STU/71st Council/25/004
10 April 2025
221st session of the UNESCO Executive Board
Oral Statement by the UNESCO Staff Union (STU)
Thank you, Madam Chairperson, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues,
It is a pleasure to speak before you today on behalf of the UNESCO Staff Union.
The world is going through a challenging and complex time in history. Geopolitical tensions, shifting priorities, economic inequalities, the climate crisis, and a digital environment that is no longer ensuring the respect for human rights, these are some of the global issues that are reshaping our daily lives and questioning multilateralism and international cooperation.
In the face of these challenges, the UN system and its main pillar, international civil servants must prove more than ever that there is no solution without global cooperation and solidarity. Despite this challenging task, we carry out our Organization’s mandate, often under increasingly complex and hazardous conditions. Uncertainty is becoming the new norm. "Doing more with less" is no longer a catchphrase, but a reality we have been facing for over 10 years.
UNESCO Staff Union (STU) remains committed to supporting staff and ensuring their rights are respected, within UNESCO and, also, in the broader UN system, through our active engagement with the Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations (FICSA). This dedication is testified by the membership numbers, which increased by almost 20 % in the past 2 years.
Distinguished delegates,
An employment relationship should be primarily based on mutual trust, respect and loyalty. UNESCO staff consistently expresses pride in the Organization’s mission, a deep belief in our mandate, and commitment to a cause greater than ourselves. No matter where we are posted, no matter how challenging the environment may be, you can trust us to deliver—and to be committed, agile, creative, independent and resilient, while upholding UN values and the highest ethical standards.
In return, together with job security and a healthy, respectful and inclusive workplace, that adheres to the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, we expect the Administration to implement duty of care. We look forward to career and learning prospects, merit-based (in line with the UN charter) and transparent recruitment processes, improved staff wellbeing policies for parental leave, interns’ scheme and flexible working arrangements and, in general, an organization that lives up to the standards of international civil service.
Dear colleagues,
STU continues to advocate for the full implementation of the UN Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. We welcome the appointment of a dedicated Project Manager for this important initiative. At the same time, we strongly believe that duty of care should extend beyond staff, to their families—recognized in the UN common system. This, too, must be a priority, and we think HRM should be the driving force in this process.
We will continue dialoguing with the Administration to improve the quality of work at UNESCO. This includes, for example, championing better work-life balance, a revised, efficient and effective geographical mobility policy, and in general work arrangements in line with other common system agencies. We, in particular, support a policy allowing staff to work temporarily from outside their duty station—an approach aligned with the vast majority of the common system as highlighted in JIU report 2023/6.
Distinguished delegates,
As a fact-based and ethics-driven Union, STU welcomes initiatives that provide solid data to guide our work. We look forward to the results of IOS ongoing audits, including the one on the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the one on performance management, and emphasize that performance tools should help develop skills—not be used punitively, which regrettably still happens.
We renew our call for a performance audit of the geographical and functional mobility exercise, and we await the final analysis of the 2024 staff engagement survey, as promised in document 221 EX/5.III.A.
On a broader scale, we look forward to the upcoming JIU reports—on recruitment practices across the UN system, and specifically on the management and administration of UNESCO. These reports will provide critical insight and recommendations for action, and STU is willing to contribute to these processes so that solutions to systemic issues can be soon implemented.
STU supports the proposal for an Ombudsperson Office. In assessing 43 C/5 scenarios, we urge Member States to consider the real cost—financial and human—of unresolved conflicts that escalate to formal proceedings.
Through our seat on the Executive Committee of FICSA, STU supports UNESCO staff by contributing to broader UN system initiatives. Whether through the review of the compensation package, or in updating the standards of conducts, we are committed to ensuring that the UN system is among the best places to work in.
Let me, at this stage, express our solidarity with UN colleagues who have lost their jobs due to shifting donor priorities and financial constraints. In this regard, STU, through FICSA, remains more than ever vigilant, considering the budgetary restrictions that are leading staff reductions in other sister agencies.
Distinguished delegates,
Behind every policy we help shaping, every report we draft, there are people—dedicated individuals, their families and an unwavering belief in our mission. Please, do not lose sight of the human face of our Organization, for a UNESCO that protects not only its ideals but also the people who bring them to life.
Thank you.