Staff Council Message to all Personnel on the occasion of UN Day 2025
Dear Colleagues,
As we mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, many of us find ourselves with mixed emotions. A moment of pride and celebration, but also one of sadness and worry.
The United Nations was born out of the ashes of war, with a promise to uphold peace, protect human rights, and foster development. Over eight decades, United Nations personnel have worked tirelessly towards these promises with countless achievements along the way. Across every region, in the most challenging locations, in the face of conflict, disaster, and despair, colleagues from our agencies have stood with communities, often at great personal cost.
This should be a moment of pride and celebration. Yet, never have we collectively felt so vulnerable and under as much pressure and stress as we feel right now.
As a global workforce drawn from all nations, working together on collective missions, we represent a unique capacity. We are not just a ‘resource’. We are the moral and operational strength that enables our agencies to respond to crises and support development in ways others cannot. We are a capacity forged through a common understanding of the United Nations values.
Now our capacity is at risk. The financial crisis and the UN80 reforms will reshape how we operate, where we work, and how we deploy our resources.
As your Staff Council, we have advocated for more involvement and consultations with personnel on the changes that are taking place. We have called for evidence-based and transparent decision-making. We have voiced concerns about the compressed timelines, and the assumption that cost savings and increased efficiency can be achieved mainly through the reduction of personnel.
We champion for all personnel voices to be heard. We urge for wellbeing to be a core commitment. And we insist that reforms do not come at the expense of those who make the work of the United Nations possible.
History will judge whether decisions made today will benefit those we serve tomorrow. If we lose the capacity we have built – if we erode the knowledge, experience and diversity of our workforce – we risk losing the very essence of what makes our agencies effective and exceptional.
So, we call for our agencies to not only be ‘fit for purpose’ but also fit for its people.
To the thousands of dear colleagues around the world — thank you.
The United Nations would NOT be what it is without you.
Today We Celebrate You!