During the first resumed session of the Fifth Committee, USUN advanced policy priorities to modernize the UN workforce and strengthen accountability, including:

• Secured the first human resources management resolution since December 2016 – a significant accomplishment that:
• Revised the desired number of UN staff from each Member State (i.e., the system of desirable ranges) for the first time since 1988. The change increased the U.S. desirable range, maintaining preferential hiring (as an under-represented country) and access to the Young Professional Program.
• Endorsed the Secretary-General’s (SG) mobility framework to circulate staff between headquarters and field-based duty stations and, in order to expedite implementation, encouraged development of non-financial incentives for staff participation.
• Requested the SG to present a plan to bring in younger talent through talent development initiatives and the creation of more entry-level posts while reducing the number of senior-level posts.
• Asked the Secretariat to identify mechanisms to offer stipends for UN interns and to improve the quality of the internship program.
• Approved measures to strengthen the independence of the Ethics Office.
• Requested the Secretariat to eliminate barriers for misconduct reporting, and improve oversight, investigations, and administrative/criminal accountability.
• Instructed the Secretariat to incorporate assessments of senior managers’ effectiveness in preventing and addressing misconduct in their performance reviews.
• Asked the SG, in coordination with the Chief Executives Board (CEB) Task Force on Addressing Sexual Harassment within the Organizations of the United Nations System, to identify more suitable terminology to classify various forms of sexual misconduct in the UN system based on victim-input and best practice.
• Reaffirmed the independence of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) after the improper reduction of the Unit’s budget by the CEB earlier this year, requested the SG to ensure future compliance with the JIU statute, and called for improving the relevance and implementation rate of JIU recommendations.
• Agreed to the first accountability resolution in three years, strengthening the UN performance management system by setting clear expectations for staff to focus on outcomes, not outputs.
• Reduced excessive UN travel benefits by cutting the number of eligible categories for first-class travel by 50%, enforced cost-saving measures related to advance ticketing, and requested a robust review of the staff home leave entitlement.