STU/72nd Council/26/007
15 April 2026
Dear colleagues, Please find below the oral statement that was delivered by Mr. Simone Grego, STU President, on 15 April 2026 before the FA Commission of the 224th session of the UNESCO Executive Board.
Thank you, Madam Chair, Distinguished Delegates, ADG/ADM, dear colleagues,
We meet today at a moment of profound global uncertainty.
Across regions, we witness conflicts and rising tensions and inequalities are deepening, with none of the 17 SDGs currently on course to be achieved by 2030. At the same time, we are observing a crisis of multilateralism itself. At a moment when international cooperation is essential, it is too often questioned and weakened.
In such a context, the mandate of UNESCO is more relevant than ever. Building peace in the minds of women and men is not an abstract principle. It is a necessity.
And yet, just when this mandate is most needed, the resources to deliver it are shrinking.
The OECD revealed a few days ago that Official Development Assistance is declining sharply, hitting bilateral aid and UN funding the hardest. At UNESCO, this is translating into reduced financial resources, including pressure on the regular programme budget, the very budget that sustains the core functioning of the Organization and the staff implementing its mandate.
Distinguished delegates,
STU is looking forward to the deliberations of this Executive Board. We trust that adequate resources will be invested in UNESCO’s staff empowerment and well-being.
Because staff are not a cost. We are UNESCO’s most valuable asset.
Today, that asset is under strain.
Allow me to share some realities, drawn from the JIU recent report on UNESCO and the last Staff Engagement Survey.
What emerges is not a series of isolated issues, but a declining trend of an organization where Human Resources Management does not inspire the level of trust it should.
Recruitment processes lack transparency and consistency, with limited accountability in decision-making and perceived opacity in classification standards. Performance remains disconnected from career development and learning. Staff well-being is threatened: unrealistic workloads, long working hours, continued uncertainty about mobility are not sustainable in the long term, and this term is long past.
Confidence in speaking up remains fragile: too many colleagues still hesitate to report misconduct for fear of retaliation and, hesitancy in joining Staff Unions is common.
Career prospects are limited, affecting motivation, and engagement.
And the growing reliance on affiliate personnel for core functions is creating a dual workforce, raising concerns about fairness, accountability, institutional memory and continuity.
Finally, a word on internal justice, where existing mechanisms are too slow. As stated by the Inspector of the JIU few days ago: justice delayed is justice denied.
Distinguished delegates,
These issues lead to a simple but critical message:
Staff cannot continue to do more with less.
We have been doing so for more than a decade: since 2012, through successive crises, reforms, and a stagnating Regular Programme Budget.
There is a limit.
As UNESCO embarks on a major transformation through UNESCO80, this is a unique opportunity to do things differently and to address systemic issues. STU stands ready to contribute constructively to this process.
For this transformation to succeed, staff must not be an afterthought—they must be at its center. Our voices, experience, expertise, and commitment are essential in shaping a stronger, more effective Organization.
For these reasons, STU welcomes the opening speeches we heard on Monday and today’s interventions, highlighting the importance of engaging in a structured dialogue with staff associations and the importance of staff well-being.
We look forward to the actions that will follow these words, as, for UNESCO to better deliver, investments are needed not only in core funding, but also in its people.
This means supporting staff and career development, including clear and predictable mobility schemes. It also means strengthening recruitment processes, including merit-based promotions, as well as expanding wellbeing frameworks and improving the Medical Benefit Fund.
Reforms should not result in doubling up workloads, as happened in the past.
Excellencies,
Today offers a meaningful opportunity to signal a commitment to change. For locally recruited staff, the backbone of our Organization, this moment is particularly significant. As you prepare to decide on the allowances for G-staff in Paris, we hope you will agree with the Administration’s proposal, which is fully in line with the established methodology.
Before closing, Madam Chair, I wish to express STU’s deep solidarity with UNESCO colleagues working in conflict-affected areas. Colleagues who continue to deliver under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions. Their dedication is a powerful reminder to all of us of what this Organization stands for.
Thank you.