Nationality is more important than Gender parity | New UN Administrative Instruction on staff retention

The United Nations Secretariat has released an Administrative instruction linked to when downsizing or restructuring results in the termination of appointments (ST/AI/2023/1).

An Administrative instruction is typically issued by the Secretary-General or other administrative officials to provide guidance on the implementation of policies or procedures within the UN system. This instruction is signed by Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy, and Compliance.

An Administrative instruction is intended to ensure consistent and efficient administration of UN programs and operations.

While administrative instructions are not legally binding in the same way as formal UN resolutions, they are still considered to be authoritative guidance within the UN system. UN staff members are expected to follow administrative instructions, and non-compliance can result in disciplinary action. 

Overall, administrative instructions are an important tool for ensuring effective management and implementation of UN policies and programs, but they are not equivalent in status to formal UN decisions.

This instruction adds new layers to the retention policy of the UN.

When the UN is downsizing or restructuring, staff members may be affected. In the event positions are abolished there are rules on staff members' order of priority, meaning who should have higher job security and on what basis. In the UN this order of priority is called: Order of Retention.

In the past, if you go back to before 2009 and the contractual reform, this order was quite clear. The UN where more generous in issuing permanent contracts, and all staff members with a permanent contract had the highest order of priority. Since 2009, no permanent contract has been issued but the ones that had a permanent contract kept their status. Today, many years later, very few staff members are still serving on a permanent contract.

The new Administrative instruction introduces a new term Tiebreakers. If two staff members have the same order of priority, tiebreakers will decide who has priority compared to the other. Three tiebreakers are identified and shared below.

It is interesting and positive to see that mobility is one important factor, it is not clear however what type of mobility is included. One could hope it is for the entire career to include all kinds of mobility, both mobility while working inside the UN on any contracts and while outside the UN.

This has however not been the mobility definition in the past, and chances are it is not now either. A likely definition of counted mobility is mobility while serving on a fixed-term (or permanent/continues) contract with the UN only.