Annual address to UNOG staff

Dear Mr. Executive Secretary
Dear Colleagues
Dear Friends:

It is a pleasure for me to be with you today.

After cancelling last year’s Staff Day celebrations as a mark of respect to those colleagues that were killed or injured in the bombing of the United Nations Office in Baghdad on 19 August 2003, we resume our tradition of coming together to reflect on our achievements over the past year and to consider the challenges ahead. In continuing this practice, we also honour the memory of colleagues that are no longer with us. Because carrying on their efforts to bring peace and progress to some of the most troubled regions and serving some of the most vulnerable communities around the world is the most appropriate tribute we could ever pay to their remarkable contributions and their belief in the work of the Organization.
Dear Friends:

We come together at a time of daunting challenges for the international community. The need for an effective United Nations is as great as ever. We, at UNOG, continue make a significant contribution to the international community’s efforts to address those challenges. We provide an efficient infrastructure for ongoing multilateral negotiations and discussions. We offer seamless administrative support to many members of the United Nations family. We reach out and inform the public of the efforts of the Organization. We engage with civil society and facilitate their involvement in the work of the Organization. We encourage regional organizations to strengthen the cooperation with the United Nations. We facilitate and support collaborative efforts with the research community and think tanks. We have established a dynamic platform for exchange among cultures for greater understanding and respect.

Each one of these activities adds value to the United Nations’ wider efforts, and you are the ones that make that happen – every single day. Enhancing the working environment and creating a staff culture that allows staff members to contribute fully and efficiently is therefore a priority.

An on-going, open dialogue between staff and management is essential to ensuring an efficient work environment where staff are able to fulfil their potential and contribute effectively to the efforts of the Organization. I therefore greatly appreciate that firm relations have been established between the Staff Coordinating Council and UNOG management.

When you were recruited, you were all carefully selected. We share a responsibility to ensure that competencies are continuously strengthened and that the skills-base of each individual is broadened in line with the Secretary-General’s efforts to build a versatile, mobile and dynamic workforce. As you know, facilitating mobility of staff – across functions and offices – forms part of this. Mobility is an opportunity to boost our capacities and to enable us to work better together and I trust you will make the most of it. As the challenges facing the Organization continue to grow in scope and complexity, we need to ensure that we can keep pace.

The Secretary-General attaches great importance to the need for balancing professional and personal priorities. Enabling staff to respond to family obligations, for example, not only benefits the individual, but also allows them to make a more focused contribution in the workplace. Flexible working arrangements have therefore been introduced throughout the Secretariat.
As Director-General, I attach the utmost importance to the follow-up of the Organizational Integrity Initiative launched by the Secretary-General earlier this year. Following our UNOG Town Hall Meeting, I have established the Joint Consultative Working Group, which will identify issues relating to the Integrity Perception Survey and ensure the appropriate follow-up discussion and action. The membership of this Group was announced in the information circular on 6 October, and all staff members are invited to send their proposals to its members.

Individual divisions and services continue their own efforts, at all levels, to improve procedures within their respective areas of responsibility with a view to identifying concrete issues and actions that may help to improve working conditions and to provide better service to clients. I encourage you all to participate constructively in these exercises. Your views are important.

The Secretary-General has presented a comprehensive package of reform measures in the area of human resources management to the current session of the General Assembly. One of the most prominent elements of this package is the comprehensive review of the contractual arrangements in the UN Secretariat aimed at rationalizing the relevant procedures and providing enhanced job security for all categories of staff. Our Division of Administration continues to follow up on the latest initiatives to ensure their effective and appropriate implementation at UNOG in line with the Secretary-General’s vision.

The security and safety of all that work at the Palais des Nations is a constant concern for us. As we know only too well, United Nations personnel are increasingly becoming direct targets of terrorist actions. The recent release of three colleagues in Afghanistan is only the latest reminder. We need to remain vigilant. The General Assembly has already approved a budget allocation of 34 million dollars for the first phase of the security enhancement at the United Nations Geneva premises. We all experience the effects of these necessary changes and upgrades every day. I am grateful for the spirit of cooperation that staff have already demonstrated, and I continue to rely on your support in the future.

Dear Friends:

Over the past year, all divisions and services have been engaged in the re-development and expansion of the UNOG website. It has been a collective exercise and an example of teamwork, where everybody has made a valuable contribution. I am pleased to inform you that the process is now nearing completion, and that the site will go live in only a few days – on 1 December. You can see the new homepage here behind me. I will present the site to the diplomatic community on 13 December.

The site illustrates the collective efforts of UNOG in a comprehensive and user-friendly way, and it caters to all our constituencies: Member States, the wider United Nations family, the research and academic community, non-governmental organizations and the general public. It is our new face to the world and a representation of our collective identity. Divisions and services will, on an everyday basis, be responsible for maintaining their own sections of the website to ensure that it is up-to-date and relevant. I hope that you will take pride in the site because it showcases your efforts.

Dear Colleagues:

2005 will be an important year of taking stock for the United Nations. Throughout the year, we will mark the 60th anniversary of the Organization. In September, the General Assembly will carry out a high-level review of progress made in implementing the commitments of the United Nations Millennium Declaration – our blueprint for peace and progress in the world. The United Nations Office at Geneva will be engaged and will be supporting this combination of landmark events. This will indeed be a time for renewal and a time to keep the promise.

To mark the 60th anniversary, UNOG is planning exhibitions, concerts, seminars and other events to focus attention on the Organization’s wider efforts – in particular in support of the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. Many of the planned activities will be interactive to encourage engagement with the wider community. We want to bring the United Nations and its message out to the people. Several events will be organized in collaboration with Member States, the host country and city and with civil society. The Staff Coordinating Council is associated with these efforts, and staff are encouraged to participate actively.

Dear Friends:

Everybody at UNOG makes a valuable contribution to the Organization’s efforts in the service of peace. We should never lose sight of this. There may be days where it is difficult to see the significance of what may appear to be routine tasks. But, what each one of us does on a daily basis does matter. We are part of a unique Organization, committed to serving the peoples of the world. It is hard work – and it may not always be politically visible – but it is important and it makes a difference. I would like to thank you all for your efforts. Every day you work with determination, a deep sense of dedication and great diligence. Faced with increasing demands and equipped with limited resources, you continue to devise innovative solutions to the challenges at hand – with unfailing energy and enthusiasm. I appreciate your creativity and commitment, your professionalism and your perseverance. Each one of you is an indispensable part of the Organization and you bring to it your talent and skill.

I want you to know that your contributions are highly valued. You command the respect not only of your colleagues and peers here in Geneva, but of the entire Organization and – most importantly – of those that we work for: the vulnerable people in the world; people affected by poverty, disease, subjected to prolonged violent conflicts. They look to the United Nations for assistance and guidance – and every day we strive to honour their belief and their confidence in us.

Now, I am happy to say that it is not only the tradition of annual addresses to staff that has been resumed this year. The Staff Gala has also been re-instituted and the Staff Coordinating Council has put together a great programme. I have instructed supervisors to release staff – subject to the exigencies of service – and I encourage all of you to take part in the festivities.

I take this opportunity to thank you – once again – for your efforts and your dedication.