Review of the International Civil Service Commission

"Our post war institutions were built for an international world, but we now live in a global world. (...) responding effectively to this shift is the core institutional challenge." Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

A review of ICSC is long overdue. The General Assembly has had the item under consideration since 1997. Annex I to this paper provides background information on the General Assembly deliberations on the subject.

In 1999, the matter was deferred pending production, by the Secretary-General of evidence - basically arising from past failures and shortcomings -of the need for a review.

At the 52^nd session of ICSC, the Secretary-General made the following statement:

"It was in that context that, in his very first reform proposal, the Secretary-General had recommended a review by the General Assembly of ICSC, including its mandate, membership and functioning, in order to increase its effectiveness in meeting the challenges facing the United Nations system of organizations. The proposal should be seen in the context of the many other reviews under way to strengthen the system, and he trusted that the Commission would participate in that spirit. It was his hope that, as a result of the review, cooperation between the Commission and its partners, the organizations and staff associations, would be reinforced so that the Commission could make a more tangible contribution to reform processes throughout the system."

FICSA fully supports a review of the Commission. It has been accepted that all institutional mechanisms need to be made relevant to the new global circumstances. The Commission should not be an exception.

The staff federations have boycotted ICSC for the most part during the past ten to twelve years in objection to its politicization, procedures and lack of acknowledgement of the views of its consultative partners. A body which has such an inordinate impact on the ability of the organizations to achieve their goals must function without reproach.

Therefore, whilst we would be able to make a major contribution in response to General Assembly resolution 54/238, we fully support the forward-looking approach outlined by the Secretary-General in his statement to ICSC.

FICSA requests Member States to decide that there shall be a review of ICSC, including its mandate, membership and functioning, in order to increase its effectiveness in meeting the challenges facing the United Nations system of organizations.

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Background on General Assembly deliberations on the review of ICSC since 1997

As part of his overall package of initiatives to renew the United Nations, the Secretary-General made the following recommendation in his paper "Proposals for United Nations Reform" (A/51/950, 1997):

"That the General Assembly initiate a review of the International Civil Service Commission, including its mandate, membership and functioning in order to increase its effectiveness in meeting the challenges facing the United Nations system of organizations."

In paragraph 232 of that paper, the Secretary-General pointed to the link between a review of ICSC and the success of reform efforts in the UN system:

"Some issues go beyond the United Nations Secretariat and need to be considered in the context of the wider United Nations system. For example, the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) has primary responsibility for determining conditions of service in the United Nations system that affect the Organization's ability to attract and retain staff of the requisite competence and calibre. It is essential that the staff of the United Nations be fairly compensated and that their conditions be determined in an objective manner. A re-examination of the composition, mandate and functioning of ICSC will contribute to the success of reform measures being undertaken by the organizations of the common system."

The Secretary-General re-iterated the request to the Member States in para. 276:

"Member States are being asked to review the International Civil Service Commission to strengthen it as a truly independent group of technical experts on salaries, allowances, compensation and conditions of service, with representation from all regions."

In its resolution 52/12 B (1997), the General Assembly decided to

"examine the recommendation of the Secretary-General on initiating a review of the International Civil Service Commission, and, on the basis of information to be provided by the Secretary-General, requests the competent intergovernmental bodies to consider the modalities for such a review and to report to the General Assembly before the end of its fifty-second session."

In response to 52/12B, inter-agency consultations were held on the proposed modalities and terms of reference of the review and ACC recommended the establishment of a Review Group.

No further recommendations on the review of ICSC were made by the General Assembly at its 53rd session in 1998. In its resolution 53/209, (III, 1 and 2), the General Assembly welcomed "the progress made by the Commission in promoting a spirit of constructive cooperation and flexibility towards improving working relations with the staff bodies" and took note of the "changes approved by the Commission to its rules of procedure and other procedural changes".

FICSA must set the record straight: the Commission has NOT promoted a "spirit of constructive cooperation and flexibility towards improving relations with the staff bodies" nor have the procedural changes approved by the Commission been implemented.

In 1999, the General Assembly again considered the review of ICSC in its resolution 54/238, emphasizing "that the review process should be impartial and transparent, and that the Commission shall participate fully in the process;" deciding "to revert to the modalities of the review of the Commission, including the proposal of the Secretary-General contained in his note [A/54/483], at the main part of its fifty-fifth session, subject to the submission by the Secretary-General of the information requested in paragraph 22 of General Assembly resolution 52/12 B;" and requesting "the Secretary-General to include the following elements in the information to be submitted to the General Assembly:

1. " Concrete and specific reasons, if any, for such a review;

2. Identification of specific problems, if any, to be addressed;

3. Objectives to be achieved by the review;

4. Possible impact on the common system of such a review;

5. Information on progress achieved as a result of previous reviews of the working methods and functioning of the Commission."