Outcome BGD_O_4

With its unique and inclusive culture, UN-Women is an employer of choice with a diverse and highly performing cadre of personnel that embodies UN values

The Bangladesh Country Office made significant progress in fostering inclusive leadership, staff development, and organizational excellence during the reporting year, aligned with the UN 2.0 vision on organizational culture. Significant investments were made in staff capacity development, covering technical and life skills with a focus on feminist and adaptive leadership principles. Approximately 90% of personnel benefitted from training opportunities, both in-country and abroad. Additionally, one staff member undertook a detailed assignment. Areas of ongoing learning and support were identified, based on the findings of the BCO Staff Survey rolled out in 2024. Personnel capacity was strengthened through a wide range of learning opportunities, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Programme management (for example, results-based reporting), Procurement processes, Performance evaluation, Adaptive leadership principles, evaluation techniques, protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), staff care and wellbeing and fraud. Facilitation and leadership skills of personnel was improved, by encouraging staff across levels, to co-chair all-staff meetings on a rotational basis. An office-wide approach to collaborative learning was evident, with over 80 per cent of Country Office personnel voluntarily participating in at least one of eight task teams, initiatives, or groups. These efforts significantly boosted knowledge sharing and teamwork. To support psychosocial wellbeing and mental health, nine sessions on psychological safety were conducted in 2024 by the UN Women Staff Counsellor, including: six sessions focusing on empathy, psychological safety, and stress management, two sessions tailored for UN Women partners, and one session involving staff members' family members in the wake of the violent political turmoil that eventually led to the fall of the former government in July – August 2024. This focus on mental health contributed to improved morale and reinforced UN Women’s commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment grounded in feminist principles. Staff welfare was prioritized during the political unrest in Bangladesh, through dedicated sessions – creating a safe space for open conversation and reflection for all staff. These sessions fostered a sense of solidarity in the face of a volatile situation, and solidified values, principles and ethical standards of UN Women staff. Sessions were also organized for partners during the civil unrest, which were highly appreciated. Despite widespread internet outages, the BCO team effectively maintained communication with staff through alternative channels. This demonstrated the team’s resilience, commitment, and ability to manage critical situations. The Country Office’s commitment to being an employer of choice was highlighted by an increased number of fixed-term appointments, reflecting a shift toward better contract modalities to attract and retain high-quality personnel. A key takeaway is that building an empowered and agile workforce requires ongoing effort from both management and individual team members. Peer-to-peer and institutional learning, often driven by self-motivated initiatives, have proven invaluable. Recognizing and supporting such proactive efforts can further enhance workforce empowerment and organizational excellence. In addition, fostering a culture of care and wellbeing, both internally and externally, places UN Women as a reliable partner for both its staff and partners.

With its unique and inclusive culture, UN-Women is an employer of choice with a diverse and highly performing cadre of personnel that embodies UN values

There has been evident progress in this area in 2022. The capacity and confidence of staff across all levels and contract modalities have increased as a result of the Country Office's continued investment in deepening the leadership bench with a feminist excellence approach. Over 30 per cent of all staff meetings have been co-chaired by support staff for the first time. A substantial commitment to staff learning across functions and thematic areas has further strengthened staff capacity on issues such as adaptive leadership, intersectionality, disability and inclusion, reporting, programme management, and resource mobilization. UN Women's initiatives, such as approachable senior management, a culture of recognition, with an emphasis on being self-directed and other-centric, and a participatory approach to decision-making, among others, have created an empowering and enabling environment for all personnel, as noted in the Human Resources Functional Analysis conducted in 2022. These efforts were supplemented by engagement with the regional Office of Ombudsman, under which UN Women is piloting the Respectful Workplace Facilitator (RWF) initiative as informal conflict resolution mechanism in select country offices including Bangladesh. The enhanced leadership and teamwork skills, as demonstrated by personnel's representation in the office-wide task teams and groups, have fostered a culture of personal and collective reflective learning. More than 70 per cent of staff are voluntarily engaged in at least one of the seven task teams, enabling cross-thematic and cross-functional collaboration on key internal and external agendas such as prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), disability and inclusion, youth engagement, and engaging men and boys. Out of the three task teams with an action plan, two over-achieved on their implementation (Disability and Inclusion, and Youth Task Team) exemplifying UN ideals and creating the space for transformative change. UN Women’s joint leadership with UNFPA to undertake a table-top exercise on PSEA enhanced the UN Country Team (UNCT) members’ capacity to deliberate on and better prepare for PSEA scenarios. A key lesson learned in 2022 is that progress in this regard is not linear. In order to facilitate a cultural shift in thinking and approach, it is essential that personnel and the office collectively reflect and explore our common values and vision, in an open and inclusive manner. To further strengthen the learning culture, the office will establish a learning committee in 2023, in line with recommendations from the Human Resources Functional Analysis.

With its unique and inclusive culture, UN-Women is an employer of choice with a diverse and highly performing cadre of personnel that embodies UN values

There has been progress in this outcome in the reporting year. UN Women Bangladesh Country Office demonstrated its commitment to inclusive leadership and management by continuous investment in staff learning, capacity development and knowledge exchange. Capacity and knowledge of personnel have been strengthened through a substantial investment in learning opportunities on the newly introduced ERP system, programme management including results-based reporting, procurement, adaptive leadership, evaluation, Protection from of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), procurement, among others. All staff meetings are co-chaired on rotation basis, to ensure that each individual in the office have the opportunity to demonstrate their improved facilitation and leadership skills. Office-wide approach to collaborative learning and peer-to-peer exchange was demonstrated through active and effective participation of over 75 per cent of Country Office personnel voluntarily engaged in at least one of a total eight task teams, initiatives, or groups. Specific focus on psychosocial wellbeing and mental health improved staff morale and effectively demonstrated UN Women’s commitment to providing an inclusive work environment anchored in feminist approach to excellence. In 2023, six sessions on psychological safety were conducted by the UN Women Regional Staff Counsellor, with three dedicated sessions on empathy. Two country office personnel selected as the Respectful Workplace Facilitators received additional certification, following an in-person training exercise at the regional level. In addition to all staff meetings, a dedicated space was created for the Cox Bazaar sub-office personnel to interact with the Country Representative on a monthly basis. Aimed at creating a One Bangladesh Country Office identity, personnel appreciated the opportunity to share challenges and identify areas for support from the Dhaka team. The commitment of the Country Office to be an employer of choice was demonstrated by increased number of fixed-term appointments as a move towards better contract modalities to recruit and retain high quality personnel. A key lesson learnt is that a commitment to an empowered and nimble workforce requires continuous effort from both management and individual levels. During critical times of change, such as the global rollout of a new ERP system, institutional learning is further enhanced by peer-to-peer exchange, which is often self-motivated. The Office can benefit from such exchange and further motivate and acknowledge personnel that take such proactive approach to ensure an empowered workforce.