Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 139: Human Resources Management at the first part of the resumed 78th session of the Fifth Committee.

2. The Group wishes to thank Assistant Secretary- General Martha Helena López, and Mr. Mr. Amjad Al-Kumaim, Vice-Chair, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for introducing their respective reports.

3. The Group is cognizant that these are the first reports of the Secretary-General following resolution 77/278 on human resources management and therefore we will study the said reports with keen interest and appraising how the secretariat is implementing and responding to the requests of the General Assembly contained in the said resolution. Mr. Chair, 4. With respect to the staff composition report, the Group notes that the total the number of staff increased by 1,029 from 35,762 to 36,791 during the reporting period ending December 2022 with the reason being attributed to the resumption of hiring against regular budget posts following the lifting of the temporary hiring freeze in April 2021, increased temporary appointments for the servicing of conferences and less separations among others.

5. The Group also notes that during the reporting period, the temporary recruitment suspension reduced movement into regular budget posts by 67.0 per cent and put on hold progress towards equitable geographical distribution due to the organization's inability to fill vacant geographical posts. In this regard, the Group urges the Secretary-General to ensure that in the implementation of the current liquidity situation measures, the impact on the recruitment of staff in critical areas is mitigated.

6. The Group wishes to reiterate that the principles of equitable geographical representation and gender parity are a core concern of the Group of 77 and China and we will look forward to understanding the practical steps being taken by the secretary-General in achieving equitable geographical representation within the organization. While we note significant progress in achieving gender parity within the organization, there is a lack of similar and complementary efforts and progress to ensure geographical representation in the Organization.

7. We urge the Secretary-General to redouble his efforts towards achieving equitable geographical representation across the staff of the Organization, especially at senior levels where there is a glaring imbalance for the last five years with one Group representing 49 per cent of the overall number of D1 level and above posts and to pay attention to the significant contribution of the TCC/PCC within the United Nations.

8. The Group also notes with great concern the discrepancies in the selection processes and recruitment of the organization as also highlighted by the report of the Advisory Committee. We look forward to having an in-depth discussion on the factors and elements causing such great discrepancies in order to address and take corrective action on them.

9. Regarding the proposal on the movement of Secretariat staff from the General Service category to the Professional category (G to P), the Group notes with concern that the new proposal may create obstacles in achieving equitable geographical representation. Based on the submitted proposal, among the 19,210 eligible G staff members, 85.5 percent are from member states within range or overrepresented. The Group will seek more clarifications on the proposal, justification, and rationale during the informal discussions.

Mr. Chair,

10. The Group also notes with concern the continued significant number of vacant posts subject to equitable geographical distribution, including at the P-2 level, and of geographical posts temporarily encumbered by staff without geographical status and with limited appointments and encourages the Secretary-General to ensure that all posts subject to the system of desirable ranges are encumbered accordingly and vacant posts are filled expeditiously as requested by the General Assembly.

11. Relatedly, the Group notes with concern that in the last three years, the number of unrepresented and underrepresented member states has more or less remained stagnant between 20-21 and 37-36 respectively while the overrepresented member states increased from 27-31. The Group also regrets that only three (3) entities out of 30 entities where recruitment against geographical posts was relevant had met or exceeded the 50.0 per cent target by 31 December 2022. We urge the Secretary- General to hold accountable managers that fail to meet this performance target.

12. On the other hand, the Group is keen to continue reviewing the secretariat's efforts to improve the rejuvenation of the organization, including through the implementation of the young professionals programme among others.

Mr. Chair,

13. Regarding monitoring staff attendance, the Group agrees with the observations of the advisory committee that managers are responsible and accountable for managing the performance, and productivity, of staff and for ensuring that work obligations and the delivery of the agreed outputs and that all managers and staff members who avail themselves of the flexible working arrangements must continue to be available and responsive to Member States' needs in a timely manner.

14. In conclusion, Mr. Chair, the Group is committed to engaging constructively with the view to achieving a positive outcome on this agenda item.

I thank you!