STU/71st Council/25/013
4 November 2025
Dear colleagues,
Please find below the oral statement that was delivered by Mr. Simone Grego, STU President, on 4 November 2025 before the APX Commission of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference (Samarkand, Uzbekistan).
Madam Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates, Dear colleagues,
Thank you for inviting the UNESCO Staff Union (STU) to speak at this historic 43rd General Conference in Samarkand— a city whose Silk-Road legacy reminds us that culture and trust flourishes when people come together in dialogue and cooperation. I also wish to thank all UNESCO colleagues whose professionalism and dedication made this event possible.
This Conference arrives at a crossroad. Across the United Nation system, shifting donor priorities are reshaping how the UN works and, perhaps, also its very nature.
At UNESCO, we close eight years of Ms. Azoulay’s mandate and open a new chapter, with the nomination of Dr. El Enany. It is therefore a fitting moment for reflecting on the past and for looking ahead.
This reflection should be based on reliable data, like the results of the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, which portrays the opinions and sentiments of over 2500 UNESCO’s workforce.
Distinguished Delegates,
The survey delivers a clear message. Staff engagement is decreasing, too many colleagues see their career paths stagnating and their potential untapped. Fairness and transparency in recruitment remain inconsistent, deepening frustration and eroding trust.
More alarming are the findings on staff well-being: workloads are excessive, work-life boundaries are eroding, and confidence in leadership is slipping, leading to high levels of stress. Mobility in our Organization barely works, leaving many UNESCO families in never-ending uncertainty about their future. Fear of speaking up, of retaliation, of being sidelined, has taken root in our workplace.
This is not the workplace we wanted to build and the workplace we want to live in.
We are especially concerned about two aspects of these results. UNESCO’s scores are significantly lower than those of other UN agencies and these indicators are declining. Year after year, trust, motivation, and engagement continue to fall.
This points to an important imbalance. The Organization’s ambitions for increased impact and visibility, and parallel reduction of Regular Budget, are placing increasing strain on its people.
The progress we celebrate must be matched by equal attention to the well-being of those who make it possible, the staff.
Yet one bright message stands out: the remarkable pride and dedication of UNESCO’s staff. Despite challenges, colleagues remain deeply committed to the mission we serve.
That enduring spirit must be the starting point for renewal.
Excellencies,
While we recognize the Administration’s efforts to modernize our workplace, progress has been uneven and too slow. Incremental measures will not suffice. What is needed now is a bold, transformative approach, and a dedicated budget, that places staff at the center.
It is in this spirit that we outline some of the issues we are willing to discuss with the new Administration.
Among key priorities, we must strengthen recruitment, a key HR element that lies at the heart of organizational credibility. Once more, STU calls for an independent audit of recruitment process.
Equally important is the integrity of internal justice. STU welcomes the revision of the Statutes of the Appeals Board, in line with Joint Inspection Unit recommendations, and calls for the strengthening of the Ethics Office and the establishment of an Ombudsperson.
The growing reliance on affiliate personnel, now representing over half of UNESCO’s workforce, is concerning. Their contributions are invaluable, yet assigning core functions to non-staff personnel threatens the core principle of the international civil service and shifts the organization towards a donor driven, project-based model.
Performance management must also evolve. Evaluation should not be punishing, nor a yearly formality but a process that develops talent and drives continuous learning.
Staff well-being is another cornerstone. Beyond awareness campaigns, UNESCO should fully implement the UN Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy. In parallel, the Medical Benefit Fund should be more generous with reimbursements and include stronger support for mental health related expenses.
Inclusion and diversity must remain central. The Organization should continue its targeted outreach to non- and under-represented Member States, to improve gender equality at senior level posts, and use assessment centers.
In closing, Excellencies,
UNESCO’s staff are its greatest asset. Investing in people through fair career opportunities, continuous learning, and a culture of respect and care is not merely internal management; it is a strategic imperative that determines the Organization’s credibility and, ultimately, its success.
Whatever lays ahead, STU reaffirms its commitment to a firm but constructive collaboration with the incoming Administration and with Member States. Genuine consultation, as enshrined in our staff rules, is not a formality, it is a pillar of good governance.
Together, through trust, respect, and cooperation, we can build a UNESCO that not only leads globally but also cares for those who serve its mission.
Thank you.