July 2007: Message from the Staff Council to the Associaate Administrator

INSIDE AD MELKERT's CLOSET

In an effort to provide transparency and let all UNDP Staff worlwide be informed on what is going on at HQs. UNDP Watch will start a series of publications entitled "inside Ad Melkert closet". This new series will provide the public with an opportunity to view Ad's communications (IN/OUT) and tell the truth about who this man is, and what is he hiding.

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From: Registry Staff-Council [mailto: registry.staff-council@undp.org]
Sent: July 2007
To: ad.melkert@undp.org
Subject: Message from the Staff Council to the Associaate Administrator

Dear Mr. Associate Administrator:

As you are aware, UNDP has been the subject of many articles in the newspapers, i.e., the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, etc. These articles, negatively affecting UNDP are being read by the member states, the existing donors and the potential future donors. Our image and credibility are at risk. They also affect and disturb our staff who are questioned by their families, friends, private and public sector contacts as well as their government relations.

The Staff Council is very much disturbed about the organization being targeted and is kindly requesting that the issues underlined in the newspapers be investigated so that the truth can come out for the interest of the organization. It is evident that by ignoring the issues or offering evasive or incomplete responses as we have sadly seen in the latest UNDP press conferences, the issues not only do not go away but continue to be dragged in a growing muddied river of suspicion.

The issue of the temporary agency i.e. PROFIT was raised by the Staff Council a few times and as of today, the Staff Council is in no position to receive any concrete answers.

Regarding the issue of North Korea and the "Whistle Blower", the Staff Council has made some assertive and positive proposals following numerous meetings with you, as well as with UNDP Administrator, Mr. Kemal Dervis, and OHR/OIC, Mr. Romesh Muttukumaru. The Staff Council is of the strong opinion that it can mediate and fully contribute to a constructive and professional solution. The Staff Council has proposed to the Administrator an independent commission which has been accepted. We are waiting for the Administrator and his Chief of Staff, Mr. Gettu Tegegnework, to start looking into it.

The Staff Council continues, and it will not tire to assert its mandate, to strongly advocate integrity, transparency, accountability and rule of law. The staff in the organization are losing their faith, their trust and their loyalty to UNDP. The lack of commitment is reflected in the high turnover even of new staffs that in their most part do not see career potential within the organization and are using the system as a stepping stone.

In addition to the bad publicity that UNDP is receiving staff are forced to go through numerous, humiliating, costly and badly planned reprofiling and restructuring exercises at HQ as well as in Country Offices. Permanent contract holders, staff age 50 plus, and women, are being displaced and unassigned. Existing staff within these criteria feel justifiably targeted; they are not mere "coincidences". Reprofiling in the organization does not refer to any overall global strategic reprofiling. The loss of the permanent or longstanding staff ("pillars" of the organization) goes against the interests seriously noted in the UN Charter, which clearly calls to guarantee this group for the health of the organization. The Staff Council is very much concerned and cannot continue to see our good staff being targeted and dismissed, which it finds not only is a strategic faux pas but, corrodes the base of human consideration on which the organization was built. Career Development and Human Resources Management are lacking. The concepts of managing change or change management are certainly valid and understood by staff. Yet, their implementation has often become a blank check for abuse and discretion. We already hear among the "higher levels of management", the acknowledgement of lack of leadership and bad management.

The Staff Council is calling for an urgent major meeting with the entire senior management to discuss ways and means to remedy the above mentioned issues in its intent to safeguard the interests of the organization and all its staff and more importantly the commitment to development to which we have all been entrusted.

Yours sincerely,

The UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS 34th Staff Council



Cc: Mr. Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator

Mr. Gettu Tegegnework, UNDP Chief of Staff

Mr. Romesh Muttukumaru, UNDP/OHR OIC

Mr. Martin Santiago, Incoming UNDP/OHR Director

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