U.N. Development Programme Plans Lay-Offs, Salary Cuts and Demotions
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, May 30 2014 (IPS) - The United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), one of the largest U.N. agencies with an estimated average annual
budget of more than five billion dollars, is undergoing major structural
changes triggering large-scale staff layoffs, demotions, salary reductions
and downgrading and abolition of existing senior-level jobs.
If implemented as envisaged, it will be one of the largest mass-scale U.N.
firings in living memory, a senior U.N. staffer told IPS.
We never had it so bad because all those staffers who lose their jobs and
their G-4 visas will have to go back to their home countries, he added.
Barbara Tavora-Jainchill, president of the U.N. Staff Union, told IPS her
union, which oversees the interests of staffers in the U.N. secretariat and
field operations, is concerned about the structural review currently being
undertaken by the UNDP administration.
We understand, this may cause demotions as well as the loss of at least 30
percent of jobs in their New York Headquarters and, we just heard, several
security-related posts in the field, as well, she said.
We are still learning details about this exercise and wonder whether there
is any legal basis for the UNDP administrations actions.
She said her own staff union will fully support our UNDP counterparts and
will help them in any way we can.
In anticipation of strong negative reactions, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark
said in a letter to staffers last week: Our services will be much more
focused in the regions and we will be leaner.
We will have significantly fewer D grade (director level) positions
relative to other professional and general services grades.
This means that many peoples jobs are affected, and we will be embarking
on a realignment process aimed at being as fair and transparent as possible
to fill the new positions.
She also said: I understand, however, that some staff may wish to take the
opportunity to leave UNDP, rather than compete for new positions.
To facilitate this, we will be making available a limited number of
voluntary separation packages, said Clark, a former prime minister of New
Zealand and head of the U.N. Development Group.
Currently, the U.N. Secretariat has a staff of over 11,700 based in New
York, and the UNDPs total staff is estimated around 6,400 (with over 1,100
in New York and about 5,300 in field operations), according to the 2012 U.N.
System Human Resources Statistics.
"If implemented as envisaged, it will be one of the largest mass-scale U.N.
firings in living memory." -- Senior U.N. staffer
The New York-based UNDP also has offices in 170 countries and territories
and is the lead U.N. body overseas, headed by a Resident Representative
(ResRep) in each country.
Playing a crucial role in social and economic development, one of the key
mandates of the United Nations, the UNDP focuses on four main areas: poverty
reduction and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
democratic governance; crisis prevention and recovery; and environment and
energy for sustainable development.
In all its activities, UNDP says it encourages the protection of human
rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most
vulnerable.
At its headquarters in New York, the UNDP has bureaus for development
policy; crisis prevention and recovery; management; and external relations
and advocacy.
It also has regional bureaus overseeing Africa, Arab States, Asia and the
Pacific, Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Latin
America and the Caribbean.
UNDPs regular resources come entirely from voluntary contributions by a
range of partners, including member states, and multilateral and other
organisations.
These contributions, UNDP says, are provided as either regular budget
resources or as other resources earmarked by contributors.
A total of 50 countries contributed to regular resources in 2012, which
totalled 846.1 million dollars.
Related IPS Articles
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Facing Budget Cuts, U.N. Readies for Austerity in 2012-13
Developing Nations Protest Move to Slash U.N. Budget
The figure for other resources was about 3.79 billion dollars in 2012.
And local resources provided by programme countries increased by 5.3 percent
in 2012 over 2011, while multilateral contributions rose to over 1.5 billion
dollars.
Clark said the structural change was the brainchild of the UNDP executive
board, comprising 36 member states, represented on a regional basis.
Last year, the board approved a new Strategic Plan for UNDP, and since
then the whole organisation has been making the changes necessary to fully
implement that plan.
One of the three pillars of that plan was improving institutional
effectiveness.
To that end, Clark told staffers, the organisation has conducted significant
reviews of its performance and we have all been involved in planning and
implementing changes.
At the country office level, there has been a financial sustainability
exercise which has led to many changes.
Also, over recent months, there has been an ongoing structural change
exercise at the headquarters and regional levels to achieve a number of
efficiency gains, she pointed out.
We committed to moving more of our policy and support services to the
regional level so that we are closer to our country offices.
This, she said, includes removing unnecessary duplication between bureaus;
ensuring functions are properly aligned through the organisation to improve
accountability and professional standards; and improving our span of
control so that we have better career paths for younger staff.
She said plans to reduce our spending on staff salaries were meant to stay
within the integrated budget limits set by the executive board in
September.
In conclusion, Clark said: Let me say to you all that I recognise that this
is not an easy time for staff.
I also know that we can be a stronger, more effective development
organisation which can make real differences in millions of peoples lives.
By demonstrating that to the world, I have no doubt that there are many
exciting opportunities out there for UNDP to build on.
(END
EM
On the 49th Parallel
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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