RES/36/1 Composition of staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

GE.17-17506(E)



Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session

11–29 September 2017

Agenda item 2

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 28 September 2017

36/1. 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 concern at the imbalance in the geographical representation in the

composition of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;

2. Expresses serious concern at the continuous prominent imbalance in the

geographical representation of senior management personnel of the Office of the High

Commissioner;

3. 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, paying particularly attention to the senior

management level and the posts not subject to geographical distribution;

4. Welcomes the decision to continue to pay special attention to the achievement

of a gender balance in the composition of the staff;

5. 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;

6. 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;

7. 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;

8. 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;

9. 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;

10. 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;

11. 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;

12. Also requests the High Commissioner to submit a report to the Human Rights

Council at its thirty-ninth session on the geographical composition of the staff of the Office

of the High Commissioner and the actions taken within the current staff selection system to

achieve an equitable geographical representation of the Office, as requested by the Council

in the present and past resolutions;

13. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

39th meeting

28 September 2017

[Adopted by a recorded vote of 31 to 15, with 1 abstention. The voting was as follows:

In favour:

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

China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia,

Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nigeria,

Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,

Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Against:

Albania, Belgium, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Latvia,

Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America

Abstaining:

Togo]

 The delegation of Albania subsequently informed the Human Rights Council secretariat that it had

intended to abstain.