H a r a s s m e n t

Shuibao LIU (UNOG Staff Council member)

Soon after its election in March 2002, UNOG Staff Council established a working group on harassment. Staff members from all walks of life participated in it and held a good many meetings at lunchtime to study, discuss and reflect on this very complex issue. After months of hard work and a lot of research, the working group produced a comprehensive report for the Council, which submitted it to the 26^th Session of Staff-Management Coordination Committee (SMCC) recently held in New York.

The report was very much appreciated by SMCC members, both management and staff representatives alike. It was used as basis for discussions in the SMCC working group on harassment and discrimination. The New York Staff Committee prepared a position paper on discrimination, so the two subjects were grouped together in to a single working group. After lengthy discussions, this working group reached some agreements and made a report to the SMCC plenary.

The SMCC agreed that as an interim measure, and in order to raise the awareness of both staff and managers alike regarding harassment and discrimination, the Secretary-General would issue an information circular by the end of this year, reminding all staff of Staff Rule 101.2
(d) which prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment, including sexual or gender harassment as well as physical or verbal abuse at the workplace or in connection with work.

The procedures for dealing with allegations of sexual harassment (see ST/AI/379) would be revisited and a new administrative instruction would be issued to include all forms of harassment. The elements of such an issuance would be submitted to the next session of SMCC.

The policy on harassment would include a clear definition of harassment and procedures for dealing with allegations of harassment. It would focus on preventive measures and early conflict resolution mechanisms.

SMCC recognized the importance of staff representatives as a support mechanism if staff so choose. It also agreed on the need for an awareness campaign on respect for diversity and on various forms of discrimination.

Although the policy on harassment has yet to be materialized in the United Nations, the UNOG Staff Council-led initiative has already borne encouraging fruits. Of course a lot more needs to be done to genuinely protect staff from harassment. In this sense, although the UNOG working group on harassment has already successfully completed its mandate, it still has a very useful role to play in helping to shape the above-mentioned harassment policy and the relevant mechanisms. It would be wise to keep this working group alive and active.

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