and to engage in a consultative process;

Requests the Secretary-General to report regularly on progress in the implementation of ongoing human resources management reform, including on efficiencies and concrete improvements;

II.Recruitment and staffing

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 of the United Nations;

Regrets that the Secretary-General is of the view that all-encompassing workforce planning for the Secretariat is of limited value and that he has not presented an Organization-wide strategic workforce plan;

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;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on progress achieved in this regard to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session in the context of his report on human resources management;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure 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;

Expresses deep concern at the persistently high vacancy rates in the Organization, in particular in field missions, and the high turnover of staff, especially in difficult duty stations, which has a detrimental effect on the implementation of the mandates of the Organization, and requests the Secretary-General to fill all vacancies in an expeditious manner;

Recognizes the paramount importance of speeding up the recruitment and staffing process, in accordance with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter;

Takes note of paragraphs 11 and 12 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found decides that, for the time being, the period for the circulation of specific job openings will remain at 60 days, and requests the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire recruitment process to improve the overall response time with a view to realizing the benchmark of 120 days for filling a post, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Recalls paragraph 13 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to delete the special procedures for the selection of external candidates from the staff selection system;

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

Emphasizes the importance of the participation of staff representatives in the work of the central review bodies, and requests the Secretary-General and invites staff representatives to engage in a consultative process with a view to resuming the participation of staff representatives in the work of the central review bodies;

Welcomes the intention of the Secretary-General to expedite the selection process through virtual meetings of the central review bodies;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that all applicants are informed of the results of their applications;

Also requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with Member States, to increase awareness of job opportunities in the Organization, including through more extensive outreach, with a view to identifying eligible and qualified candidates to fill vacancies, in particular those which have been vacant in excess of the 120-day benchmark;

Decides that associate experts shall continue to be considered as external candidates with no preferential treatment;

Reaffirms the need to respect the equality of each 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;

Recalls paragraph 27 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and reiterates its request that the Secretary-General ensure that the Office of Human Resources Management continues to strengthen its monitoring of delegated authority for human resources management, including compliance with geographical and gender targets, while ensuring that the highest standards of efficiency, competency and integrity serve as the paramount consideration in the recruitment of staff;

Requests the Secretary-General to include in the human resources management scorecard an additional operational indicator on excess unutilized leave;

Notes the progress made in the implementation of Inspira, and welcomes all efforts made by the Secretary-General to review and remedy unintended consequences and to minimize inconveniences, especially before its application in the area of peacekeeping missions;

Urges the Secretary-General to ensure the timely realization of the wide range of benefits that the system is expected to bring;

Requests the Secretary-General, in this respect, to ensure the effective roll-out of Inspira with a view to filling positions in field missions without further delay;

Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure a seamless and well-functioning interface between Inspira and the enterprise resource planning system, Umoja;

Further requests the Secretary-General to include, in Inspira website tutorials, tips relating to personal history profiles and competency-based interviews and other materials helpful for external candidates in applying and being considered for vacancies, no later than the end of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, and to report his achievements in that regard to the Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Regrets that the Secretary-General did not submit proposals on a mobility policy pursuant to section VII of General Assembly resolution 63/250, and in this regard requests that a comprehensive proposal be submitted to the Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

III.Young professionals programme

Approves the young professionals programme,⁷ subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

⁷See A/65/305/Add.4.

Requests the Secretary-General, as a one-time exceptional measure until 31 December 2012, to make efforts to place in P-3 posts, subject to geographical distribution, successful national competitive recruitment examination candidates who were on the roster as at 31 December 2009 and who show an interest in and are qualified for such positions, decides that such candidates shall not be granted continuing appointments, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Takes note of paragraph 72 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and approves the use of 15 per cent of the positions at the P-1 and P-2 levels in field operations financed through the regular budget and voluntary contributions, on the understanding that all other such positions, as well as positions at the P-1 and P-2 levels financed through peacekeeping budgets, will be advertised;

Notes with appreciation the recent efforts made by the Secretary-General to expedite the placement of successful candidates from national competitive recruitment examinations, and requests him to ensure the expeditious placement of successful candidates;

Decides that the maximum age for eligibility for the young professionals programme is thirty-two;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session on the implementation of the young professionals programme, including progress made in reducing the time required to mark the examination and to place successful candidates;

IV.Performance management

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

Recalls paragraph 2 of section VI of its resolution 63/250, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to develop and implement measures to strengthen the performance appraisal system, in particular by rewarding staff for excellent performance and imposing sanctions for underperformance, and to strengthen the link between performance and career progression, in particular for those staff members in managerial positions, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session on the implementation of the new talent management system;

V.Career development and staff well-being

Recalls paragraphs 17 and 18 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found and requests the Secretary-General to include in the training strategy a full picture of the total training resources, including extrabudgetary resources, as well as of the management of such resources, and to build the strategy on the basis of a needs assessment;

Notes that the proper take-up of leave and rest and recuperation entitlements is an essential element of staff and organizational health and well-being;

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;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session on efforts to enhance the understanding and implementation of the principles of work-life balance and a flexible workforce across the Secretariat;

VI.Contractual arrangements

Recalls paragraph 2 of section II of its resolution 63/250, and reaffirms that contractual arrangements comprise three types of appointments: temporary, fixed-term and continuing;

Approves the granting of continuing contracts as at 1 January 2011 to eligible staff members on the basis of the continuing needs of the Organization;

Recalls paragraph 23 of section II of its resolution 63/250, and decides that successful candidates from national competitive recruitment examinations and staff from language services after two years of probationary service will be granted continuing contracts, notwithstanding the provisions contained in paragraphs 51 to 61 of the present resolution;

Decides that the continuing needs of the Organization shall be determined on the basis of established and temporary posts of a duration of more than five years as well as general temporary assistance in special political missions, with the exception of those covered by the provisions of paragraphs 53 (b) and (c) of the present resolution, subject to two post envelopes, one for international staff in the Professional and higher categories and in the Field Service category and one for staff in the General Service and other locally recruited categories, to be reviewed regularly by the General Assembly and expanded or contracted on the basis of the activities of the Organization;

Also decides to set the initial level of the post envelopes at 75 per cent of the total number of posts identified in paragraph 51 of the present resolution, and to include permanent contracts within the post envelopes;

Further decides that staff members must satisfy the following criteria in order to be eligible for consideration for the granting of continuing contracts:

They must have completed a minimum of five years of continuing service under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations:

Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat who have accrued at least five years of continuous service on fixed-term appointments, including periods of service in an entity that applies the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations;

Staff members who were previously appointed under the 100, 200 or 300 series of the Staff Rules and who have been appointed since 1 July 2009 on a fixed-term appointment under the provisional staff rules after a competitive process under staff rule 4.15 if they have served for five years continuously;

They must not be national staff recruited for field missions;

They must not be international or locally recruited staff recruited for service in the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda or the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia;

They must have received a performance rating of at least “Meets expectations” or equivalent in the four most recent performance appraisal reports, and must not have been subject to any disciplinary measure during the five years prior to their consideration for the granting of a continuing contract;

They must have at least seven years of service remaining before reaching the mandatory age of separation;

Decides that internationally recruited staff in the Professional and higher categories as well as staff in the Field Service category who satisfy the eligibility criteria for the granting of continuing contracts, as set out in paragraph 53 of the present resolution, shall be allocated points, as set out in the annex to the present resolution, for the following additional criteria:

Performance ratings of above “Meets expectations” or equivalent in the four most recent performance appraisal reports;

Service in duty stations with hardship classification of A, B, C, D or E of at least one year in each duty station;

Service in non-family duty stations of at least one year in each duty station;

Geographical mobility, defined as movement between two duty stations in different countries, with continuous periods of service of at least one year in each duty station;

Functional mobility, defined as continuous periods of service of at least one year each in more than one job family;

Proficiency in one official language of the United Nations other than one’s mother tongue;

Each additional year of service beyond five years;

Also decides that General Service and other locally recruited staff who satisfy the eligibility criteria for the granting of continuing contracts, as set out in paragraph 53 of the present resolution, shall be allocated points, as set out in the annex to the present resolution, for the criteria indicated in subparagraphs (a), (e), (f) and (g) of paragraph 54 of the present resolution;

Further decides that staff members identified in paragraph 51 of the present resolution who satisfy the eligibility criteria for continuing contracts will be granted continuing contracts, subject to the availability of contracts within the appropriate post envelope, on an annual basis, and based on ranking in the number of points received through the mechanism outlined in paragraph 54 of the present resolution;

Decides that staff members awarded the same number of points shall be ranked on the basis of length of service;

Urges the Secretary-General to consider granting five-year fixed-term contracts to staff members who are ranked according to the process outlined in paragraph 54 of the present resolution but who are not awarded continuing contracts;

Recalls its decision in paragraph 24 of section II of its resolution 63/250 that periods of service of associate experts (Junior Professional Officers) shall not be taken into account as part of the requisite period of service for a continuing appointment;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the continuing appointments regime in the context of his report on human resources reform, including a review of the level of the post envelopes, as necessary, starting with its sixty-seventh session;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-third session on the implementation of the provisions of the present resolution with the aim of reviewing the system of granting of continuing contracts;

Decides that staff members who are granted continuing contracts shall be subject to decisions of the General Assembly on mobility and the learning policy of the Secretary-General;

VII.Comprehensive assessment of the system of geographical distribution

Recalls paragraph 17 of section IX of its resolution 63/250, and requests the Secretary-General to report thereon to the General Assembly at the sixty-seventh session;

Reiterates its requests to the Secretary-General to present proposals to effectively increase the representation of developing countries in the Secretariat and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Recalls paragraph 13 of section IX of resolution 63/250, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to ensure the 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;

Decides that staff members shall retain geographical status when serving against a geographical post, except those recruited under the young professionals programme;

Reaffirms that the system of geographical distribution is applicable solely to regular budget posts in the Professional and higher categories of staff;

VIII.Gender representation

Expresses serious concern that progress towards the goal of 50/50 gender balance in the United Nations system, especially at senior and policymaking levels, in conformity with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter, has been slow;

Requests the Secretary-General to increase his efforts to attain and monitor the goal of gender parity in the Secretariat, in particular at senior levels, and in this context to ensure that women, especially those from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, are appropriately represented within the Secretariat, and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

IX.Consultants, individual contractors, gratis personnel and employment of retired staff

Expresses 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 resolution 53/221, section VIII, 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-seventh session on the measures taken to that effect;

Reiterates 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 and should report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session on the use of retired former staff and to develop clear criteria for the employment of retirees;

X.Provisional Staff Rules and amendments to the Staff Regulations

Takes note of paragraphs 84 and 85 of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary QuestionsError: Reference source not found on reconsidering the requirement to renounce permanent resident status;

Takes note also of the report of the Secretary-General on the provisional Staff Rules;⁸

⁸A/65/202.

Decides, in this regard, to defer until its sixty-sixth session consideration of the proposal of the Secretary-General to amend the Staff Regulations;⁹

⁹See A/65/213.

XI.Other matters

Welcomes the improvement in the compliance rates of the financial disclosure programme, and requests the Secretary-General to further encourage full participation in, and compliance with, the programme;

Requests the Secretary-General to encourage wider participation by senior executives in the public disclosure programme;

Requests the International Civil Service Commission to consider standards of conduct in the context of its 2011 programme of work and report;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide to the General Assembly for its consideration at the main part of its sixty-sixth session a comprehensive report on conflict of interest, including a contemporary analysis of what constitutes personal conflict of interest, as well as legal, management and mitigation aspects;

Decides to consider at the same time the relevant recommendations of the International Civil Service Commission on standards of conduct, the outstanding draft code of ethics and any other relevant reports;

Requests the Secretary-General to intensify his outreach activities to attract external candidates;

Also requests the Secretary-General to analyse the reasons why staff members leave the Organization, on the basis of exit questionnaires for staff members leaving voluntarily, and to report his findings to the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session;

Reiterates its request, contained in paragraph 91 of its resolution 64/243 of 24 December 2009, that the Secretary-General, in proposing posts for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, ensure that they conform to relevant legislative mandates, including those of the Human Rights Council.

Point system to assess the eligibility of staff for conversion from fixed-term to continuing appointments