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La revue officielle des fonctionnaires Internationaux – The official magazine of international civil servants
WILL COVID
CHANGE OUR
WORKPLACE
FOREVER ?
# 805 DÉCEMBRE 2020-JANVIER 2021 / DECEMBER 2020-JANUARY 2021
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ÉDITORIAL /
EDITOR’S NOTE
#805 | DÉCEMBRE 2020-JANVIER 2021 /
DECEMBER 2020-JANUARY 2021
ALEXANDER MEJIA
Editor-in-chief / Rédacteur en chef
This is my last edition as Editor-in-Chief of UN Today and I want Ce numéro de UN Today est le dernier auquel je participe en tant
to express my appreciation to all of you, our readers, for your que rédacteur en chef. Je tiens à cette occasion à remercier tous
permanent support to our editorial efforts at the UN in Geneva. nos lecteurs pour leur soutien indéfectible depuis tant d'années.
Before this strange year 2020, I had the privilege of serving as Avant cette année 2020 si particulière, j'ai eu le privilège d'être
Editor-in-Chief of UN Special (our previous incarnation) for four pendant quatre ans le rédacteur en chef du magazine UN Special
years and can only say that the same example of volunteer- (dont nous sommes la continuation). Votre nouveau magazine,
ism and excellence remains with UN Today. Our new magazine qui perpétue l'esprit de bénévolat et d'excellence qui animait son
has become an outstanding virtual space to remain connected prédécesseur, est aujourd’hui un espace virtuel exceptionnel,
during this pandemic and I finish my tenure with enormous qui nous permet de maintenir le lien malgré la pandémie. Arrivé
gratitude to the UN Today Editorial Board and particularly to- au terme de mon mandat, je tiens à remercier chaleureusement
wards Prisca Chaoui and Ian Richards. Without them UN Today le comité de rédaction, et en particulier Prisca Chaoui et Ian
would not exist. Richards, sans lesquels cette aventure n’aurait jamais vu le jour.
And going back to this edition, we offer you two interviews that Dans ce numéro, pour répondre à vos préoccupations concernant
address our concerns about the future of work at the UN taking l'avenir du travail à l'ONU dans le contexte de la COVID-19, nous
into account the Coronavirus pandemic. We interviewed Guy avons interrogé Guy Ryder, Directeur général de l'OIT, et Catherine
Ryder, Director-General of the ILO, and also Catherine Pollard, Pollard, Secrétaire générale adjointe chargée du Département
the Under Secretary-General for Management Strategy and des stratégies et politiques de gestion et de la conformité.
Policy Compliance, to share their views on this important matter.
En ce qui concerne les sujets d'intérêt local, vous serez certai-
Local topics include another interview with Larbi Djacta, the nement intéressés par l'entretien dans lequel M. Larbi Djacta,
Chair of the International Civil Service Commission who tells us Président de la Commission de la fonction publique internatio-
about his priorities, and an article about an inspiring initiative at nale, nous expose ses priorités, et par un article présentant une
ITC to foster a more inclusive organizational culture. We are also initiative prometteuse de l'ITC en faveur d'une culture organisa-
commemorating two important United Nations International tionnelle plus inclusive. Il sera en outre question de deux impor-
Days: the Human Rights Day, from the perspective of the UN tantes journées internationales des Nations Unies: la Journée des
High Commissioner for Human Rights, and also the International droits de l'homme, dont nous parle la Haute-Commissaire des
Mountain Day, with a piece by a young colleague who climbed Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme, et la Journée internationale
the Mont Blanc, the roof of Europe. de la montagne, avec le récit d'un jeune collègue qui a gravi le
Mont Blanc, toit de l'Europe.
As this edition concludes 2020, a year with no precedent,
UN Today wishes you a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and UN Today vous souhaite de joyeuses fêtes de fin d'année et se
looks forward to being back with you when we start with opti- réjouit à l’avance de vous retrouver en 2021, année que nous
mism the year 2021. Stay healthy! commencerons avec optimisme. Bonne année, et bonne santé!
facebook.com/UNTodayMagazine
instagram.com/untoday_magazine
twitter.com/un_today
3
IMPRESSUM SOMMAIRE / TABLE OF CONTENTS
UN Today
Palais des Nations, bureau C507 Éditorial / Editor’s note 3
1211 Genève 10 Sommaire / Table of contents 4
sarah.bencherif@unitar.org
admin@untoday.org
www.untoday.org GROS PLAN SUR / FOCUS ON
Alex Mejia Impact de la COVID-19 sur notre travail à l'ONU/ Impact of COVID-19
Rédacteur en chef / Editor-in-chief on our work at the UN
Sarah Bencherif Would you want to work in the UN of the future ? 5
Coordinatrice éditoriale / Can diplomacy work online ? 8
Editorial Coordinator
What is it like to interpret a remote meeting ? 10
Publicité / Advertising
Contact pour la Suisse : 3 QUESTIONS À / 3 QUESTIONS TO
Joseph Crisci – Tél. 079 65 828 64 Larbi Djacta, ICSC Chair : I am making the ICSC more transparent 12
Contact pour la France :
JBM Magazines
5, rue du Pré Félin / 74940 Annecy‑Le‑Vieux
VU DE L’INTÉRIEUR / INSIDE VIEW
Jean‑Michel BRETIN – Tél. 06 79 45 86 54 Just brew it : 100 Coffees for Inclusion at the International Trade Centre 14
What the Staff Council has been doing for you 16
Layout
GraphicTouch
Pierre Maleszewski GENÈVE INTERNATIONALE /INTERNATIONAL GENEVA
Grand-Rue 93 On Her Majesty's Service 18
1110 Morges
Tél. +41 21 802 43 58
I grew up with the mountains. International Mountain Day matters to me 20
www.graphictouch.ch Human Rights Day: interview with Michelle Bachelet,
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 22
Webmasters Public Transportation in a Pandemic World 24
Froylan Silveira & Sarah Bencherif
La Suisse romande à l'épreuve de la COVID-19 26
Imprimé en UE
MÉMOIRES D’UNE VIE À L’ONU / MEMORIES OF LIFE AT THE UN
What I learned at the UN in four lessons 28
La revue officielle des fonctionnaires inter-
nationaux des Nations Unies à Genève.
Les opinions exprimées dans ce magazine sont
LOISIRS ET CULTURE /LEISURE AND CULTURE
celles des auteurs, et non forcément celles de From the Pandemic to the League of Cities: an interview with Lord Foster,
l’ONU ou de ses institutions spécialisées. La
parution de ce magazine dépend uniquement
Architect and President of the Norman Foster Foundation 30
du support financier de la publicité prise en Quinoterapia 32
charge par une régie.
The official magazine of the international civil VOTRE SANTÉ / YOUR HEALTH
servants of the United Nations at Geneva.
The opinions in this magazine are those of the
Hip and knee replacement : benefits of computer-assisted surgery 34
authors, not necessarily those of the United
Nations, or its specialized agencies. The
DIVERS / OTHER MATTERS
publication of this magazine relies solely on the
financial support of its advertisers. UNIGE launches first Swiss Executive Certification in Philanthropy 36
Quelques idées pour acheter local et en ligne 38
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© UN PHOTO / JEAN-MARC FERRÉ
GROS PLAN SUR… / FOCUS ON…
Kazakh Room (Cinema
room XIV), UNOG,
Would you want to work
Palais des Nations.
in the UN of the future?
Prisca Chaoui and Ian Richards*
Last month, a report from a management task force
on the future of work at the UN caused considerable
consternation among staff with a proposal for new,
agile staff contracts. We asked two of those responsible
for the report for their views on the future of work
both inside and outside the UN, taking into account
the consequences of the pandemic.
The damage caused has been particu-
larly severe on those who were already
vulnerable. Women have received a
Guy Ryder, Director-General of the
double blow, being more likely to lose all
or part of their paid employment and to
International Labour Organization take on extra unpaid care work. Perhaps
the worst off are the two billion in the
informal economy. The pandemic has
You lead an organization that is custodian of numerous in- highlighted the inadequacy of social pro-
ternational labour conventions around how we work. Do tection coverage with the vast majority
you think Covid will have a lasting impact on the world of of the world’s population living without
work and how? adequate or even basic social protec-
We estimate that the equivalent of 332 million full-time jobs tion. It has also precipitated a shift to re-
were lost in the first three quarters of 2020. And when govern- mote working, teleworking, welcomed by
ment support packages wind down – where these have been some but also prompting among some,
possible – this figure is very likely to rise. fears of the growth of new ways of work-
5
From the ILO’s perspective, the work of
“The ILO is strongly committed the taskforce is to ensure we have a UN
to the UN Common System
workforce that is equipped to meet the
challenges and uncertainty of the future,
and the integral role of the ICSC that is employed on decent and trans-
parent conditions which take the needs
in it, and we do engage with it and aspirations of staff into account.
at many levels.” Under your leadership, the ILO has
Guy Ryder
engaged strongly with the ICSC (Inter-
national Civil Service Commission) at
© ILO / CROZET M.
many levels. Has it been useful, and do
you see ways in which the ICSC could
be improved?
The ILO is strongly committed to the UN
Common System and the integral role of
the ICSC in it, and we do engage with it
at many levels, including and, important-
ly, through ILO expert labour statisticians.
The ILO promoted the establishment of
a high-level tripartite forum, involving the
ICSC Chair and commissioners, HLCM
and staff federation representatives, to
improve communications between the
three groups and to work on a number
of issues identified for joint work. This
group was making solid progress but
has been interrupted by the pandemic.
Guy Ryder, All three parties recognise the need to
ILO Director- ing without proper protection and indeed, fears about the loss review the working methods of the ICSC
General. of the basic social function of work. to ensure we have a credible and trans-
parent approach to setting terms and
We are only as strong and secure as the weakest among us. conditions of employment; whose work
The ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work provides is based on expert and reliable data; and
an invaluable roadmap for building forward better. which actively engages with the repre-
sentatives of management and staff and
The ILO’s Global Commission on the Future of Work called takes into account their views.
for stronger social protection for today’s workers. Yet a re-
port by an CEB task force (Chief Executives Board for Co-
ordination) on the future of work, of which the ILO is vice- Catherine Pollard,
Under Secretary-
chair, proposed a new agile contract for the UN system that
would provide no possibility of renewal and would deny ac-
cess to the UN pension scheme. In retrospect do you think General for
Management
the CEB task force report went too far?
The HLCM (High-Level Committee on Management) report
is an interim report of a taskforce and lists a large number of Strategy and Policy
considerations that could be taken into account in developing
possible new contract modalities. None of these has been en- Compliance
dorsed. Indeed, the decision from the HLCM was to continue
social dialogue with the staff federations on the full range of You are responsible for administrative
considerations. The report identifies the need for transparency policy and direction at the UN. Do you
and predictability around contract duration, but certainly does think Covid will have a lasting impact
not suggest no possibility of renewal of contracts. It also specif- on the UN workplace?
ically states that any proposals would need to ensure appropri- Absolutely. The COVID-19 epidemic
ate cover for social protection. required UN staff to quickly adapt to
6
working remotely, and it was the first time that so many staff balance; and implementing technologi-
throughout the Organization worked remotely for such an ex- cal tools to better support our work.
tended period.
Do you think member states’ expecta-
Lessons learned from this period, particularly in the area of flex- tions of UN staff will have changed as
ible working arrangements, and more importantly in innovation, a result of the pandemic?
will certainly be carried forward. The pandemic has forced us to The world economy has particularly suf-
look at our work from a new perspective and try new things. I fered and our Member States will have
am inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm of our staff. to implement measures within their own
countries to recover. Member States will
The ILO’s Global Commission on the Future of Work called expect us to continue to deliver on our
for stronger social protection for today’s workers. Yet a re- mandates, do more with less and find in-
port by a CEB task force, also called the Future of the UN novative solutions.
system Workforce of which you were effectively chair, and
with the ILO as vice-chair, proposed a new agile contract That being said, I strongly believe the
for the UN system that would provide no possibility of re- UN remains the lead organization for the
newal and would deny access to the UN pension scheme. resolution of many of the problems that
This raised a lot of concern among staff. In retrospect do have arisen from the pandemic and that
you think the CEB task force report went too far? our role as a global forum for multilater-
I would like to clear up certain misunderstandings regarding al discussions and negotiations will be
discussions about a new contractual modality. There was never extremely critical to global recovery. The
any concept of having an “uberization” of our workforce. I feel UN will remain a strong stakeholder to
there are misconceptions about the goal of the Task Force and Member States as the world tries to move
invite all staff to read the report for themselves. The future gen- forward in all areas of economic and so-
eration of the workforce does not necessarily hold the same cial development, especially in those ar-
priorities as many of our current staff. We need options and eas directly impacted by COVID-19. w
flexibility to remain an attractive employer. Any future model
would not impact any contractual arrangements of currently
serving staff. It is clear that the social protections of staff will be
© UN PHOTO / ESKINDER DEBEBE
an important aspect of any new contractual modality.
I do not feel the Task Force went too far in looking into this crit-
ical issue. Clearly, any proposal in this area will need to move
forward in consultation with staff and other key stakeholders
like the UNJSPF (United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund) and
the ICSC.
A new contractual modality is only one of the topics under con-
sideration. Many other recommendations that would greatly
benefit current and future staff are also being put forward. For
example, the use of remote and flexible working arrangements;
enhanced social and family care policies; promoting work-life
“I strongly believe the UN remains Catherine Pollard (second from left), Under-Secretary-General
the lead organization for the for Management Strategy Policy and Compliance.
resolution of many of
the problems that have arisen
from the pandemic.” * Prisca Chaoui is Executive Secretary of the Staff
Coordinating Council of the United Nations
Catherine Pollard Office at Geneva (UNOG). Ian Richards is an
economist at the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
7
GROS PLAN SUR… / FOCUS ON…
Can diplomacy work online?
Paola Deda*
This article contains some
brief observations, based mainly
on recent formal and informal the UN through the web, and therefore benefit from the world‘s
diplomacy production process.
meetings that I serviced and/
or attended at the Palais No corridors online
Decision-making is, however, a different story and, when inter-
des Nations, as well as on governmental processes require negotiations and exchanges
discussions with colleagues and amongst delegates, meetings which are entirely or partially
delivered online do not seem to facilitate the job of diplomats.
delegates on their experience My direct experience of a discussion in a meeting taking place
with ’online diplomacy‘ in the both in person and online was not easy, also due to the diffi-
context of the current globally culty of following discussions taking place within two ‘rooms’ in
parallel. Both the Chair and the secretariat had to keep an eye
COVID-impacted situation. on the ‘real’ floor as well as the ‘virtual’ one, and coordinating
interventions from delegates often proved to be cumbersome.
This is because discussions are not necessarily sequential in
I hope it will help us to draw conclusions on how to seize the ‘hybrid’ meetings and there is often a need to go back to previ-
advantages offered by technology, while fully recognizing the ous points, as delegates on-line cannot react immediately to a
unique value of direct, interpersonal interactions through dia- statement from the ‘real’ room.
logue and relationships as key pillars of international multilateral-
ism, but also the very essence of what being human is all about. As could be expected, the quality of connections is often not ide-
al, slowing down exchanges, or leaving some statements partially
A larger outreach heard. This is when technology can have limitations, and can re-
A 2020 meeting, that I strongly believe greatly benefitted from sult in a source of frustration for the whole meeting. When a dis-
existing technologies, is the UNECE Forum of Mayors, which cussion is difficult, technological glitches can make things worse.
consisted of a series of presentations, with a key note from a
world renowned architect, followed by statements delivered by Some of the delegates that I interact with express frustration
over 40 mayors of large and medium cities around the region. about online meetings, particularly because online interaction
This session did not envisage any negotiations or discussions, makes it more difficult to coordinate positions. While opening
and it greatly benefitted from online connection and web TV statements and initial views can be easily presented online, dis-
coverage. I would even say that its success was strictly linked cussions which may lead to compromise and hopefully final
to the connecting power of the web and its social media out- agreement can be significantly hindered by the lack of informal
reach. The event was largely advertised through Twitter and exchanges. There are no corridors and “coffee room” chats to
Instagram, and on-line streaming enabled participation of thou- discuss “off the grid” in online platforms. After months of online
sands of individuals, from over 65 countries, resulting in record discussions, I have witnessed both within my organization as
numbers of public engagement for our organization. well as in many others, that in-person meetings are now sought
when the matter at hand is very political and requires intense
The feedback received, from delegates and experts following interpersonal interactions to find a solution.
online from Geneva and capitals, and the public from different
cities and time zones, made me realize that the UN has a lot to Needless to say, online meetings can present challenges from
share beyond the walls of the Palais. It was clear to me that this a procedural point of view. For instance, many organizations
particular type of UN information-sharing conference, broadly have different approaches towards voting and elections, show-
addressing topics of interest and relevance to the lives of peo- ing that if diplomacy needs to continue to operate online, many
ple, could be accessible to ‘people’. What I experienced with rules of procedure would also need to be amended in order to
this meeting made me dream of a UN Television made for the reflect new practices. Some organizations have also adopted
general public, a ‘UN Netflix-style’ platform for real stories and ‘emergency’ and temporary procedures, allowing business to
meetings, that will allow people across the globe to feel part of continue as usual so that decisions can still be taken during
8
this transitional period. If this ‘new normal’ way of conducting However, opening up to new modalities makes us all wonder
meetings continues, new temporary rules will also benefit ac- whether we will ever go back again to the ‘old’ normal, and per-
cordlingly from some form of standardization. haps instead of becoming nostalgic about a diplomacy made
of handshakes and long meetings around a physical table, we
The old, the new and the future should start discussing how to strike a balance between the
All in all, based on the experience of these last few months, from old and the new, the virtual and the real, the substance-specific
the Palais in particular, there have been some very pleasant expert and the diplomat.
surprises, like the successful delivery and outreach achieved
with the Forum of Mayors; however I have recently also felt that I would also like to highlight with gratitude and admiration, the
under the current exceptional circumstances, the ability of del- patience, constructive comments and a willingness of govern-
egates to engage effectively in intergovernmental negotiations ment delegations and all other meeting participants to adapt
which were previously conducted face to face, has decreased, to the current exceptional circumstances when it comes to the
to some extent, with the impact of physical distance. It is im- innovative efforts which are under way in order to continue to
portant to acknowledge that the ability to engage in person is deliver UN work successfully. Similarly, the efforts of staff to
key to the sense of belonging to the UN family, ‘under the same quickly adapt to the new technologies and invest time and ef-
roof’ of the Palais. I have experienced for instance, first-hand, fort to make them work is worth commending.
how physical proximity fosters dialogue and compromise, and
how online or ‘hybrid’ discussions and negotiations can create Hopefully, in post-COVID times, while discussions may take dif-
parallel communities that interact with some difficulties. Meet- ferent formats, delegates may wish to rediscover the pleasure
ings that were previously attended in person by substantive of meeting in person and informally even more often, to build
experts from capitals, are now attended only virtually by them, human relationships and to reiterate to ourselves, as this virus
and it is instead their Geneva-based diplomatic colleagues who has loudly reminded us, that we are all in the same boat. Or,
are able to participate in person. It is clear that the priorities, better, on the same planet! w
dynamics, and exchanges of these meetings have changed in
nature, leaving often both categories of participants unclear * Paola Deda is Director of the Forests Land and Housing Division at the
about their respective roles and impact. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Calvin
in
28.10.20 + A Unique
America
Virtual
–28.2.21 Experience!
GROS PLAN SUR… / FOCUS ON…
What is it like to interpret
a remote meeting? Daniel Harrison*
© DANIEL HARRISON
RSI in Room XVI.
by UNOG interpreters involve remote
participation (RSI or WebEx), do they feel
Teamwork is turning it into a success, any differently about this technology that
but what do interpreters make of Remote has turned up in their booths uninvited
but effectively saved them from obsoles-
Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI)? cence?
Much as it would be wonderful to report
Before the pandemic, interpreters’ experience of RSI was spo- that the sound quality is now reliably de-
radic and invariably negative. It was often sprung on them un- cent in every meeting with RSI, the fact is
announced and involved sound quality so sub-standard that that it remains stubbornly unpredictable
it ruled out faithful performances. Participants rarely used the and wholly dependent on the infrastruc-
microphone they were recommended nor abided by the guid- ture of the participant’s location. In the
ance they were given. Organisers tended to have unreasonable Palais des Nations, ICTS and the sound
expectations and doubted the interpreters’ judgment on feasi- technicians have done a sterling job con-
bility. And interpreters would systematically double as moder- necting the RSI platform to feed direct-
ators-cum-sound technicians. Now that all meetings serviced ly into the interpreting consoles of the
10to be respected, they have significantly increased the interpre-
RSI has been hastily hailed
tation-awareness of participants and organisers alike and thus
become the answer to many interpreters’ unuttered prayers.
as the new normal – but not by But they are not a silver bullet. They can recommend and re-
mind all they want but they have no power to compel. Whether
all Member States. they eventually succeed in inculcating healthy habits to remote
participants – through constant diffident interruptions and po-
lite reminders – remains to be seen.
rooms equipped with a Dante Interface (XVI, XVII, XIX, XX, Tem-
pus 2 and, though it lacks cameras, the Assembly Hall). They In the meantime, notwithstanding the excellent offices of mod-
also regularly monitor the signal received and alter settings to erators and the best endeavours of sound technicians, inter-
optimise the sound heard by interpreters. However, they cannot preters are noticing that their hearing is suffering from them
make up for Wi-Fi outages and microphone malfunctions. having to turn up the volume of their headsets in order to
decipher the original (failing which the quality of their output
It would also be heartening to relate that remote participants would decline) – tantamount to straining to read texts printed
have suddenly been imparted with healthy habits, such as se- in red against a green background all day long. To be sure, they
curing a noise-cancelling (i.e. loop-preventing) headset with are as determined to discharge their duties as diligently as the
an integrated (or unidirectional, standalone) microphone; fa- conference officers – who are running twice as fast to supply
vouring an ethernet cable over Wi-Fi; closing the doors and documents to interpreters in single booths – and technicians –
windows of their office or living-room to prevent beeping cars, who are spending five times longer starting up a meeting room
barking dogs and boisterous children from being overheard; in the morning – but they cannot afford to sacrifice their most
adjusting their camera so that interpreters can read their lips precious working tool in the process.
rather than scrutinise their forehead; minimising the rustling of
papers and the pings of cell phones; and muting or unmuting
© DANIEL HARRISON
their microphone depending on whether they wish to hear or
speak. Once again, sadly, none of these habits are yet second
nature to even seasoned remote participants who continue to
view them as optional.
This being said, whereas these vexations went unaddressed in
the past, today they are tackled by a dedicated team of moder-
ators recruited from the ranks of the sound operators (who are
already versed in the art of microphone management) and oth-
er UNOG services on temporary cross-assignment (for whom
the inner-workings of meetings are novel). Typically, they con-
nect and carry out sound tests with each participant shortly
before the start of every meeting with RSI; and remind them of
the above-mentioned habits. Throughout the meeting, they also
keep a watchful eye on the status of their connection – asking
participants to refresh their browsers if required; and discreetly
assist the Chair in administering the list of speakers. A vigilant
presence behind the scene, they are not afraid to step in and
interrupt a meeting if they feel that communication has irretriev- Moderating in Tempus 2.
ably broken down for a participant.
On a par with the technicians’ herculean wizardry, the appoint- RSI has been hastily hailed as the new normal – but not by
ment of two moderators per RSI meeting was possibly the best all Member States. To quote a member of the Conference on
innovation prompted by the pandemic. In keeping the spotlight Disarmament speaking on the 27th of August 2020: Virtual for-
permanently focused on the need for technical requirements mats and online exchanges do not yield the same outcomes as
face-to-face meetings. Hybrid meetings have kept the work of the
CD alive, but the experience has shown that they are not the best
Moderators have become solution for our future work. w
the answer to many interpreters’
unuttered prayers.
* Daniel Harrison is an English Booth Interpreter in the Interpretation Service
of the Department of Conference Management (DCM). UNOG.
113 QUESTIONS À / 3 QUESTIONS TO You were elected chair of the ICSC, two
years ago, at a time when the credibil-
ity of the Commission and some of its
members has been put into question,
UNHQ / DGACM / LAURENCE HALLÉ
mainly following the Geneva pay cut.
What do you intend to do to restore
the trust of staff in the Commission
and its work?
To restore trust, I plan to enhance the
ICSC’s transparency in all its processes.
This is why I have ensured that all stake-
holders are fully engaged in the ongoing
review of the statistical methodology and
operational rules.
I am also pleased to inform you that the
ICSC has just approved a package of
operational rules that are much more
protective of staff salaries as they ensure
stability in the evolution of salaries and
predictability of their periodic adjust-
ments. The statistical methodology is also
being reviewed by the Geneva organiza-
tions’ best statisticians, who are work-
ing closely with the ICSC’s statisticians,
also with the help of expert consultants.
I am confident that the package that the
Larbi Djacta,
Commission will approve in March 2021,
the Chair of the
before launching the new survey round,
International Civil
will be one that is fully supported by all
Service Commission
stakeholders; indeed the ICSC will not
(ICSC).
implement any methodology that they
not beforehand agree with.
Larbi Djacta, ICSC Chair: There are currently talks about chang-
I am making
ing the contractual framework to add
new Uber-style, agile contracts. Do
the ICSC more
you believe that there is a real need for
this?
UN staff appointments, including those
transparent
of most UN common system organiza-
tions, have over the years been premised
on stable and predictable business mod-
els and set career paths for staff serving
the UN, aptly called an international civil
Prisca Chaoui and Ian Richards* service.
To support this, the General Assembly
established the International Civil Ser-
UN Today recently met with Larbi Djacta, vice Commission (ICSC). The ICSC Stat-
ute mandates the Commission to lead re-
the Chair of the International Civil Service forms in the human resource contractual
Commission, the body that recommends modalities, benefits, policies and practic-
our salaries and conditions of service. es. Our primary purpose is therefore to
ensure cohesion in the common system
on matters relating to UN Staff members.
This prevents unfair competition among
12UN agencies and ensures economies of scale in approach-
ing human resources matters, particularly those relating to My priorities:
salaries and benefits. 1) Transparent Post Adjustment.
2) Sustainable participatory and inclusive local salary
The ICSC framework includes three staff contract types - survey methodology.
temporary, fixed-term and continuing. Organizations may 3) More modern parental leave provisions.
implement all or any combination of these. Consultancy 4) Updated levels of most allowances.
contracts are not covered under the framework as the ICSC 5) Updated standards and frameworks.
Statute is limited to staff.
At its 90th session, held last month in Geneva, the ICSC abated, even though of course this is not
reviewed the implementation of the three types of appoint- directly comparable.
ments. Based on the responses provided by the common
system organizations regarding some challenges, the Com- However, if there are any negative results
mission decided it needed more information on how and that can be attributed to the impact of
where the current arrangements did not meet the organiza- COVID, I reserve the delegated author-
tions' needs and whether those could actually be addressed ity of the Commission to apply special
within the current framework instead of having to create a measures to neutralize that impact. I am
new type of contract. To this end it set up a working group. optimistic that such special measures
will not be necessary but that option is
In order to achieve the equal pay principle that Gene- available if needed. w
va staff have been claiming for two years, the ICSC has
scheduled a cost-of-living survey using the new method-
* Prisca Chaoui is Executive Secretary of the Staff
ology for 2021. However, is this realistic given that patterns
Coordinating Council of the United Nations Of-
of consumption such as for commuting, holidays and fice at Geneva (UNOG) and Ian Richards is an
eating out are currently distorted? And would you allow economist at the United Nations Conference on
further cuts to salaries should the results not be positive? Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
I agree that the ongoing Covid pandemic has distorted the
expenditure patterns of staff in all duty stations. We hope
that these patterns will settle down by the time of data col-
lection, one year from now. However, the ICSC secretariat
and statisticians of Geneva-based organizations, as well as
members of ACPAQ, are monitoring these issues and re- SAFI is open to meeting participants,
viewing current best practices in similar organizations and diplomats, staff, NGOs and journalists
national or regional statistics offices. I am confident that
ACPAQ will submit a well-informed recommendation in this
regard to the commission at its spring session next year, be-
fore the survey round is launched. And as Chair I have the
final say on when any survey is launched.
In this connection, please note that the ICSC secretariat has
resumed its survey programme at the request of duty sta-
tions and a number of surveys are being conducted effective
November 2020 using the old methodology and as part of
the old survey round; Geneva isn’t affected by this. Also, sim-
ilar surveys are being conducted by many national statistics
offices and consumer price indices are being produced un-
However, if there are any negative
results that can be attributed to We Welcome You
the impact of COVID, I reserve Monday to Friday from 12 to 6.30 pm
the delegated authority of the Palais des Nations – Door S1
Commission to apply special.
For information or to place an order:
022.917.25.90 commandes@safi.ch
13VU DE L’INTÉRIEUR / INSIDE VIEW
Just brew it:
100 Coffees for
Inclusion at the
International
Trade Centre
Inclusion fatigue? Have some coffee!
How we stimulated diversity discussions
at the International Trade Centre by talking
to 100 employees.
Hannah Reinl and Matthew Wilson*
At the Caribbean region’s recent musical The term “inclusion fatigue”, which refers
celebration of the UN’s 75th Anniversary, to the subtle to overt resistance against
Barbadian superstar Rihanna said ‘Di- diversity and inclusion (D&I) practices,
versity is not a weakness!’ has since become indicative of this gap.
We understood that to move the needle
Today we have to see diversity within forward to have the inclusive organiza-
the workplace positioned as a source tional culture at ITC we want and de-
of strength. Whether as a response to a serve, we would have to adopt a more
growing evidence base that links work- creative approach. The idea for “100 Cof-
place diversity and inclusion with im- fees for Inclusion” was born.
proved organizational performance or
to larger societal movements, such as The initiative, developed in collaboration
Me Too, Pride celebrations or Black with ITC’s Innovation Lab and the ITC In-
Lives Matter, the case for a diverse and clusion Group, was launched in August
inclusive work environment is gaining 2020. It aims to increase staff engagement
traction. The United Nations, as a mi- with D&I topics and identify the root caus-
crocosm of our larger world, must also es of inclusion fatigue by creating a direct
reflect this. feedback loop with ITC employees. Over
the course of two months, 100 randomly
At the International Trade Centre (ITC) selected ITC employees are matched with
DE CEN TRE
we have developed an ambitious road- D&I focal points and senior leaders for in-
map for gender equality, diversity and dividual, 30 minute coffee conversations.
© INT ERNATIONAL TRA
inclusion. Over the past years, we have As we come to the close of the challenge,
strengthened organizational policies, the overall sense is that ITC has walked
accountability mechanisms and ca- the talk for diversity and inclusion but that
pacity development. These measures there is always room for improvement.
did not always translate into a qualita-
tive change in organizational culture. Here are the five key lessons learned:
14 Drinking coffee for inclusion:
Matthew Wilson and Hannah Reinl.It’s as much about the process as it is about the goal senior management training to male engagement approaches,
The 100-coffee-initiative allowed us to collect rich data, which from formal staff talks to informal brainstorming sessions. The
will inform future organizational activities and a long-term ca- more diversified the portfolio of D&I activities, the more it allows
pacity development plan. Many conversations, for instance, for organizational agility to address emerging needs.
zoomed in on the need to better leverage geographic diversity
and the importance of not shying away from difficult conver- Leaning into resistance, embracing discomfort
sations around race and negative stereotyping. Encouraging a We realized that “inclusion fatigue” stems from many places.
relationship of genuine inquiry and active listening has fostered Getting a handle on these issues requires ongoing organiza-
a culture of trust and empathy. Staff engagement with D&I top- tional effort towards participation and dialogue as well as a shift
ics rose to new levels. in mind-set. Difficult conversations are uncomfortable, but they
are also indicators of a workplace that prizes open dialogue
Leadership matters- on every level and wants to provide a safe space free from harassment, bully-
The majority of employees we talked with looked to the top for ing, and gas lighting. When approached with curiosity and em-
direction on organizational culture and practices. Championing pathy, these conversations can serve as important sign posts
diversity and inclusion at the highest level remains key in shap- towards lasting organizational change.
ing ITC’s working environment. Yet, transformative change calls
for individual agency and leadership on every organizational Just do (brew?) it
level. During our coffee conversations, most people were quick Ultimately, every workplace will have to navigate its own organi-
to assign D&I responsibilities to senior managers, but organiza- zational complexities in creating – and sustaining- a momentum
tional messaging must shift towards emphasizing that D&I is a for inclusion. But just get the conversation started – one coffee at
responsibility that is shared by all of us. a time. We have started this dialogue at ITC through a bottom up
process of innovation, sharing and collaboration. You can too. w
A one-size-fits-all-approach won’t do
The 100 coffee format proved successful because it offered a cus-
tomized response to employees’ personal levels of engagement, * Hannah Reinl is a Gender Consultant at the International Trade Centre. Mat-
knowledge and awareness. This could, for instance, translate into thew Wilson is Chief Adviser and Chef de Cabinet to the Executive Director
tailored initiatives that cater to different target audiences – from of the International Trade Centre.
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What the Staff Council has
been doing for you
A letter to the Secretary-General
on the danger of agile contracts
The Council raised alarms on a report prepared by management: Fu-
Town hall on Equal Pay ture of the United Nations System Workforce. A report which is rec-
ommending a shift towards ‘a more agile model contractual modality’,
In early August we organized a town hall on Equal a move the council believes is designed to move staff to short, limited
Pay, where we invited an OSLA lawyer to make a duration contracts. Following the sharing of the report and the vari-
brief presentation following the judgement of the ous concerns raised by the Council, Public Services International (a
UN Dispute Tribunal, to explain on the grounds to global Union Federation representing 30 million workers in 154 coun-
appeal the judgement to the UN Appeals Tribunal. tries) wrote to the Secretary-General denouncing the report, stating
The Council decided to pursue the appeal based that it is exactly these types of contracts that that lead to precarity
on the support expressed by staff at the meeting. and uncertainty within the UN. They also expressed concerns that
these types of practices fall short of basic labour standards, decent
working conditions and are in addition, they are in contradiction to
numerous UN principles and rules underpinning the independence
Town hall with the DG and the of the international civil service
USG for Management
A record number of 800 staff members joined us
at a town hall on 4 September with UNOG Direc-
tor General Tatiana Valovaya and Under-Secre- Global town hall on regular budget
tary-General for Management Catherine Pollard. At liquidity crisis
the meeting, we reiterated our concerns about the
At the request of the Council, a global town hall was held with the
extremely low number of continuing appointments
Controller which took place on 9 September regarding the regular
being awarded this year; fixed-term contracts that
budget liquidity crisis and the resulting hiring freeze. Staff were re-
were being extended for shorter periods plus the
assured that with careful management and the continuation of the
problem faced by long-serving staff on temporary
hiring freeze, there should be sufficient cash to cover the payments of
contracts. We also took the opportunity to call
salaries and entitlements until November, possibly even December.
upon management to accelerate measures to fight
racism in the workplace.
Survey on racism
18 September: International Equal A total of 688 staff members answered the Council’s sur-
Pay Day vey on racism in the workplace. The findings of the survey
confirm that unfortunately, racism does exist within the
The Council reaffirmed its commitment to continue its cam- United Nations. Respondents believed racism needed to
paigns not only fighting for equal pay, but also to defend be addressed in several different ways, including account-
the interests of staff on issues such as racism, conditions of ability and zero tolerance, training and sensitization, greater
employment, the removal of barriers for G staff to apply to transparency in hiring, broader diversity, and a more open
P positions. dialogue on the issue. The Council will use the results of this
survey as the basis for their interactions with management
both in Geneva and globally.
16Coordinat
Sta ing
OG
Co
UN
unc
A letter to the Secretary General
il
C o n s e il d
NUG
on the delegation of authority
e l‘O
eC
or
ld
e
o
din nn
ati o
n d u Pe r s o
The Council wrote to the Secretary-General at the end of
October expressing it’s serious concerns at the new in-
strument of delegation of authority adopted in 2019. This
new instrument, allows managers the possibility to grant
themselves or those closest to them exceptions to rules,
Save 7.5 cts. / l on
with little effective oversight by the Business Transforma-
tion and Accountability Division. The letter, also brought
fuel with TAMOIL
to his attention that already this new delegation had led to
fragmentation and duplication in administrative services
as OHCHR has set up its own administrative and human
resources service, which will lead to the loss of jobs of
UNOG staff and the increase of overhead costs to donors.
With the TAMOIL –
Collection to help the victims of
the blast in Beirut
UNOG Staff Council
In August, the Council organized a collection to help vic- loyalty card, obtain a
discount of CHF 30.-
tims of the devastating blast in Beirut. A total of 15,696
CHF was donated by staff. The Council approved to al-
for every 400 l of fuel
locate a further 10,000 CHF considering the extremely
difficult situation faced by the people of Lebanon and the
purchased
total amount was transferred to the Lebanese Red Cross.
Be vigilant! Speak up! Be
proactive! Innovate! Contribute!
In September the Council, THE UNION for all staff at
UNOG (including UNCTAD, ECE, OHCHR, OCHA, UN-
DRR, UNRISD, and other Secretariat staff in Geneva)
called for staff to play an active role in the protection of
their staff rights and improvement of welfare initiatives by
showing their active support to the Council.
Safeguarding the Pension Fund
office in Geneva
In June and July, the Council intervened with the manage-
ment of the Pension Fund to reverse the decision to move
the finance section of the Fund from Geneva to New
York. The Council also brought this issue to the attention How it works :
of CCISUA, the federation of staff unions, resulting in the
adoption of a resolution calling the Board not only to keep 1. Pick up a UNOG Staff Council loyalty card at Office C527
at the Palais des Nations
the Finance section in Geneva, but also to reinstate the D1
position (Head of EMEA office- Europe, Middle East and 2. Refuel at a TAMOIL service station with shop in the
cantons of Geneva or Vaud *
Africa) in Geneva. Our efforts have resulted in the recon-
3. Show your UN badge and collect a stamp for every
sideration of the decision, which is now being placed on
10 liters of fuel
hold for the upcoming months.
4. Exchange the completed loyalty card for a CHF 30.-
credit valid on fuel on your next purchase
17
* except for TAMOIL Vessy, TAMOIL Aubonne and TAMOIL Perly Route de St. Julien 286LA GENÈVE INTERNATIONALE / INTERNATIONAL GENEVA
© UK MISSION GENEVA
Julian Braithwaite,
the UK’s
On Her Majesty's Service
permanent
representative.
Ian Richards*
Julian Braithwaite, the UK’s permanent
representative talks about dealing with It wasn’t easy. Not all members treated
Brexit, online meetings, UN funding, it as a technical exercise. And his work
“received a lot of political and ministerial
explaining his work to an audience back attention,” as the UK’s WTO terms will be
home and cocktail parties. “the foundation for negotiating free trade
agreements, for example with the United
States,” something Boris Johnson has set
When Julian Braithwaite arrived in Geneva five years ago as as a test for the success of Brexit. The
the UK’s permanent representative, he was expecting to spend frenetic work at the WTO has had an up-
most of his time on UN issues. “‘Don’t worry about the World side.
Trade Organization,’ my colleagues in London told me, ‘the nice
people at the European Commission will look after it for you.’” “We were able to create new alliances
and renew old relationships,” he said,
And then Brexit happened referring in part to the Commonwealth,
With his country’s exit from the EU’s transition arrangement at a club of mainly former British colonies.
the end of this year, he had to urgently negotiate new terms,
called schedules, with the WTO’s 163 other members in order This helped in the recent WTO Direc-
to maintain the benefits of membership. tor-General election campaign, which
he led for former British trade minister
“Well over ninety percent of our position is now agreed, with Liam Fox. Fox got through to the second
the remaining elements ring-fenced in what is known as an round, although not to the final two. “You
Article 28 negotiation,” he tells me from his official Cologny res- win some, you lose some, but we hope
idence, homeworking now strongly encouraged by the Swiss that his contribution to the debate will
government. help shape the organization’s future.”
18It has also helped “create more substance to our bilateral rela- of sexual harassment, citing actions at
tionships, and this plays back to our work on the UN side, for UNAIDS and ongoing investigations of
example at the Human Rights Council”. WHO staff in DRC.
This brings him to a point close to his heart. “The most import- What about future UN finances?
ant thing that permanent representatives do in Geneva is join However, turning to the question of fu-
up institutions, all of which have their own budgets and are ture UN finances, he sounds a note of
legally independent.” caution.
He represents the UK at more than 37 organizations. “We can “The challenge we [member states] are
exchange support across them.” all facing is the impact of the pandemic
on the resources we can mobilize. The
Virtual meetings during the lockdown. UK is committed to spending the 0.7
So how does he feel about the move to virtual meetings during percent of GDP we have in law for de-
the lockdown? velopment assistance. But the reality is
that there will be less money available in
“Successful diplomacy and negotiations are built on social real terms and we are already prioritizing
capital and getting to know your interlocutors so you can talk funds for the Covid response.”
around the official position and reach compromise. While we
meet online I can draw down on my social capital. But I feel
sorry for new colleagues coming now to Geneva as they hav-
en’t built any yet.”
Does he miss the cocktail parties, of which his own are well
appreciated in Geneva’s otherwise quiet diplomatic circuit?
“On the surface, national day receptions can appear to be pret-
ty dreary affairs in the foyer of an international organization. You
might want to go home instead. But everyone is there. You can
trade information. People will tell you things over a drink that
they won’t over the phone. You want to be the first to know
things, not the last. It sounds frivolous but this speed-dating is
essential for successful multilateral diplomacy.”
One of his priorities right now is the global health system. While
the Trump administration had announced that the US would Negotiating new
pull out of the WHO [the interview was conducted while votes trade agreements
for the US elections were being counted], the UK decided to “If we head into a recession it is reason- is a priority for
increase its funding. If that happens then “according to some able to explain to our citizens that we will Boris Johnson’s
metrics we may soon be the biggest contributing country,” he expect some belt tightening across the administration.
notes, hoping that the UK’s additional pledge will encourage UN as well”. w
other countries to contribute more as well.
A UK diplomat once told me that the decisions of UK govern- * Ian Richards is an economist at the United Na-
ment officials need to pass the Daily Mail test, in other words win tions Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD).
over a reader of the fiscally conservative newspaper. How would
he explain his spending decisions to an audience back home?
“We need to be able to tell people that this is a good use of your
money because it delivers global public goods that are in your The most important thing that
interest. The pandemic brings home how some things can’t be
solved by governments acting alone. It’s the same on issues
permanent representatives do in
such as global trade, refugees and migration.” Geneva is join up institutions, all of
“We need to support that, and we want the best people work- which have their own budgets and
ing for the UN.” At the same time, he was proud of his country’s are legally independent.
role in strengthening protection for whistleblowers and victims
19Vous pouvez aussi lire
