HOME
  SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REFORM DOCUMENTS
  GENERAL
 
2006: Investing in the UN
  2005: In Larger Freedom
  2002: An Agenda for
Further Change
  1997: A Programme for Reform
  THEMATIC
   
  2004: Enhancing Staff Security
  2004: Threats, Challenges and Change
  2002: UN Civil Society Relations
  2000: UN Peace
Operations
  RELATED RESOURCES
   
  High-level Panel on UN System-Wide Coherence
  2006: Internal Justice Reform
  2006: Governance and Oversight Review
  2006: Mandate Review
  Useful Links
  UN Home
 
 
 

INVESTING IN THE UNITED NATIONS
For a Stronger Organization Worldwide

Report of the Secretary-General

II. Investing in leadership

Context and challenges

32. If the end of the cold war and the advent of globalization ushered in a new era for the work of the United Nations, it also had direct implications for the role of the Secretary-General. As Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization, I have managerial responsibilities which have grown far more demanding with the extraordinary increase in the number and complexity of field missions and other operational activities. Yet at the same time the direct and active involvement of the United Nations in a far wider range of issues than in the past has placed enormous calls on my time and capacity in my role as a political instrument of the Security Council, the General Assembly and other United Nations organs. In short, I am expected to be the world's chief diplomat and at the same time to run a large and complex Organization, as it were, in my spare time. This will hardly be less true for my successors.

33. Unmanageable span of control. There are now more than 25 departments and offices reporting directly to the Secretary-General, of vastly different size, scale and complexity. The biggest controls billions of dollars and tens of thousands of people; the smallest a handful of people and almost no resources. In practice, many heads of department receive very little direct guidance from me, and are consigned to operate in isolated "silos" or expected to work together in loose "executive committees" without management support strong enough to ensure any real synergy. In addition, there are a large number of special advisers, envoys and representatives who report to me periodically.

34. There are also 10 heads of programmes and funds who at present report to me and require my strategic guidance. The recently established High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence is likely to recommend changes to the structure, governance and reporting lines of these United Nations system organizations.

35. Insufficient operational capacity. The post of Deputy Secretary-General, created by the General Assembly at the end of 1997 to support the Secretary- General, has provided a much needed increase in capacity at the top of the Organization. The terms of reference were broad: to help manage Secretariat operations, ensure coherence of activities and programmes, and elevate the Organization's profile and leadership in the economic and social spheres. Yet the Deputy Secretary-General was assigned no explicit statutory authority. There has been no clear division of labour between me and my Deputy, and all senior managers have continued to be accountable directly to me. The position, therefore, could do much more to strengthen management capacity at the very top of the Secretariat if it were given a wider set of responsibilities and authority to carry them out on the Secretary-General's behalf. Similarly, the Chef de Cabinet post could be more clearly defined in terms of supporting the Secretary-General directly in the day-to-day management of his or her immediate office and workflow.

36. Inadequate senior-level development. There are many other levels of leadership in the United Nations that also need attention. A damaged culture, which is seen as limiting creativity, enterprise, innovation and indeed leadership itself, has meant that many managers have simply lost the capacity to manage.

37. Some have been trapped in a static headquarters environment, with little challenge or opportunity to develop the needed skills and experience. Others have had to operate in difficult field environments without the training or the environment of user-friendly, human-resources and financial rules that would enable them to do their job. There is nothing more heartbreaking than to see able young staff become demoralized and disenchanted as the path to management is strewn with apparently impassable obstacles.

38. Many of these issues are addressed in other sections of the present report. In the present chapter, I propose some specific changes that I believe should be given special priority because they are directed at building our future leaders.

Vision

39. My vision is of an Organization whose Secretary-General will be given the means he or she requires to meet fast-changing needs and expectations in all parts of the world – from terrorism to human rights, from intra-State conflict to HIV/AIDS. A reduced number of people reporting directly to the Secretary-General will to enable him or her to manage at the level of strategy and policy.

40. This will have been achieved by two principal changes: delegating authority to the Deputy Secretary-General in a more systematic manner and regrouping departments and other entities around broad functional areas. The Secretary-General will continue to fully lead the Organization and direct political and policy matters, but the Deputy will assume delegated responsibility for management policies and overall operational matters ?thereby obviating the need that some have discerned for a new post of Chief Operating Officer. While each group should comprise a cohesive range of functions and activities, headed by an Under-Secretary-General, the intention is to reduce the direct senior reporting span to about eight line and support functions. This can be done by reorganizing departments and in some cases by clustering departments. In addition, the Deputy Secretary-General would, therefore, assume formal chairmanship of the Organization's Management Committee, which I currently chair.

41. While this reform can be more appropriately introduced when a new Secretary- General assembles his or her cabinet at the end of 2006, I believe it can be accomplished within the existing Under-Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary- General headcount and would not require new posts. This arrangement will improve operational accountability and performance management; help to ensure greater substantive coherence and policy direction for Secretariat operations; and allow all heads of department to work in a more effective way.

Managers more rigorously selected ...

42. Last year, I introduced new procedures for improving the transparency and quality of selection for the heads of the United Nations funds and programmes. Interview boards were created. Extensive reference checking was undertaken. Several senior officials have since been appointed following these new procedures – including the Administrator of UNDP, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has also put in place new measures for improving the appointment system for heads of peace missions in the field.

43. In my vision of the future, such practices – combined with much better organized recruitment outreach than in the past and thus achieving the geographical and gender balance that must characterize the Secretary-General's own leadership team – will be followed for all senior appointments.

... better trained and supported ...

44. The Organization will also do a better job of training and supporting its managers. Mandatory induction of new managers is already being introduced. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations has held two sessions for field managers and a similar session was held recently for new Directors at the D-1 and D-2 levels at Headquarters. This will be supplemented by periodic training opportunities, allowing managers to reflect on their management, learn the most modern techniques and compare notes with peers. Other Secretariat training programmes targeted at leaders and managers are also under way. The Secretariat will also have a strong management advisory service, to which managers can turn for help. This function, and the resources dedicated to it at the time, were given to the Office of Internal Oversight Services when it was created 10 years ago. With experience, I have come to the conclusion that combining the roles of auditor, investigator and management adviser in a single entity is not the best formula. I hope that the external review of oversight bodies which was launched by the General Assembly in December 2005 will address this problem and offer alternative approaches.

... and firmly but fairly assessed

45. A more rigorous selection process, increased training opportunities and sustained support for managers, combined with a clear statement of their responsibility and authority, will enable the United Nations of the future to enforce stricter but also fairer accountability rules for its managers. The Management Performance Board, which I established recently, is in the process of designing clear criteria for assessing the performance of senior managers, who will be required to do the same for the junior managers working under them.

46. Nearly 15 per cent of Professional staff with contracts of one year or longer will reach retirement age by 2010. This will have a major impact at the P-5 and Director levels. Such retirements, combined with a buyout programme, will give the Organization the opportunity to bring in new talent at those levels, in line with future leadership needs.

Proposals

Proposal 5

I propose to redefine the role of Deputy Secretary-General and delegate to him or her formal authority and accountability for the management and overall direction of the operational functions of the Secretariat. The Secretary-General would continue to lead the political and policy dimensions of the Organization's work.

Proposal 6

I propose that my successor regroup the 25 departments and entities currently reporting directly to the Secretary-General into about eight organizational groups or clusters. Each group would be headed by an Under-Secretary-General.

Proposal 7

I propose to strengthen leadership recruitment as well as training and development plans to build the cadre of senior and middle managers required for the modern complex global operations of the United Nations.


<< Previous Table of Contents Next >>

 

 
Website development: UN Web Services Section, Department of Public Information, United Nations © 2006
ArabicChineseFrenchRussianSpanish