On 16th April 2019, the Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) on the “Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly” met for the sixth time during the 73rd Session of the GA. The meeting was a thematic debate on the selection process of the Secretary General and other executive positions in the Secretariat. Once again, the Permanent Representatives of Jordan and Slovakia co-chaired the meeting. The session began with a briefing from Martha Helena Lopez, the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Human Resources Management on gender and geographic parity in UN Secretariat employees.
Gender & Geographic Parity
As part of his election platform, Secretary General Guterres has made a notable push for gender and regional parity in all aspects of the UN including heads of entities. However, statistics and member states both expressed that there is more work to be done. The office of Human Resources Management’s report showed a ratio of 13806 to 23699 female to male (f:m) ratio in the Secretariat in total employment. In senior management positions the ASG did report a ratio of 28:17 f:m, but, in the tier above them, executive management positions were held at a ratio of 10:21 f:m. When it came to geographic parity, across the board the report showed that the most represented regional group was still Western European and Others Group (WEOG), while the least represented regional groups were Eastern Europe (EEG) and Latin America (LAG). The report also highlighted the statistical lack of representation from Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Those states which responded to the ASG’s report expressed a need to work on both issues, with Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) countries expressing resounding concern over the lack of regional parity. The representative of Algeria pointed out that it is a longstanding issue and that more needs to be done to rectify it.
The Appointment of the SG
Most of the MSs’ statements focused on the appointment of the Secretary General (SG) with two main camps forming. Delegates from the USA, China, the Russian Federation, and the observer from the EU expressed that while the recent changes to the process were successful in the last election of the SG in 2017, it was too premature to make any further changes to the process, or even discuss them at this time. Other MSs expressed a desire to bring further transparency to the process, that results of the SC anonymous straw polls should be disclosed, that the SC should submit more than one candidate for the post to the GA, and that adjustments to the term of the position of SG be made (a longer 7-year, nonrenewable term being the most suggested.)
The last AHWG of the 73rd session is scheduled to occur on 30th April, and will be a thematic debate on the Office of the President of the General Assembly, with the current PGA in attendance.
The ASG’s presentation can be found starting on page 23 in a official report on the meeting here on the PGA’s website.
The full session can be found on the UN’s website here.