STU/72nd Council/26/011
13 October 2026
Dear colleagues, Please find below the oral statement that was delivered by Mr. Simone Grego, STU President, on on 13 October 2026 before the FA Commission of the 225th session of the UNESCO Executive Board.
Thank you, Madam Chairperson.
Distinguished Delegates,
Representative of the Director General,
Dear Colleagues,
Madam Chair, thank you for giving the floor to the UNESCO Staff Union, STU.
Over the past two decades, UNESCO had to operate within increasingly constrained financial environment. While its regular budget has remained broadly unchanged in nominal terms, inflation has progressively eroded its purchasing power.
These financial constraints have been accompanied by a reduction in established posts and by the non-renewal of numerous temporary appointments. Unfortunately, reductions in staffing did not necessarily translate into equivalent reductions in organizational goals, with responsibilities redistributed among remaining colleagues, adding to the pressures they already face.
The consequences are evident in the 2021 UN-wide Health Survey and UNESCO's 2024 Employee Engagement Survey: exceptionally high stress levels, working hours that exceed the threshold considered critical by WHO and declining staff engagement: warning signs of an Organization whose ambitions exceed the resources available to deliver them.
Distinguished Delegates,
STU welcomes UNESCO80 ambition to make the Organization more coherent, effective and resilient. But reform cannot succeed simply by reorganizing sectors or reducing costs. It must also address the growing gap between the Organization's goals and the resources, human as well as financial, available to deliver them.
This requires a Regular Budget aligned with the Organization’s aspirations and, in parallel, workforce planning that aligns staffing levels and competencies with programme priorities, while ensuring that any reduction in resources is accompanied by adjustments to expected results.
Above all, reform must be designed together with UNESCO’s workforce, as its operational experience can help identify risks and avoid costly mistakes. For this reason, STU welcomes the dialogue established by the Director-General and the Administration and stands ready to continue engaging firmly and constructively.
But successful reform also requires something more fundamental: staff must have trust in the transparency, fairness and accountability of the Organization that employs them.
In this regard, STU welcomes the latest report of the Appeals Board and the greater transparency it provides on UNESCO's internal justice system. We support its recommendations and we also reiterate our longstanding call for an independent Ombudsperson and a Staff Counsellor, providing colleagues with accessible, confidential support and opportunities to resolve workplace difficulties before they escalate.
And this brings us to well-being. The alarming findings emerging from our staff surveys demand a serious institutional response, including a Medical Benefits Fund that is financially sustainable, properly governed and responsive to staff needs. We would also like to see greater investment in UNESCO’s Nursery and Children Club and in the implementation of the UN System Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, as celebrated last Friday.
Excellencies,
The importance of fairness and accountability is particularly evident in recruitment.
STU has carefully examined the External Auditor's report, which provides only limited quantitative information. While welcoming this independent scrutiny, STU regrets that the redacted and anonymized version of the full report was not made available.
Despite the lack of detailed information, it is safe to say that the summary report lists a series of issues that STU has been reporting on over the past years.
In STU view, a stronger independent oversight would be the right way to start addressing these issues.Therefore, we call for strengthening the Appointment Review Board, with its mandate to be extended to all recruitment processes, including appointments at Head of Office and Director-level. The greater the managerial responsibility, the greater the potential institutional consequences of recruitment shortcomings.
Behind these audit findings lies a human reality that must not be overlooked.
A non-compliant recruitment process is not simply an incomplete audit trail or a procedural weakness. Behind every recruitment decision are colleagues who have invested time, effort and hope in the possibility of advancing their careers. When rules are not applied fairly, this leaves a lasting sense of injustice and weakens colleagues' trust in the organization.
As we have seen, when trust is broken, the consequences are severe, both for individuals and for the Organization as a whole.
In this sense, STU welcomes the Administration's commitment to implementing all the External Auditor's recommendations and strongly supports the request for allocation of the resources necessary to do so. At the same time, we consider it our responsibility, as a staff association, to convey to the Executive Board the deep and numerous concerns raised among staff regarding the findings of the audit. We trust that, during the implementation of the recommendations, these findings will receive the attention they deserve, in line with the renewed emphasis on accountability and transparency under UNESCO80.
Excellencies,
In closing, the reforms before us must ultimately be judged by whether they leave UNESCO stronger, as an institution, but also as an employer.
The concerns raised during this FA session, and those developed in the STU addenda are closely connected. They concern the Organization’s ability to plan responsibly, manage fairly, uphold accountability, protect staff and maintain their trust.
Over the past decade, UNESCO's workforce has shown extraordinary commitment under difficult conditions. Protecting that workforce, listening to it and investing in it are not obstacles to reform.
These are conditions for the reform to succeed.
Thank you.