The XXXV CCISUA General Assembly,

Recognizing the importance of the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work in reaffirming the need to strengthen the public sector as a significant employer,

Reaffirming the need to increase investment in people’s capabilities and skills, whilst ensuring decent and sustainable work opportunities,

Recognizing the impact of rapid technological development in shaping new forms of work, as well as the importance of harnessing them for a better delivery of mandates, 

Acknowledging the cost pressures and the lack of financial predictability weighing on international organizations, were factors recently exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak,

Concerned that current attempts to link the future of work discussion to a weakening of contract modalities is in contradiction with the conclusions of the ILO report on the Future of Work, which calls for addressing contract precarity and strengthening labour institutions.

1. Supports the conclusions of the ILO report on the Future of Work.
2. Reaffirms that the UN system as a whole, as one of the largest public sector employers, should ensure the respect of labour rights and promote an enabling working environment for all employees, regardless of their age category, whereby employment security and predictability are guaranteed.
3. States that technological tools, while providing added value in terms of data processing and generating efficiencies in processes and delivery, is a complement to rather than a replacement for a human workforce.
4. Rejects any attempt to revise the current contractual modalities or to move further towards non-career personnel, more flexible contracts or modalities for time-bound project-type work, given that current contractual arrangements are deemed to be flexible enough.
5. Opposes in the strongest terms any attempt to transform what is at the core of the international civil servant’s function today, by drawing misleading parallels with private sector practices.
6. Calls for the UN Common System to fully respect ILO conventions on job security.
7. Calls for the full involvement and proper consultation with CCISUA regarding any change in workforce composition and contractual modalities.
8. Requests the President of CCISUA to convey this resolution to the Secretary-General, heads of agencies of CCISUA members, and to the Chair of the International Civil Service Commission.

Adopted 17 July 2020

Virtual General Assembly

The resolution can also be found here