A/72/53/Add.1
III. Resolutions
36/1.
Composition of staff of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights
The Human Rights Council,
Recalling paragraph 5 (g) of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006,
in which the Assembly decided that the Human Rights Council should assume the role and
responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights relating to the work of the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as decided by the Assembly in
its resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993,
Taking note of all relevant resolutions on this issue adopted by the General
Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council,
Bearing in mind that an imbalance in the composition of the staff could diminish the
effectiveness of the work of the Office of the High Commissioner if it is perceived to be
culturally biased and unrepresentative of the United Nations as a whole,
Reaffirming the importance of continuing ongoing efforts to address the imbalance
regarding the regional representation of the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner,
most notably in senior management positions,
Noting with concern that the dependence of the Office of the High Commissioner on
extrabudgetary resources is at the heart of the imbalance in the composition of its staff,
Underlining that the paramount consideration for employing staff at every level is
the need for the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, taking into
account Article 101, paragraph 3 of the Charter of the United Nations, and expressing its
conviction that this objective is compatible with the principle of equitable geographical
distribution,
Recognizing that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the
General Assembly entrusted with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters,
1.
Expresses concern at the imbalance in the geographical representation in the
composition of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;
2.
Expresses serious concern at the continuous prominent imbalance in the
geographical representation of senior management personnel of the Office of the High
Commissioner;
3.
Requests the High Commissioner, within his administrative responsibilities,
to redouble his efforts with a view to redress the current imbalance in the geographical
composition of the staff of the Office, paying particularly attention to the senior
management level and the posts not subject to geographical distribution;
4.
Welcomes the decision to continue to pay special attention to the achievement
of a gender balance in the composition of the staff;
5.
Underlines the importance of continuing to promote geographical diversity in
recruitment and promotion in the Professional category and, in particular, in senior
management positions as a principle of the staffing policies of the Office of the High
Commissioner;
6.
Recognizes that efforts to achieve savings and the efficient utilization of
resources should not adversely affect the full implementation of mandated programmes and
activities and the measures taken for improving the geographical composition of the staff;
7.
Reaffirms the vital importance of geographical balance in the composition of
the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner, taking into account the significance of
national and regional specificities and various historic, cultural and religious backgrounds
and of different political, economic and legal systems to the promotion and protection of
the universality of human rights;
8.
Recalls the provisions contained in section IX, paragraph 2 of General
Assembly resolution 63/250 of 24 December 2008, on human resources management, in
4
GE.17-18194
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents