Advancing the Values of the U.N.

This interview with Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations was done before the terrible events, which took place in New York last September.

UN Special: What made you accept the renewal of your mandate as Secretary-General of the United Nations?

Mr. Kofi Annan: I guess by that you are asking what made me allow my name to go forward for consideration by Member States — that’s a question I myself thought about for many months. I had devoted most of my professional life to advancing the values and work of the United Nations, which I firmly believe embodies humanity’s most noble ideals. I also felt sensitive to the call of duty. In addition, I had the inspirational examples of the many UN staff making sacrifices each day, including those who serve at great risk far from their homes, in peacekeeping missions or as humanitarian workers, and others who are supporting the essential tasks carried out at Headquarters. I am always conscious that it is their dedication that allows me to achieve what I have as Secretary-General, and I draw strength from their example. Even with all of those compelling reasons, I had to reflect on whether I could serve at the UN’s helm for five more years with the same intense energy and commitment that the job requires. I knew that if I served another term as Secretary-General, my challenges and responsibilities would inevitably make exhausting claims on my family and my personal life. So I was only able to decide after careful thought and long talks with my family and my wife Nane, who has been my strongest support through good times and bad. Now that I look back, I feel certain that I’ve made the right choice, and I’m honoured that the Member States entrusted me with a second term.

In 1997, just after your election, you gave UN Special an overview of your PAS objectives as Secretary-General. What evaluation do you deserve for these past five years and what are your targets for your next term? 
Generally, I find it difficult to talk about my own achievements – I prefer to leave evaluations to others. But since you have asked about my PAS objectives, I feel obliged to answer, because I know that my staff – from senior managers on down – are working very hard on the PAS exercise. There is much more work to be done to realize the UN’s potential to fulfill humanity’s hopes for peace, development and human rights. But I do think that I have done my best to bring new energy to this Organization. We have reformed the United Nations as never before in its history, making it leaner, more effective and better able to meet the needs of the peoples it was created to serve.

I have worked with the Member States to define a new agenda for the United Nations, and I think we can all be proud of the Millennium Declaration, which provides concrete goals for the next 10 to 15 years in addressing the major issues of our times – disarmament, poverty, AIDS, education, the environment, governance, human rights and the special needs of Africa. In order to better tackle these issues, I have also opened up the Organization to the people of the world and to the private sector, because I strongly believe that the United Nations can become much more effective by working with these important partners. We have already seen this proven in a number of areas, including the grassroots movement to secure an international ban on landmines, and private sector pledges to the Global AIDS and Health Fund. Since the PAS requires me to be totally honest, I’ll say that on the negative side of what we have not been able to do, I had hoped that at this stage in the game we would have received all the support we need for United Nations peacekeeping operations. We are now determined, based on the Brahimi report, to work with the Member States to strengthen these operations and to give them the necessary backing and resources. Now that we are re-engaged in peacekeeping in many parts of the world, we cannot afford to repeat the failures of the past. That is why I am quite keen to implement the Brahimi recommendations, which salvage important lessons from the last decade so as to set us on a steady course for the future.

What do you intend to do to ensure a better security for staff in the field? 
This is an issue that I take extremely seriously – it is a matter of life-and-death. Attacks on United Nations and other humanitarian personnel have continued unabated in recent years. Clearly, these people cannot be expected to carry out their work if they are not protected by adequate and professional security personnel and security awareness training. The good news is that our efforts to create a “culture of security awareness” have been paying off – a number of UN staff who escaped hostile situations reported that they survived thanks to the skills they learned through the enhanced security training programme. The UN will continue to do its part, but I have to point out that Member States must also take stronger action to ensure that those who attack humanitarian workers are brought to justice. It is deplorable that the vast majority of perpetrators have gone unpunished, while those few that have been apprehended received only light penalties. There is no doubt in my mind that the swift and strong application of justice by Member States would be our best deterrent against attacks.

At the same time, I’m grateful to the Member States for approving, through the General Assembly, an increase – though modest – in the resources being made available to me for security. Thanks to that increase, UNSECOORD headquarters is now being strengthened to enable us to respond more effectively to emerging crises. New staff have been recruited to undertake more security missions, ensure better coordination and, on my behalf, exercise greater authority in the security management system. Already this year, UN staff serving at 25 high-risk duty stations have benefited from UNSECOORD security training. All of the duty stations with a risk of Security Phase Three or higher will be covered by early 2002, and an additional 44 duty stations with Phase One or Two will benefit from training by the end of next year.

We are stretching all of our resources to take these steps to improve staff security. But in the end, the continuing lack of adequate funding and personnel has impeded much of the work that still needs to be done. I am making a number of specific proposals to the General Assembly, including the appointment of a full-time Security Coordinator, which I strongly urge Member States to support. I’m counting on them to understand that staff security is not a luxury; it is essential. United Nations staff fearlessly put themselves in harm’s way in order to help others, and it is our duty to protect them as best as we possibly can.

What do you think of the fact that one third of the young newcomers leave the Organization after one year? 
Of course I take this issue very seriously, because among the young professionals of today are the senior officials of tomorrow. And I’m happy to report that our efforts to reverse this trend are working – to the point that the number of resignations of young professionals who are recruited through the National Competitive Examination has been steadily decreasing since 1990. Job satisfaction is up and turnover is down thanks to continuous attention to the career needs of these young professionals. Since 1997, OHRM has been holding five-day orientation and development programmes for staff who joined the Organization through the NCE or were promoted through the G to P exams. During the orientation, young professionals are able share their experiences with peers and obtain information and guidance from programme leaders. And we don’t stop there – after six months, the participants are requested to report on their progress in the Organization. Then we conduct follow-up sessions – both at Headquarters and in duty stations – on topics chosen by the young professionals. We also maintain ongoing communication by phone, e-mail and personal one-on-one counselling. Young professionals have also been benefiting from the career development workshops that OHRM has been holding for the past four years. And we plan to take this a step further, by developing a mentoring programme for new young professionals. In the end, it is our job to foster in young professionals a sense of commitment to the United Nations, and in that sense, I believe that programmes to retain them are integrally linked with our overall efforts to improve the Organization.

In 1997 you declared to UNS that career development was one of your priorities. You re-emphasized it in your subsequent interview with UNS. The new OHRM reform, with its lateral transfer system, makes it even more difficult to make a career. Can we expect during your second term something in this area? What happened to your project as chief of personnel to have an in-post promotion system? I’ll take these two questions together, if you don’t mind, because I believe that they are connected. The Organization’s most valuable assets are its staff members, and that’s why I’ve made career development one of the main building blocks of the reform process. My goal is to build a highly competent, skilled and versatile international civil service capable of meeting the Organization’s present and future needs. I see career development as an integrated process, in which the needs of the individual are matched as closely as possible with the needs of the United Nations for the mutual benefit of both. In this “career development partnership,” the Organization provides a framework of opportunities and supportive programmes, managers foster the development of their staff, and staff members are committed to their own professional growth. Career development is a central aspect of the new mobility system, which will provide greater opportunities for staff to change functions, occupational groups, departments and duty stations. In this light, the introduction of a requirement of one lateral move before a promotion is in the interests of both the Organization and individual staff members. This requirement helps to further develop staff members’ professional knowledge and expertise and to widen their horizons and career development potential, which will include promotion. It is my view that lateral moves are a more workable alternative for most staff than in-post promotion, which may only affect a small percentage of our personnel. In any event, we are going to examine this issue more closely at the October meeting of the Staff-Management Coordination Committee.

Do you still read UN Special ?
The truth is that I read UN Special in the same way that I read everything else that comes across my desk – that is to say very quickly but with sharp interest. As you can imagine, I’m inundated with news reports, updates, private correspondence and cables every day, but I do my best to keep up with publications such as UN Special, because I’m convinced that you play an important role in bringing to light many issues that others are not following. Well, let’s just say that some of the questions you’ve asked me today I’ve never been asked before!

A last and more personal question: Where do you find the energy to do all what you are doing? 
You might be surprised to hear me say this, but I think I draw strength and revive myself by doing more. I’m not talking about work-related activities, like reading hourly news reports or consulting with my aides. I’m referring to the time I spend with my wife, family and friends – relaxing together, taking walks, watching movies, or listening to music. By preserving a happy private life I am able to refresh myself for my many public tasks as Secretary-General.

Interview by Jean Michel Jakobowicz.