The need to develop and maintain common personnel standards across the UN system is enshrined in all the relationship agreements established between the United Nations and the specialized agencies since 1948. To this end the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) created the CCAQ in 1948 (CCAQ).

After some years CCAQ created a personnel section, bringing together the senior human resource managers of the system. In 2002 CCAQ(PER) became the HR Network of the re-organized sub-machinery of the Chief Executives Board (CEB). The Network has two major roles:

(1) to provide strategic advice to the Chef Executives of the system on human resource management developments, ensuring best practices across the system.

(2) to prepare on behalf of the CEB, input and exchange with the international civil service commission (ICSC), which since 1975 has been responsible for the regulation and coordination of the conditions of service of the united nations common system of organizations.

The HR Network meets twice a year, usually in conjunction with meetings of the ICSC. and reports to HLCM. Major issues of concern include the reform of pay and benefits system, enhanced recruitment based on core competencies, the work-family agenda and inter-agency mobility.

Every year, the CEB Secretariat collects data on the staff of the organizations of the UN System. A total of 36 tables provide information on many aspects of the UN System’s staffing profile, such as category, grade, gender, nationality, age, length of service and duty station. Above chart is a snapshot of statistics from three organizations who have provided the CEB with their promotion ratio in relation to the total number of staff recruited in the organization

Comparisons with earlier data provide insights into HR trends, such as the development of gender ratios, the ageing of organizations and the proportion of professional and general service staff. More...