Letter to the Chef de Cabinet, Mr. Mark Malloch Brown
transmitting Staff Council Resolution No. 76
“In Defense of the International Civil Service”
Dear Mr. Malloch Brown,
Attached please find Resolution No. 76, adopted by the 41st Staff
Council of the United Nations Staff Union at its 94th meeting on the
16th of March 2006.
The resolution condemns the misleading and divisive comments that
you made in an interview with the BBC on the 8th of March 2006 in
which you stated, inter alia, that:
“the people in New York on those tax-free salaries are actually now
a privileged tenured minority, and the real UN workers are out in
difficult peacekeeping missions around the world on short-term contracts
without much security. …”
You failed to acknowledge the existence of staff assessment making
it apparent that your knowledge of the Organization may not be as
extensive as you claim. However, knowingly proclaiming such a
falsehood, along with declaring a vast majority of the staff as being not “real UN workers” raises questions about your motives for making
such a statement and your future plans for this Organization.
The Staff Council would like to draw your attention to the United
Nations Code of Conduct and to demand, on behalf of all staff in New
York, that you retract your comments to the press and issue an
apology to the staff in writing.”
United Nations staff union/syndicat du personnel de
l’Organisation des Nations Unies 41st Staff Council / 41e Conseil du personnel
In defense of the International Civil Service
The Staff Council,
Concerned about the negative and misleading comments made by the
Chef de Cabinet to the media on 8 March 2006 (see Annex I);
Dismayed that such a high ranking official of the United Nations is
intentionally spreading inaccurate and damaging information while
serving the Organization in a leading role;
Decides:
(a) to request the President to send a letter to the Chef de Cabinet
condemning his misleading and divisive comments to the press, calling
his attention to the United Nations Code of Conduct, and demanding
he retract his comments to the press and issue an apology to the staff
in writing;
(b) to launch a publicity campaign in defense of the International Civil
Service which will include ads in major world newspapers;
(c) to allocate up to a total of $250,000 from the Staff Union Reserve
Fund for such a campaign;
(d) to request the President of the Staff Union to present this
resolution to the President of the General Assembly, Chairman of the
Fifth Committee, and Chairman of the ACABQ.
Adopted Unanimously
16 March 2006
© 2006 UN Special |