Mr. Chairman,

        I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 133, entitled "Human resources management".

2. The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank Ms. Alicia Barcena, Under-Secretary-General for Management, and Ms. Jane Holl Lute, Acting Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Field Support, for introducing the reports of the Secretary-General on human resources management (A/61/732 and A/62/274). The Group of 77 and China also wishes to thank Mr. Kingston Rhodes, the Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission, and Ms. Susan McLurg, the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for their respective introductions of the reports of the Commission (A/61/30/Add.1) and the Advisory Committee (A/62/7/Add.14 (Section II)).

3. The Group of 77 and China has pronounced itself in different occasions in favour of the efforts by the Secretary-General to continue the transformation of the human resources management, in order to continue the preparation of the staff to be better equipped to face the challenges of more complex nature than in the past.

4. The efficient and effective delivery of the UN mandates fundamentally hinges on the quality of its staff and the availability of resources. Ensuring the well-being of all  international civil servants is of the utmost importance to the Group of 77 and China and has informed our support of all reform measures aimed at establishing a satisfied, vibrant and dynamic workforce for our Organization.

5. The Group of 77 and China firmly believes that the reform of the human resources management is an endeavour that should be accomplished through the joint and constructive work of the management, the staff and Member States. That is why we consider it extremely important to engage the representatives of the staff by conducting full and complete  consultation  while we  negotiate  this issue.   

6. The Group of 77 and China notes that the Secretary-General has presented us with elements for a new human resources framework since his report "Investing in people" (A/61/255). We also noted his detailed proposals on the streamlining of contractual arrangements. We would like to thank, in this regard, the work already done by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) with relation to the whole common system. The Group acknowledges also that the Staff Management Coordination Committee (SMCC) has already lent its support for the proposals.

7. The Group understands the proposal of streamlining of contracts as one that will offer increased job security and equity of treatment of staff and, therefore, supports the Secretary-General's recommendations in this regard to all categories of staff, including for locally recruited mission staff under one set of staff rules.

8. With regard to the harmonization of conditions of service, we would like to underline that this constitutes a long-standing vindication of the Group. The mandate to address this issue comes from resolution 59/266 and today, three years later, we are ready to fulfill that commitment made by the General Assembly.

9. In effect, the Group of 77 and China is ready to support, following the recommendations of the ICSC, a scheme that will put all international staff on an equal footing to improve its conditions of service in the field in order to make the work at the Organization more appealing and rewarding than at present.

10. The Group of 77 and China believes that every reform is a work in progress that benefits from lessons learned as much as from a clear and responsible leadership. In this regard, the Group would like to receive information on the status of the appointment of the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, and to request that this position be filled as a matter of priority.

11. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China believes that a proper framework for consultations with staff representatives on all human resources management reforms is imperative. The Group also looks forward to hearing the views of all staff representatives on the various proposals, especially those contained in the reports of the Secretary-General.

        I thank you, Mr. Chairman.