The Staff Selection 2.0 initiative aims to overhaul the existing recruitment practices to attract, recruit, and nurture talent, ensuring a diverse and inclusive workforce that can effectively meet the Organization’s evolving mandates.
The vision for Staff Selection 2.0 was first proposed in 2022 and subsequently endorsed by the General Assembly in resolution A/RES/77/278. The program aims to overhaul our 14-year-old staff selection system to ensure a fair, efficient, effective and agile recruitment process, supporting diversity goals and enabling us to deliver on evolving mandates.
Miguel Mourato Gordo, Director of the Global Strategy and Policy Division in OHR, notes, “In envisioning the future of staff selection at the UN Secretariat, our priority is not quick fixes or band-aids, but rather a systematic overhaul. This may take more time and require an incremental approach to implementation, but I firmly believe it will ultimately result in a staff selection system that fulfills our long-term goals of diversity, agility, and accountability.”
Diversity: we aspire to build a workplace that reflects the diversity of the people we serve. However, progress towards key GA diversity mandates, like equitable geographical distribution, has been slow. Barriers in our recruitment process, such as Inspira automatically screening out applicants, based on subjective self-assessments of language proficiency, disproportionately affect underrepresented groups due to gender and cultural differences in self-assessment. Tackling these barriers amongst others is essential to selecting the best candidates and advancing our diversity objectives.
Agility: the recruitment process is currently cumbersome, especially for managers who are already stretched thin. Leveraging 21st-century innovations will make recruitment more effective, efficient and timely. Emphasizing proactive and efficient planning, hiring, deployment, and learning will ensure a multi-skilled, mobile, and adaptable workforce.
Accountability: Staff Selection 2.0 will harness the power of data to ensure the effectiveness, compliance, and efficiency of staff selection. We will continue to strengthen accountability mechanisms and move away from an approach that lends itself to inconsistency and bias to a more objective and professional recruitment process. The provision of clear, accessible, enhanced data and internal monitoring systems will ensure better decision-making, transparency and empower managers in the meaningful discharge of duty-of-care responsibilities.
The multi-year program is structured around three key workstreams:
1. Job profiles: updating and creating future-oriented, inclusive, and attractive job profiles to secure the talent needed for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs.
2. Application process: redesigning the application process, implementing modern and efficient screening and assessment methods, and redefining roles and responsibilities for recruiters.
3. Data and monitoring: establishing a data platform to monitor the new system’s accuracy, fairness, and efficiency. The success of this framework is reinforced by several key enablers:
• Innovation, digitalization, and continuous improvement: embracing new technologies and innovative practices to streamline HR processes and enhance service delivery.
• Systematic use of data and evidence: leveraging data-driven insights to inform decision-making and track the progress of HR reforms.
• Staff involvement: engaging staff at all levels to foster a sense of ownership and commitment to the reform process.
Staff Selection 2.0, which will be a multi-year project, is a forward-thinking blueprint for building a diverse, agile, and accountable organization. By focusing on these core outcomes and leveraging key enablers, the UN is well positioned to meet the challenges of the future and continue its mission of promoting peace, security, and human rights worldwide.