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S T A T E M E N T B Y T H E R E P R E S E N T A T I V E OF THE W H O S T A F F A S S O C I A T I O N ON M A T T E R S C O N C E R N I N G C O N D I T I O N S OF S E R V I C E ""
T h i s d o c u m e n t c o n t a i n s the text of the s t a t e m e n t b y the r e p r e s e n - t a t i v e o f t h e W H O S t a f f A s s o c i a t i o n s to the s i x t y - s e v e n t h s e s s i o n of the E x e c u t i v e B o a r d , in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h r e s o l u t i o n E B 5 7 . R 8 . T h e D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l h a s n o t e d the v i e w s e x p r e s s e d b y the S t a f f
A s s o c i a t i o n s a n d h a s n o c o m m e n t s t h e r e o n to s u b m i t to the E x e c u t i v e B o a r d .
T h e s t a f f m a k i n g u p the W H O S e c r e t a r i a t - w o r k i n g in t h e s i x W H O r e g i o n s , the I n t e r n a t i o n a l A g e n c y f o r R e s e a r c h on C a n c e r , a n d the G e n e v a o f f i c e - h a v e the h o n o u r to p r e s e n t to the E x e c u t i v e B o a r d a s t a t e m e n t c o n t a i n i n g t h e i r v i e w s o n s u b j e c t s of i n t e r e s t to
s t a f f .
O u r m a j o r c o n c e r n s
O v e r r e c e n t y e a r s w e h a v e s h a r e d some of o u r c o n c e r n s w i t h y o u . T h e s e h a v e i n c l u d e d the s a f e t y a n d i n d e p e n d e n c e of i n t e r n a t i o n a l c i v i l servants； a n e q u i t a b l e p e n s i o n scheme；
p a r t i c i p a t i o n of the s t a f f in s h a p i n g a n d d e t e r m i n i n g their w o r k i n g conditions； c o h e r e n t c a r e e r p o l i c i e s a n d plans； r e c r u i t m e n t a n d p r o m o t i o n of women；^ t e n u r e of e m p l o y m e n t a n d j o b s e c u r i t y . T h e s e c o n t i n u e to p r e o c c u p y u s a n d , i n d e e d , a r e of g e n e r a l c o n c e r n to the w h o l e U n i t e d N a t i o n s f a m i l y .
T h i s y e a r w e w o u l d like to f o c u s , f i r s t of a l l , o n f u t u r e s t a f f i n g p o l i c i e s of the O r g a n i z a t i o n , a s w e b e l i e v e t h e s e w i l l h a v e o v e r r i d i n g and l o n g - t e r m e f f e c t s on W H O and its p r o g r a m m e of w o r k .
R e s o l u t i o n W H A 2 9 . 4 8 ( 1 9 7 6 ) r e s u l t e d in a m a s s i v e r e d u c t i o n in force ( R I F ) . T h i s r e s o l u t i o n , a s y o u w i l l r e c a l l , r e q u e s t e d the D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l to r e o r i e n t the w o r k i n g of the O r g a n i z a t i o n w i t h a v i e w to e n s u r i n g t h a t a l l o c a t i o n s of the r e g u l a r p r o g r a m m e b u d g e t r e a c h e d the level of a t l e a s t 60% in r e a l terms t o w a r d s t e c h n i c a l c o o p e r a t i o n a n d p r o v i s i o n of
s e r v i c e s . T h e r e s o l u t i o n f u r t h e r s t i p u l a t e d t h a t t h i s s h o u l d be done b y c u t t i n g d o w n a l l a v o i d a b l e , n o n - e s s e n t i a l e x p e n d i t u r e on e s t a b l i s h m e n t a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , b o t h a t h e a d q u a r t e r s a n d in the r e g i o n a l o f f i c e s .
T h e D i r e c t o r - G e n e r a l p r o p o s e d , and the Board and H e a l t h A s s e m b l y a p p r o v e d , a s t r a t e g y for c o m p l y i n g w i t h t h i s , i n c l u d i n g the r e d u c t i o n of s t a f f p o s t s f r o m 1978 to 1 9 8 1 .
N o w t h a t w e a r e a p p r o a c h i n g the end of this p e r i o d , w e b e l i e v e it w o u l d b e u s e f u l to a s s e s s h o w things s t a n d t o d a y .
M o s t u n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e E x e c u t i v e B o a r d ' s t a r g e t of 2 0 % of w o m e n in the p r o f e s s i o n a l c a t e g o r y b y 1 9 8 0 h a s n o t b e e n met； the c u r r e n t f i g u r e is 1 8 % , d o w n f r o m 1 9 7 9 . T h e d e p a r t u r e s of w o m e n s t a f f a s p a r t of the r e d u c t i o n in f o r c e h a v e n o t h e l p e d the s i t u a t i o n .
E B 6 7 / 4 1 p a g e 2
N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g a l l the e f f o r t s m a d e to h e l p secure a l t e r n a t i v e e m p l o y m e n t for m a n y c o l l e a g u e s w h o s e posts w e r e a b o l i s h e d , some of the staff h a v e lost their jobs d e s p i t e their y e a r s of service w i t h W H O . The staff as a b o d y h a s b e e n h u r t and d i s t r e s s e d by these u n h a p p y e v e n t s , p a r t i c u l a r l y b e c a u s e the r e d u c t i o n in the number of p o s t s funded from the r e g u l a r b u d g e t has， over these same four y e a r s , b e e n p a r a l l e l e d b y a m a r k e d increase in the n u m b e r of e x t r a b u d g e t a r y p o s t s . Of c o u r s e , the staff a p p r e c i a t e that p r o g r a m m e a c t i v i t i e s a t the g l o b a l level h a v e b e e n c o n s i d e r a b l y i n t e n s i f i e d , b u t to cope w i t h this increased work- load c o n s u l t a n t s a n d temporary e m p l o y e e s h a v e b e e n e m p l o y e d in far larger n u m b e r s than h i t h e r t o (document E B 6 7 / 2 8 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e f i g u r e s ) . If this trend c o n t i n u e s , the change in the
b a l a n c e b e t w e e n W H O staff a n d s h o r t - t e r m e m p l o y e e s w i l l b r i n g its o w n c o n s e q u e n c e s , leading inter a l i a to a change in the spirit that p r e v a i l s in the O r g a n i z a t i o n . W h i l e w e a r e a w a r e of the n e e d to b r i n g n e w b l o o d into the O r g a n i z a t i o n , w e w i s h to d r a w the Board's a t t e n t i o n to the p o t e n t i a l dangers that w o u l d threaten W H O if there w e r e to be a d e c l i n e in the w h o l e con- cept of an i n t e r n a t i o n a l civil service composed of c o m m i t t e d , e x p e r i e n c e d , long-term s t a f f . T h e e f f i c i e n c y of W H O ' s w o r k - w h i c h h a s b e e n a c o n s t a n t c o n c e r n of the B o a r d , of the r e g i o n a l c o m m i t t e e s , and of the W o r l d H e a l t h A s s e m b l y - w o u l d be j e o p a r d i z e d b y such c h a n g e s .
On the eve of launching the g l o b a l strategy for h e a l t h for a l l by the y e a r 2 0 0 0 a n d the S e v e n t h G e n e r a l P r o g r a m m e of W o r k for a specific p e r i o d (1984-1989)， the i n t e n s i v e e f f o r t s r e q u i r e d of W H O call for a c o h e r e n t s t a f f i n g p o l i c y . W e r e a l i z e that w e a r e b r i n g i n g to y o u r a t t e n t i o n certain issues a t a c r i t i c a l m o m e n t in the h i s t o r y of the O r g a n i z a t i o n , w h e n
the Board a n d the H e a l t h A s s e m b l y a r e e n d e a v o u r i n g to b r i n g u n i t y of t h o u g h t and a c t i o n into p r o g r a m m e s a n d h e a l t h p o l i c i e s . H o w e v e r , w e c a n n o t ignore our r e s p o n s i b i l i t y to share w i t h you our impressions a n d our o w n e x p e r i e n c e of the d a y - b y - d a y f u n c t i o n i n g of the O r g a n i z a t i o n , such as w e live i t . By p l e a d i n g for a stable i n t e r n a t i o n a l c i v i l s e r v i c e , w e are r e a f f i r m i n g our c o m m i t m e n t to W H O , its i d e a l s , its a c t i o n s .
A s r e g a r d s the f i n a n c i a l a s p e c t s of c o n d i t i o n s of e m p l o y m e n t , w e w o u l d this time r e s t r i c t o u r s e l v e s to the q u e s t i o n of l o c a l l y - r e c r u i t e d g e n e r a l s e r v i c e s t a f f . T h e r e continue to be serious p r o b l e m s in a n u m b e r of d u t y stations in a c h i e v i n g o b j e c t i v i t y a n d fairness in d e t e r m i n i n g s a l a r i e s . Our f e e l i n g is that m a n y of these p r o b l e m s could be solved if there w e r e greater f l e x i b i l i t y in salary surveys a n d a d j u s t m e n t s so that f u l l a c c o u n t could b e taken of local p r o b l e m s and s i t u a t i o n s . Pensions p o s e other p r o b l e m s . One is that the scale of staff a s s e s s m e n t has b e e n a l t e r e d b y the U n i t e d N a t i o n s G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y over the s t r e n u o u s o b j e c t i o n s of F I C S A (Federation of I n t e r n a t i o n a l C i v i l S e r v a n t s1 A s s o c i a t i o n s ) , r e p r e s e n t i n g the staff of the entire U n i t e d N a t i o n s s y s t e m . Yet a n o t h e r d i f f i c u l t y in some a r e a s of the w o r l d is that c u r r e n c y f l u c t u a t i o n s c o n t i n u e to h a v e d i s a s t r o u s e f f e c t s on p e n s i o n s .
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The staff are increasingly d i s t u r b e d by the a r r e s t s , a b d u c t i o n s , " d i s a p p e a r a n c e s " , and d e a t h s u n d e r a r r e s t of W H O a n d o t h e r U n i t e d N a t i o n s o f f i c i a l s . In the f i e l d , m a n y staff feel they are i n a d e q u a t e l y p r o t e c t e d . The name of Viviana M i c u c c i , a W H O staff m e m b e r a b d u c t e d from her h o m e in B u e n o s A i r e s on 11 N o v e m b e r 1976 and since then d e c l a r e d to be a
" d i s a p p e a r e d " p e r s o n , has b e c o m e a s y m b o l . T o g e t h e r w i t h o t h e r U n i t e d N a t i o n s s t a f f , W H O staff a r e r e a c t i n g to the g r o w i n g threat to the p e r s o n a l safety of i n t e r n a t i o n a l c i v i l s e r v a n t s . W e p r o c l a i m : " W h i l e one of us is in p r i s o n , n o n e of u s is f r e e " .
