UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

countries without local convertible currency. At the end of the debate, the Commission recommended that the
General Conference adopt the draft resolution contained in paragraph 15 of document 30 C/66.
8.17 I now turn to item 9.7, Managing the UNESCO complex: Report by the Director-General and report of
the Headquarters Committee. The Commission was very grateful to the Chairperson of the Headquarters
Committee, Ambassador Kiekko, for her presentation of the outstanding work accomplished by the Headquarters
Committee during 1998-1999. The Commission also appreciated the presentation by Mr Belmont, whose
expertise is graciously provided by France. The debate focused on four topics: the urgency of the work needed on
the buildings; the long-term needs; the management of the project; and its financing. The need to attend to repairs
where there existed a potential for accidents was unanimously accepted by the Commission. Some Member
States stressed the importance of looking at the long-term aspects of the Renovation Plan, as the Belmont Plan
excludes the Miollis and Bonvin buildings. The Commission was reminded that, for this reason, the Director-
General had asked France about the possibility of extending Mr Belmont’s mission to include all of UNESCO’s
buildings. With respect to the management of the project, the importance of a design brief in addition to the Plan
was noted. The need for international bidding and the need to ensure efficient control over the various phases of
the Plan were also emphasized.
8.18 A working group was established to assist in reaching consensus on the means of financing the
Renovation Plan. Issues on which it was difficult to get agreement were: ways to finance Phase I of the project
estimated at $21.5 million while an amount of only $6.5 million is foreseen in the Programme and Budget for
2000-2001, and whether it was prudent to resort to loans in view of the interest they would incur. One Member
State (Cuba) expressed its concern over the increased cost in renting office space in UNESCO. Another Member
State (Canada) expressed a reservation on the implementation of the resolution. At the end of the debate, the
Commission recommended that the General Conference adopt the draft resolution contained in paragraph 16 of
document 30 C/66.
8.19 I now come to item 9.8, Staff Regulations and Staff Rules. The discussion focused on three main topics:
the amendment made by the Executive Board at its 156th session to Rule 63 of its Rules of Procedure, the need
for the Director-General not to exceed the number and grade of posts approved by the General Conference for
each biennium and the need for UNESCO to adopt a competitive process in the management of personnel. With
respect to Rule 63 of the Executive Board’s Rules of Procedure, the Commission was satisfied with the spirit of
the decision taken by the Board at its 156th session; however, it considered it important to clearly state that the
Director-General needs to be accountable for ensuring that the rule is respected. In order to control staff costs,
the Commission thought it useful to include an additional text in the document on Staff Rules and Staff
Regulations which would make it clear that the Director-General is to manage the Organization within a welldefined
allocation of posts and grades of posts for each biennium. Finally, in order to control the number of
exceptions experienced in UNESCO for a number of years now, the Commission decided that it was imperative
to modify the, regulations on the appointment, transfer and promotion of staff. One Member State (Nigeria)
expressed a reservation on the implementation of Regulation 4.2 adopted by the Commission. At the end of the
debate, the Commission recommended that the General Conference adopt the draft resolution contained in
paragraph 17 of document 30 C/66, as amended in document 30 C/66 Add. and Corr.
8.20 I now turn, Madam President, to item 9.9, Staff salaries, allowances and benefits. As mentioned in my
introduction, the resolution on this item was adopted by the plenary at its nineteenth meeting on Thursday,
11 November 1999.
8.21 I now come to item 9.10, Implementation of personnel policy and geographical distribution of the staff.
The debate on this item was dominated by the concern of delegates over the number of promotions and
reclassifications, particularly at the senior level, which had been approved in recent months and the impact these
would have on the approved budget for the 2000-2001 biennium. The representative of the Director-General
informed the Commission that the recent upgradings and promotions would require an additional $6.5 million
and that the cost of conversion from six to seven grades for the General Service category at Headquarters would
be around $1.3 million. The Commission was unanimous in expressing concern over the number of exceptions to
rules and regulations and requested that specific plans of action be developed to ensure the proper management
of human resources. At the end of the debate, the Commission recommended that the General Conference adopt
the draft resolution contained in paragraph 19 of document 30 C/66.
8.22 In regard to item 9.11, United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and UNESCO Staff Pension Committee,
the Commission appreciated the information provided by the representative of the Director-General on how the
Pension Fund was administered and on the diversification of the Fund’s investments. The Commission was
informed that a staff member’s pension was calculated on the best three years of earnings within the last five
years of service. The Commission was also informed that contributions to the Pension Fund were shared between
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