Competencies for the Future

United Nations

“It is my hope that competencies will provide us with shared language for talking , in concrete terms, about high performance and managerial excellence. I believe that a shared view of the standards we are striving to achieve will assist us in our continuing efforts to prepare the Organization to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
Kofi Annan Secretary-General

Introduction to Competencies
In “Building the Future”, the Secretary-General has indicated that the Organization’s greatest strength—and the key to our success—is the quality of our staff and managers. He has stressed that, to capitalize on this strength, we need to create an organizational culture and environment that …ver más…

Focus Groups
Seventeen focus groups, comprising a cross section of staff from different departments at all levels, were held in six duty stations. The focus groups participated in a day-long process of examining the Organization's environment, the work we do and expect to do in the future, and the needs of our clients and stakeholders. Each group came to a consensus on the most important competencies and values for all international civil servants, as well as the additional competencies required by staff who manage others.

Building the Competency Model
The competencies defined by all groups were sorted and analysed. Similar competencies were grouped together and a common term chosen for each grouping. Using the most frequently occurring items, a model was developed with eight core competencies and six managerial competencies.

Organizational Core Values
Organizational values are the shared principles and beliefs that underpin the work of an organization and guide the actions and behaviours of its staff. During the participatory process, “integrity”, “respect for diversity” and “professionalism” emerged as the Organization’s core values, and they have been included in the model. They are consonant with the United Nations Charter and with the core values set out in Article I of the Staff Regulations.

How will the competencies be used?
Staff Development
Staff development programmes will be aligned with the competencies and new programmes introduced