RES/31/1 Composition of staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Human Rights Council Thirty-first session

Agenda item 2

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 23 March 2016

31/1. Composition of staff of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling paragraph 5 (g) of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006,

in which the Assembly decided that the Human Rights Council should assume the role and

responsibilities of the Commission on Human Rights relating to the work of the Office of

the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, as decided by the Assembly in

its resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993,

Taking note of all relevant resolutions on this issue adopted by the General

Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council,

Bearing in mind that an imbalance in the composition of the staff could diminish the

effectiveness of the work of the Office of the High Commissioner if it is perceived to be

culturally biased and unrepresentative of the United Nations as a whole,

Reaffirming the importance of continuing ongoing efforts to address the imbalance

regarding the regional representation of the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner,

most notably in senior management positions,

Noting with concern that the dependence of the Office of the High Commissioner on

extrabudgetary resources is at the heart of the imbalance in the composition of its staff,

Underlining that the paramount consideration for employing staff at every level is

the need for the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, taking into

account Article 101, paragraph 3 of the Charter of the United Nations, and expressing its

conviction that this objective is compatible with the principle of equitable geographical

distribution,

Recognizing that the Fifth Committee is the appropriate Main Committee of the

General Assembly entrusted with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters,

1. Expresses serious concern at the fact that the imbalance in the geographical

representation in the composition of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Human Rights continues to be prominent, particularly at the senior management level;

United Nations A/HRC/RES/31/1

2. Requests the High Commissioner, within his administrative responsibilities,

to redouble his efforts with a view to redress the current imbalance in the geographical

composition of the staff of the Office, despite the budgetary contingency, and to establish

specific and public targets and deadlines to be achieved;

3. Also requests the High Commissioner to work on attaining the broadest

geographical diversity of his staff by strengthening the measures aimed at achieving better

representation of countries and regions that are unrepresented or underrepresented,

particularly from the developing world, while considering applying a cap on the

representation of countries and regions already overrepresented in the Office of the High

Commissioner;

4. Further requests the High Commissioner to implement and promote further

measures to eliminate the current imbalance in the geographical composition of the staff of

the Office of the High Commissioner, taking particular measures to tackle the imbalance in

the number of posts not subject to geographical distribution;

5. Welcomes the efforts made towards the achievement of a gender balance in

the composition of the staff, and the decision to continue to pay special attention to this

issue;

6. Underlines the importance of continuing to promote geographical diversity in

recruitment and promotion in the Professional category and, in particular, in senior

management positions as a principle of the staffing policies of the Office of the High

Commissioner;

7. Recognizes that efforts to achieve savings and the efficient utilization of

resources should not adversely affect the full implementation of mandated programmes and

activities and the measures taken for improving the geographical composition of the staff;

8. Reaffirms the vital importance of geographical balance in the composition of

the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner, taking into account the significance of

national and regional specificities and various historic, cultural and religious backgrounds

and of different political, economic and legal systems to the promotion and protection of

the universality of human rights;

9. Recalls the provisions contained in section IX, paragraph 2 of General

Assembly resolution 63/250 of 24 December 2008, on human resources management, in

which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure as wide a geographical

distribution of staff as possible in all departments, offices and levels, including the Director

level and higher levels, of the Secretariat;

10. Underlines the priority importance with which the General Assembly should

continue to provide support and guidance to the High Commissioner in the ongoing process

of improving the geographical balance in the composition of the staff of the Office of the

High Commissioner;

11. Stresses that extrabudgetary resources, in particular when they are related to

the establishment of new posts, shall be used in a manner consistent with the mandates,

programmes and activities of the Organization, including the principle of equitable

geographical distribution of the staff, and in compliance with the existing budgetary rules

and regulations;

12. Requests the High Commissioner to continue to improve his interaction with

Member States, including within the framework of President’s statements PRST/15/2 of 1

October 2010, PRST/18/2 of 30 September 2011 and PRST/19/1 of 22 March 2012, and

giving particular attention to the composition of the staff;

13. Also requests the High Commissioner to submit a comprehensive and

updated report to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session, with a special focus

on further measures taken to correct the imbalance in the geographical composition of the

staff of the Office of the High Commissioner;

14. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

62nd meeting

23 March 2016

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 33 to 13, with 1 abstention. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Botswana, Burundi,

China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco,

Namibia, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation,

Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela

(Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam

Against:

Albania, Belgium, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal,

Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Abstaining:

Mexico]