STU/70th Council/23/036
5 December 2023
UN System-Wide Strategy on Mental Health and Well-Being: 2024 and Beyond
Dear colleagues,
In 2015, the United Nations conducted a staff well-being survey, that showed that almost 50% of UN staff reported suffering symptoms that could be consistent with some form of mental ill-health. In 2022, UN launched another survey, the UN-Wide Health Survey. STU had the opportunity to analyze the data and reported back to the 216th session of the Executive Board its serious concerns. The 2022 survey provided a gloomy picture of the overall health of UNESCO Staff, with 43% of staff reporting to be stressed, mostly for work reasons. We have all had colleagues in our offices in despair, weeping, desperately trying to cope and make it through to the end of the day. And we have all observed colleagues suffering silently, retreating further and further into themselves and away from their teammates and their work.
After a first Strategy issued in 2018, In November 2023, the United Nations recently launched the "UN System-Wide Strategy on Mental Health and Well- Being: 2024 and Beyond" (see attached or click here; the recording of the launching of the Strategy, dated November 15th, 2023, is accessible here). In this updated Strategy, the concept of “prevention” has now been given equal weight to protection and support and the impact of a negative work environment on the mental health of staff is acknowledged. Areas which staff have always felt needed to be addressed are now clearly identified - such as harassment and bullying; discrimination and exclusion; job insecurity; inadequate investment in development; poor communication; heavy workloads with constant time pressure and short deadlines; and of course, understaffing. These are areas that impact staff, in any workplace, on a daily basis.
The STU is firmly determined to ensure that the Administration takes this report, and its recommendations, into account and will of course share with you the results of the consultations to come in this regard.
Best regards,
The STU President
For the STU Council