SEVENTIETH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY A70/45 Provisional agenda item 22.1 8 May 2017 Human resources: annual report Report by the Secretariat INTRODUCTION 1. Alongside the workforce data for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016, which were made available on the WHO website in March 2017, 1 this report provides an overview of the trends in the WHO workforce for the past three years. It also provides an update on the implementation of the Organization-wide human resources strategy. THREE-YEAR TRENDS IN THE WHO WORKFORCE 2. The number of WHO staff members increased by 11% in the three-year period, from 7097 on 31 December 2013 to 7916 on 31 December 2016. 2 This staff increase was mainly brought about through increased numbers of temporary appointments, which represented 20% of WHO staff appointments in December 2016, whereas in December 2013 they represented only 12%. The increase in staff numbers was mainly in the area of health emergencies. While there were slightly more staff with continuing appointments in December 2016 (4309 compared with 4298 in December 2013), they represented 54% of the individuals holding staff appointments, (7% fewer than in December 2013). The number of staff members holding fixed-term appointments remained unchanged. 3. Concurrently, the number of persons hired on non-staff contracts (consultants and individuals on an agreement for performance of work) increased from 528 full-time equivalents for 1 January to 31 December 2014 (7% of the total workforce) to 970 full-time equivalents for 1 January to 31 December 2016 (12% of the total workforce). 4. On 31 December 2016, the yearly staff and other personnel costs amounted to US$ 911 million (37% of the Organization’s total expenditure of US$ 2471 million), 3 while on 31 December 2013, the yearly staff and other personnel costs amounted to US$ 899 million (40% of the Organization’s total expenditure of US$ 2261 million). 4 In other words, despite the increase in the workforce in the past three years, the staff and personnel costs were proportionately lower than three years ago. 1 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1 (accessed 10 April 2017). 2 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Table 1 (accessed 10 April 2017). 3 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Tables 20 and 21 (accessed 10 April 2017). 4 In 2016, the Secretariat implemented a new standard in accounting (International Public Sector Accounting Standards 39) and therefore the 2013 numbers have been restated to allow the comparison with 2016.
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SEVENTIETH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY A70/45 Provisional agenda item 22.1 8 May 2017
Human resources: annual report
Report by the Secretariat
INTRODUCTION
1. Alongside the workforce data for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016, which were
made available on the WHO website in March 2017,1 this report provides an overview of the trends in
the WHO workforce for the past three years. It also provides an update on the implementation of the
Organization-wide human resources strategy.
THREE-YEAR TRENDS IN THE WHO WORKFORCE
2. The number of WHO staff members increased by 11% in the three-year period, from 7097 on
31 December 2013 to 7916 on 31 December 2016.2 This staff increase was mainly brought about
through increased numbers of temporary appointments, which represented 20% of WHO staff
appointments in December 2016, whereas in December 2013 they represented only 12%. The increase
in staff numbers was mainly in the area of health emergencies. While there were slightly more staff
with continuing appointments in December 2016 (4309 compared with 4298 in December 2013), they
represented 54% of the individuals holding staff appointments, (7% fewer than in December 2013).
The number of staff members holding fixed-term appointments remained unchanged.
3. Concurrently, the number of persons hired on non-staff contracts (consultants and individuals
on an agreement for performance of work) increased from 528 full-time equivalents for 1 January to
31 December 2014 (7% of the total workforce) to 970 full-time equivalents for 1 January to
31 December 2016 (12% of the total workforce).
4. On 31 December 2016, the yearly staff and other personnel costs amounted to US$ 911 million
(37% of the Organization’s total expenditure of US$ 2471 million),3 while on 31 December 2013, the
yearly staff and other personnel costs amounted to US$ 899 million (40% of the Organization’s total
expenditure of US$ 2261 million).4 In other words, despite the increase in the workforce in the past
three years, the staff and personnel costs were proportionately lower than three years ago.
1 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1 (accessed 10 April 2017).
2 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Table 1 (accessed
10 April 2017).
3 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Tables 20 and 21 (accessed
10 April 2017).
4 In 2016, the Secretariat implemented a new standard in accounting (International Public Sector Accounting Standards 39) and
therefore the 2013 numbers have been restated to allow the comparison with 2016.
What has been done so far What still needs to be done
(e) Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors:
following adoption of the Framework by the Sixty-ninth World
Health Assembly, the Secretariat developed additional criteria and
principles for secondments to WHO.1 The report by the Secretariat on
the criteria and principles was discussed during by the Executive
Board at its 140th session in January 2017 and was noted by the
Board.
(f) United Nations Volunteers: country offices can hire these
volunteers on an ad hoc basis through their local UNDP office.
Between 2013 and 2015, 84 of these volunteers worked for WHO,
mainly in specialized technical functions, and in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2015, 54% of the these volunteers were female.
(g) An umbrella Memorandum of Understanding was signed
with United Nations Office for Project Services for the provision of
services to WHO. Regional and country offices may outsource
activities to the United Nations Office for Project Services through
individual Memorandums of Understanding to reduce their workload
and the Organization’s long-term liabilities.
(i) United Nations Volunteers: WHO is in the process of
concluding an umbrella agreement for a consistent use of these
volunteers across the Organization.
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T II.1. Human
resources
planning and
organizational
design
(a) Generic job descriptions: WHO developed a set of
75 generic, pre-classified position descriptions that cover frequently
used mainstream activities in WHO (from public health to
epidemiology to administration, human resources, finance and other
support areas).
(b) Generic job descriptions for heads and deputy heads of
country offices. About 20 positions for heads of country offices were
updated in line with the generic position description.
(c) Generic post descriptions have been prepared for
emergencies-related functions, including for emergencies rosters.
(g) Global policy for the restructuring of offices to describe the
process of organizational change during times of restructuring,
downsizing and abolition of posts, and to be applied consistently
across the Organization.
(h) United Nations joint classification centre: the United
Nations Human Resources Network is working on establishing a
centre that will be available to all United Nations organizations for
classification activities, thus allowing consistency in workforce
management within the United Nations and cost–effectiveness.
1 See document EB140/47.
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10 Gender balance
Diversity Collaboration Accountability
What has been done so far What still needs to be done (d) Human resources funded by the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative represent a potential significant liability for the
Organization with the foreseen closure of the programme in 2019. To
this end, A WHO-wide global polio transition human resources
working group, reporting to WHO’s Post-Polio Transition Planning
Steering Committee, has been established to plan for, and proactively
manage, the eradication programme’s human resources in order to
reduce indemnity exposure, and support where feasible the
reassignment of polio-funded staff to other programme areas, without
jeopardizing the timely achievement of polio eradication. The
Executive Board has requested regular updates be submitted to it at
each session of the Board.
(e) Succession planning for retirees:1 an annual
Organization-wide exercise for retirees has been conducted since
2014. It allows for a better alignment of the staffing structure with
WHO’s evolving needs as some positions vacated by retirees were
proposed for abolition and others advertised with different post
descriptions.
(f) The Mandatory age of separation was raised to 65 years
for staff recruited since 1 January 2014; following the United Nations
General Assembly resolution 70/244, the Secretariat is submitting
amendments to the Staff Rules to apply the extension of the
mandatory age of separation to 65 years to staff recruited prior to
1 January 2014, taking into account their acquired rights.2
(i) the WHO-wide global polio transition human resources
working group is taking the lead on developing measures to closely
oversee and review staffing decisions in the following areas and will
report on a regular basis to the WHO Post-Polio Transition Planning
Steering Committee:
(i) a review and approval process for all new longer-term and
temporary contracts – under discussion with the regions;
(ii) monthly dashboard for review by the Director of the Polio
Eradication Department and Director of the Human Resources
Management Department, highlighting key issues for
succession planning (the dashboard is being built);
(iii) proactive management of vacancies to eliminate unnecessary
positions and limit the increase in staff costs;
(iv) introduction of tools for oversight and tracking of non-staff
contracts (this is a priority now for the working group);
(v) engagement with the programme area network to identify
critical polio-funded functions that could be integrated into
other programmes;
(vi) review functions in high-cost locations and consider
relocating to lower-cost locations.
(j) Succession planning of international professional
positions will be enhanced when geographical mobility becomes
mandatory (in 2019), when the need for positions vacated by staff
reaching their standard duration of assignment will be reassessed.
1 For retiring staff data projections, see http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Tables 8 and 9 (accessed 11 April 2017).
What has been done so far What still needs to be done
II.4. Mobility (a) The geographical mobility policy was promulgated in
January 2016, with a three-year voluntary phase until 2019.
(b) All the major offices subject to the policy offered positions to
the first compendium of international positions issued in
January 2016. It was the first time that international professional
positions located in different major offices had been simultaneously
filled in a corporate manner. It resulted in a higher number of moves
from one major office to another. A total of 44 positions were
advertised: 71 eligible candidates applied and 12 placements were
endorsed by the Director-General following recommendations from
the Global Mobility Committee. In the second compendium issued in
January 2017, 51 positions were advertised and 58 eligible candidates
applied.
(c) The number of moves of international professional staff
members increased, from 146 in 2014 (which represents 7.4% of the
total number of staff members in the professional and higher
categories) to 162 in 2016 (which represents 7.9% of the total number
of staff members in the professional and higher categories). One
objective of the managed mobility scheme is to improve
cross-fertilization among the regions and between headquarters and
the regions: current data show an increase from 55 moves between the
regions in 2014 (i.e. 2.8% of staff members in the professional and
higher categories) to 67 moves between the regions in 2016 (i.e. 3.3%
of staff members in the professional and higher categories).1
(g) Implementation of the three-year voluntary phase
(2016–2018) of the geographical mobility policy is being evaluated
annually2 and the lessons learned from the voluntary phase will
inform the Organization on how to implement the policy effectively
on a mandatory basis, with the policy and processes being adjusted
accordingly.
(h) Ad hoc vacancies will make the experience acquired in other
levels of the Organization and different duty stations a requirement
for the advertised positions in the professional and higher categories.
1 See http://www.who.int/about/finances-accountability/budget/EB140_HRTables_2016.pdf?ua=1, Tables 14 and 15 (accessed 11 April 2017).
2 The WHO Evaluation Office will undertake the evaluation of the voluntary phase of the geographical mobility policy. As a first step, an evaluation framework was developed, and the evaluation of the first compendium exercise will be undertaken during the fourth quarter of 2016. The findings and recommendations of this evaluation exercise will inform the second compendium
exercise planned for early 2017. The findings and recommendations will be presented in the annual report of the Evaluation Office to the Executive Board at its 141st session in May 2017.