The President of the Staff Union Leadership, Patricia Nemeth, reading her speech on the occasion of the 2021 Secretary-General Annual Memorial Service
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone. President of the General Assembly, Mr. Secretary-General, Madame Deputy-Secretary-General, President of the Security Council, Excellencies, Colleagues and most of all, families and friends of our fallen – it is my deep honor to share this day with you. We are here today to honor the memory and legacy of our dedicated colleagues who made the ultimate sacrifice for the United Nations. They did so in an effort to defend the freedoms of the most vulnerable and provide for them the most basic needs that we all enjoy. We have more than 4,000 UN personnel in the history of the United Nations who have lost their lives serving under the blue helmet. In 2020, we lost 336 dear colleagues and they rest in peace in many places around the world. So, today, we remember all who have sacrificed their lives, all who are still missing and all who continue to mourn their loved ones. Our dedicated colleagues did not fight for glory or yearn to be heroes, but to fullfil their duty so the blue flag can continue to fly high. Like everyone else, they were looking forward to returning home to see mom and dad again, to hold their sweethearts and watch their sons and daughters grow. But they sacrificed their lives for the principles of the organization and gave up those hopes, dreams and desires for the safety and lives of others. In 2020, we not only lost our brothers and sisters while serving in line of duty but also from the devastating challenges brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic. We sacrificed so much and many of our colleagues are still pressing forward through the worst of times to go the extra mile. Even when there was extreme exhaustion and difficult circumstances, we demonstrated unimaginable courage through our delivery to the most vulnerable around the globe. By doing so, all the essential work that epitomizes our beloved Organization has kept moving forward as mandates have been accomplished. While the pandemic is far from over, we are fighters, we can’t give up or give in as we are a step closer to end this virus with our united efforts. No matter where you are or who you are we are stronger than we know, so we have to put one foot in front of the other to get through the pandemic together and remember that hope is never lost. So, let us cherish the memory of our fallen colleagues. Words can only go so far in capturing the grief and sense of loss for their families. Yet, we continue to think of them with lasting gratitude, miss them with unconditional love, and trust that they will be blessed by the spiritual quote “I give unto them eternal life, that they shall never perish”. By remaining an Organization worthy of their sacrifice, by living our own lives the way the fallen had lived theirs, we shall continue to strive to make a secure and peaceful planet for all peoples and for all that is good and just within our globe.
Our colleagues from the New York Staff Union describe the “joy of giving” to local communities and children in need.
Many of us feel relieved as we let go of 2020, an extraordinary
year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about immense challenges
and suffering around the world. Nevertheless, we came together and continued to
support each other.
We reached beyond the Organization and helped our host city of
New York to collect and distribute thousands of pounds of food for local
pantries for Thanksgiving– eager to give back to others and recall that, no
matter what the circumstances, we all have something to be grateful for.
To celebrate our 75th anniversary,
the New York Staff Union and Department of Operational Support organized a
programme of charity drives under the theme: The Joy of Giving from the United
Nations, New York Staff.
There was no better time than the holiday season to give back to
our community and spread some holiday cheer. We distributed many boxes of toys,
books and clothes to various facilities run by the New York City Administration
of Children Services (supporting kids with disabilities) and the Department of
Homeless Services across the five boroughs.
“It was the privilege of our entire department to contribute to
the NYC toy drive this holiday season and bring the gift of play to children in
need,” said Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support.
“I was humbled by the overall generosity shown by our staff, as
well as their eagerness to help coordinate the event. Participating in
charitable acts like this reminds us that love and kindness can brighten the
hearts of others even during the darkest of times, and furthermore, that true
happiness is derived not from what we get – but from what we give,” he said.
The Staff Union, along with the international community and the
New York Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, also participated in the
Secret Snowflake Holiday Gift Drive. This cause was supported by 330 UN staff
members, fulfilling personalized wish letters from vulnerable children and
youth in our host city.
“Let us dedicate 2020 to the remembrance of who we are, the
devotion that each one of us has committed to the organization, how far we have
travelled, and to the fact that there is nothing we can’t achieve together,”
said Patricia Nemeth, President of the United Nations Staff Union, New York.
We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all those colleagues who
contributed and volunteered to make this initiative a success.
1.The International Day of
Persons with Disabilities will take place on Thursday, 3 December. In connection
with this important matter, the UN Staff Union – NY prepared a global virtual event
that highlights what we the staff are doing for persons with disabilities all around the world. We are grateful that many of you answered our call so, we
will travel globally and meet with colleagues who will share their stories with
us. The
theme of our event is ‘Inside
and Beyond the Walls of the UNHQs’and will capture four themes:
Workplace, Challenge, Leaving No One Behind and Awareness.
Thank you to those colleagues who responded to our call and contributed to the fight of COVID-19 in NYC.
We would also like to thank Yogesh Sakhardande (DESA) and Robert Macpherson (DGC) who collected the items during the past weekend. They helped our Union to make this happen.
In the picture: Patricia Nemeth – President of the UNSU and Yogesh Sakhardande – Assistant Treasurer, with the boxes of supplies to be donated.
Remarks delivered by the President of the United Nations Staff Unionat the Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
United Nations Headquarters, 17 January 2020
Mr.
Secretary-General, Madame Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Saint Hilaire,
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, families,
survivors and dear colleagues;
On
behalf of the United Nations Staff Union, I would like to welcome you all to
this gathering marking a somber occasion – a wreath-laying ceremony on the 10th
Anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake where hundreds of thousands of lives were suddenly taken from us by this
devastating natural disaster.
Today,
we gather here in the memory of 102 UN colleagues who died in this shocking
event on 12 January 2010. Our fallen
colleagues were tirelessly working to restore a secure and stable environment
in the aftermath of an armed conflict that had spread to several cities across
Haiti.
However,
the devastating earthquake delivered a severe setback to their efforts and
to the country as a whole. We have seen images in those first few days after
the earthquake where Haitian citizens and UN staff were left stunned and
uprooted, searching for loved ones or colleagues, grieving for those who were
missing or deceased and looking for some type of meaning in a tragedy that
seemed so blind and random.
Those
days of sorrow were also marked by acts of courage and kindness, as many
countries responded to the appeals for humanitarian aid, pledged funds and
dispatched rescue and medical teams and support personnel. This same courage
and resilience in the face of adversity has provided strength for our UN Staff
through the years and continues to define who we are as one UN family.
As we commit to the task of
recovering and rebuilding a country so overwhelmed, some of the hardest work is
still ahead. However, there is nothing we cannot achieve if we stay focused on our common purpose, of which
the flag from Hotel Christopher is a reminder at this memorial site; and if we
acknowledge the
hopes and dreams of the people of Haiti and the world over for peace and unity. We must
also always remember the bravery of our colleagues’ call to duty, our
responsibility to ourselves and our responsibilities and obligations to one
another. Haiti will rise above this and prosper anew; and the United Nations
will leave behind a country and a nation that is worthy of pride for
generations to come.
We will never forget the events that occurred
that day, yet we must continue to strive for a secure and stable environment
for the people of Haiti and for all that is good and just in our world.
The United Nations (UN) is running out of money, compounded by the fact that the U.S. — its biggest contributor — still hasn’t paid all of what it owes for 2019.
The U.S. made partial payments to the UN in 2019 but still currently owes about $491 million for the current calendar year, UN Secretary General’s Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told Yahoo Finance. The most recent payment was made on Dec. 2.
“The U.S. is often late in paying its dues because the U.S. budgetary cycle is different from the UN,” American University Associate Professor Tamar Gutner, an expert on international organizations, told Yahoo Finance. “The UN asked for members to pay their dues in the first month of the calendar year, and the U.S. typically pays in the fall. So that’s been a problem for a long time.”
(Source: United Nations)
In October, the UN noted that there was a “growing downward trend” in the organization’s regular budget (as seen in the graph above). And the situation was becoming “more dire than the year before” as the cash deficits, which were happening earlier in the year, tended to “linger longer and run deeper.”
The trend has worsened since member countries like the U.S. — which by itself is responsible for 22% of the regular budget and 28% of the peacekeeping budget — hasn’t paid in full.
‘Our work and our reforms are at risk’
The international organization, which depends on member states for contributions used for activities ranging from staffing costs to missions, said in October that it was facing a severe liquidity crisis and that it could run out of money in just a few weeks.
“This month, we will reach the deepest deficit of the decade,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told member states. “We risk exhausting the closed peacekeeping cash reserves, and entering November without enough cash to cover payrolls…. Our work and our reforms are at risk.”
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at United Nations headquarters in New York in September 2018. (Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)
Guterres also called on states to “recommit to paying your financial obligations on time and in full.”
Several countries have since heeded his call, and the UN said then that it had received enough partial payments from countries to pay its staff. But roughly 50 states had yet to pay their contributions in full.
The UN’s Dujarric confirmed that $772 million in payments were still owed overall as of mid-December.
‘This isn’t the first time’
An official from the U.S. mission previously said that D.C. is committed to meeting the payments in the fall. But history suggests that the delay in payments could be a result of political intent.
U.S. President Donald Trump openly criticized the value of the UN during his first visit to the UN headquarters in 2017, when he told the UN General Assembly that the organization was bloated and the U.S. way paying too much.
“We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden and that’s militarily or financially,” Trump stated. The U.S. president maintained that stance in October this year.
“These tensions have happened in the past as well,” added Gutner. “There was a crisis in the 1960s — it wasn’t the U.S. but the Soviet Union and France were withholding their payments because they were upset about the peacekeeping mission in Congo. And in the ’80s and ’90s there were issues between the U.S. and the UN, with the U.S. withholding money because they wanted to negotiate a lower share for [their] contribution to the UN budget, and they wanted to extract other concessions. So this isn’t the first time.”
In the meantime, UN staff told Yahoo Finance that they’re optimistic that the issue will be resolved soon.
President Donald Trump at the InterContinental Barclay New York Hotel during the UN General Assembly in September 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Selcuk Acar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“UN staff are highly dedicated individuals, committed to the noble mission of the United Nations,” United Nations Staff Union New York President Patricia Nemeth said in a statement. “Many of us have experience working in hardship conditions and we will do what it takes to get the job done…
“However, the reputation of the United Nations as a reliable employer, capable of attracting the world’s best and brightest, can be severely tarnished if this situation is not resolved within the foreseeable future.”
2019 was a difficult year for the United Nations and its staff. Nevertheless, we can look back on this year with the certainty that brighter days are ahead of us. The challenges are great on many fronts, but we have the courage and determination to rise up and meet them as a united community of staff, regardless of whether we are young, mid-career or seasoned veterans. All together we shall lift the spirit of the less fortunate and most vulnerable around the world so that the United Nations can continue its noble work for generations to come.
As we look forward to 2020, let’s resolve to recommit ourselves to the values we share. On behalf of the Staff Union Leadership Francisco, Aitor and myself, as well as the 46th Staff Council, we wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2020.
The remarks of the President of the UN Staff Union
Good
morning colleagues,
Welcome
to the Long Service Award Ceremony.
Today,
we are gathered here to celebrate our long-serving and dedicated staff members,
whose achievements are nothing less than a mark of passion, dedication and
perseverance. It has been a long journey full of both challenges and
opportunities. Seeing you here today proves loyalty and a strong sense of
belonging so, let’s give you a round of applause!
Staff
members receiving certificates today are acknowledged and commended for their
hard work on reaching various milestones in their service, namely 10, 15, 20,
25 and 30 years. We also have colleagues who dedicated a lifelong service to
this Organization and are due to retire this year. Thank you so much to all of
you for your time and contributions to the United Nations and for helping transform
it into what it is today.
It is needless to say that our greatest asset in fulfilling
the purpose of the United Nations is our staff. As the United Nations becomes
more diverse and the challenges, we face more complex, we must continue to
invest in policies to recruit, retain, and develop the best and brightest from around
the world. Our drive, our diversity
and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention means that the
future should be ours.
So many of the vital services that
the world’s most vulnerable people depend on cross your desks every day. Your
work is essential to the United Nations. You are the ones who help to create the
conditions that allow peace to hold and flourish. You guard and protect human
rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex,
language or religion. You continue to coordinate humanitarian relief operations
due to natural and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of
national authorities alone. You help healthcare and education to reach more
people? You promote diplomacy and
development. So whatever or whoever inspired you to join the United Nations – whether
you’re a young person who just the joined the Organization because you want to
make a difference, or someone who has dedicated your life to that pursuit – I
want you to know that it has been my privilege to call you my colleagues.
On
the other hand, while we are going through some difficult times, we are now
most in need of colleagues like you. We need to draw from a strong sense of
belonging and team spirit in order to be able to take on new challenges and
explore new opportunities along our way. So, keep up the good work! With the
support and solidarity of every member of staff, we shall persevere,
with the loyalty, discretion and awareness of the functions entrusted to us as
international civil servants of the United Nations.
I’m excited to see what all of you
do next. On behalf of the Staff Union and myself, thank you again for working
so hard every single day in the service of the United Nations that we love so
much.
Congratulations
to those that are receiving the awards today and let me wish all of you the
very best.
I now have the privilege of introducing our
keynote speaker, the Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed. Thank you
very much.
UNITED NATIONS STAFF UNION-NY IN THE NEWS; UN’s Cash Crisis Can Have Serious Consequences, Staff Unions Warn
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10 2019 (IPS) – The UN’s smoldering cash crisis, which has threatened staff salaries and payments to vendors, has triggered strong reactions and rattled the over 6,400 staffers who work in the 39-storeyed Secretariat building in New York.
The proposed cuts in spending, which also cover about 37,500 UN staffers worldwide, excluding over 25 UN agencies, have put the focus on several issues, including a “bloated bureaucracy,” and more critically, on the time and money spent on endless overseas trips by some high ranking UN officials who are constantly “airborne”.
http://ask.un.org/faq/14626
Guy Candusso, a former First Vice-President of the UN Staff Union, told IPS, the cash crunch in the 1990’s was much worse, but Under-Secretary-General Joe Connor managed to solve it.
“Over the last 10 years, the UN has become a bloated organization, especially at the top. If the cash crunch is considered so serious now, there should be a complete hiring freeze along with the other measures announced,” said Candusso, a longstanding staffer, until his recent retirement.
Patricia Nemeth, President, United Nations Staff Union, told IPS staff at the United Nations are alarmed by the cash flow crisis facing the organisation.
“In addition to the anxiety we feel regarding next month’s salary, constant financial uncertainty limits our ability to fulfil our mandates or deliver services to the most vulnerable,” she said.
The United Nations Staff Union in New York has been working closely with the Under Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance and the Controller to keep staff informed of the situation as it evolves.
Among the various mitigating measures, the Union welcomes the instruction to limit all official travel to essential activities.
“In this spirit, we expect senior officials to lead by example, as we are in this together”, said Nemeth, who is also Vice President for Conditions of Service – The Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations CCISUA
“More importantly, on behalf of our 15,000+ constituents (NY staff and local staff in the peacekeeping missions) the Leadership of the United Nations Staff Union appeals to those countries who have not yet done so to heed the Secretary-General’s call and make the payments required to ensure that the work of the United Nations can continue, with the resources required to accomplish the mandates they themselves have given us.”
“We count on the world’s leaders to support the UN’s valuable work, improving the lives of current and future generations,” she declared.
Ian Richards, President of the 60,000-strong Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA), told IPS: “Obviously staff are very worried about what is going on. We are pleased that the Secretary-General has prioritised payment of salaries and we have also been asked to advise on which meetings and events can be delayed for when there is more money available.”
If things get worse, Richards warned, this will have serious consequences.
“Staff have rent and other bills to pay and for those in dangerous duty stations, we need to be able to continue paying for their safety and security”.
He said this could also impact the UN’s ability to deliver food to the most needy and protect the rights of the most vulnerable.
Focusing on the UN’s mandates, Nemeth told IPS the world is faced with countless pressing issues, from violent conflicts to natural disasters, all set against the continued need to promote sustainable development for all.
The United Nations is the leading force in humanitarian efforts; in maintaining peace and security; and in offering hope for the most vulnerable, all of whom aspire to the most basic needs: life, liberty, dignity, peace, security and justice.
“Yet our critical work around the globe is currently hampered by delays in the payment of Member States’ contributions, compounded by overly restrictive financial rules.”
“We are grateful to the Secretary-General for his continued efforts to ensure that Member States fulfil their obligation to come forward with their assessed contributions. However, if the situation does not improve, we call on the Secretary-General and his team to calibrate their response to ensure that staff is protected, and ask him to cooperate closely with the Staff Unions to find practical solutions,” she declared.
UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters the Secretariat could face a default on salaries and payments for goods and services by the end of November unless more Member States pay their budget dues in full.
The Secretary-General has therefore requested additional steps be taken immediately, including further reductions in official travel; postponing spending on goods and services; and discontinuing events scheduled outside official meeting hours at headquarters duty stations.
In addition, conferences and meetings may have to be postponed or services be adjusted. He is reviewing further options, said Dujarric.
The Secretary-General has already written to Member States about “the worst cash crisis facing the United Nations in nearly a decade”.
Stressing the Charter obligation of Member States, the Secretary-General thanked the Member States who have paid their regular budget assessments, which is now 129, and urged those who have not paid to do so urgently and in full.
By the end of September, Member States had paid only 70% of the total assessment for the regular budget, compared with 78% at the same time last year. The Secretariat had put in place multiple measures since the beginning of the year to align expenditures with cash inflows.
The 64 states that have yet to pay regular budget dues in full for 2019 are: Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Eritrea, Gambia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Israel, Kiribati, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Yemen.
