Recruitment and Selection

Coordinators: Manuel Céspedes Ocampo, Pelin Sekerler Richiardi

Members: Harvey Addo-Yobo, Christine Bader, Patrick Daru, Séverine Deboos, Sophie Guerre Chaillet, Yuka Okumura, Ana Catalina Ramirez

Objective: Advocate for a recruitment and selection process that is both equitable and transparent, so as to strengthen the collective agreement on mobility and recruitment by focusing on career mobility, career development, greater motivation and job satisfaction ensured at both headquarters and at the country offices level.

Means of action

• The Staff Union Committee’s review of job vacancies aims at ensuring that job descriptions are objective, in accordance with the existing and current Negotiated GJDs and offer a real possibility of career development of already employed ILO officials including at the field and the country offices level.
• Within the career development framework, the SUC will work on a proposal for the improvement of the current mobility policy/practice, as per agreement reached following the JNC retreat of October 2023. We will take into consideration the results of the staff survey on mobility of August 2023.
•  The Committee is convinced of the importance for the Organization of a system of recruitment that seeks a broader and more authentic diversity of staff while at the same time respecting Article 100 of the United Nations Charter, the Declaration of Philadelphia and the Staff Regulations. It is on this basis that the Committee is participating, jointly with HRD, in the review and update of the current generic job descriptions for the Professional and GS job families at Headquarters.
• The Staff Union is assisted in its work by the presence of two of its representatives on the Recruitment, Assignment and Mobility Committee (RAMC). Its efforts are based on strict observance of the recruitment and selection procedures and of the principles of transparency, on following standard procedures and on just and fair treatment. Particular attention is paid to the recruitment of internal candidates so as to offer them an opportunity of career development, and of TC+5s so that they can benefit from employment security, as well as to a knowledge of more than one language so as to promote French and Spanish and thereby the interests of the Organization’s truly multicultural nature.
• If it is to carry out this crucial work successfully, the Committee must make a point of establishing good relations with the appointed independent members of the technical panels. The objective will be to share the working parties’ experience, to offer practical advice and to devise ways for them to fulfil their responsibilities properly, as far as possible in conjunction with the Human Resources Development.
• Besides the normal involvement of ILO staff representatives, the staff union will bring to the attention of the Administration any recruitment or selection issues affecting officials, more particularly concerning short-term contracts. The Staff Union is reviewing recruitment and selection procedures in the field in order to negotiate a coherent and fair agreement.
• Implement, by negotiating, the agreements reached in principle at the JNC retreat of October 2023.
• The Committee will emphasize the need to ensure fair union representation within recruitment panels. It will advocate for a uniform approach, where all union representatives will either be full members or observers. The objective is to avoid any form of discrimination and promote complete transparency in the selection process. It will be underscored that this decision should not be left to the discretion of regional directors and/or field office directors.