Outcome BRA_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

In 2024, UN Women aimed to solidify its position as an employer of choice by cultivating an inclusive culture that embodies the organization's core values. This was to be achieved through a commitment to diversity, equity, and the empowerment of its workforce, building upon the Inclusive and Empowered Workforce Action Plan initiated in 2023. The goal was to develop a high-performing team that reflects UN values. However, in 2024, the Country Office (CO) personnel were largely unable to undertake the key actions outlined in the Inclusive and Empowered Workforce Action Plan initiated in 2023. The intended emphasis on recognizing individual aspirations and development plans, supporting professional growth and career advancement, and addressing barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion, could not be effectively implemented. Maintaining office capacity proved exceptionally challenging due to high staff turnover, exacerbated by significant delays in implementing the new PSA contractual modality. This delay, coupled with the complexities of the new Quantum e-recruitment system, severely hindered the office's ability to enhance its inclusive culture and achieve higher representation of underrepresented groups. The high turnover and the challenging recruitment process led to the loss of critical managerial and programmatic capacity within the office. Recruitment campaigns that were intended to promote inclusivity could not be effectively pursued. Mandatory and elective training on unconscious bias, inclusive leadership were planned, but implementation faced significant obstacles. Efforts to promote a supportive work environment by enhancing policies that supported work-life balance, such as hybrid work arrangements, and establishing employee resource groups faced significant hurdles and did not achieve the desired outcomes. In 2024, UN Women had intended to focus on acknowledging and recognizing contributions through a structured framework for Individual Work Development Plans aligned with Performance Management and Development assessments. This was intended to enable staff to align their career goals with organizational objectives, fostering both personal growth and organizational success, but the results were limited. While 100 per cent of personnel were scheduled to complete required diversity and inclusion courses, such as “I Know Gender: An Introduction to Gender Equality for UN staff”, the overall impact on creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace was minimal. Moving forward, UN Women remains committed to fostering an inclusive, empowered workforce. The CO will attempt to implement initiatives such as expanding mentorship programs to enhance career pathways for underrepresented groups and investing in technologies and infrastructure to support accessibility and inclusive workspaces. Continuous refinement of policies and practices will be necessary to meet the evolving needs of its diverse workforce. However, the challenges posed by contractual modality delays, recruitment system complexities, and resource constraints are enormous, making progress difficult.

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 HR unit implemented a comprehensive capacity-strengthening initiative over the past year to promote more inclusive, transparent, and competency-based recruitment processes, aligned with United Nations standards and best practices, primarily through the weekly PPSA Clinics for HR Focal Points. This strategic effort encompassed multiple dimensions. On average, the Country Office (CO) takes 12 weeks to select an Individual Consultant and 20 weeks for a Fixed-Term Contract. HR actively participated in the UN inter-agency HR working group and UNDIS learning sessions, gaining access to evolving practices and methodologies. These engagements helped strengthen internal awareness and informed ongoing discussions on inclusion, accessibility accommodations, and unconscious bias mitigation, laying groundwork for potential future integration into operational workflows. By engaging with peer organizations across the UN system, HR identified evidence-based strategies and adapted them to the organizational context, strengthening the foundation for more equitable recruitment practices. Collaboration with key strategic partners, including the Global Service Support Center (GSSC), Operations, and Compliance teams, proved instrumental in harmonizing procedures across functional areas and eliminating process silos. These cross-functional partnerships facilitated the identification of redundancies, standardized documentation requirements, and created coherent pathways for continuous improvement. The coordinated approach ensured that recruitment process enhancements were aligned with organizational policies, compliance requirements, and operational realities. Challenges inherent to aligning internal procedures and updating established workflows were systematically addressed through regular inter-departmental coordination meetings and targeted capacity-building training sessions. HR invested in upskilling staff on new tools, systems, and methodologies, ensuring smooth transitions and sustained compliance with updated protocols. This proactive approach minimized disruption while maximizing stakeholder buy-in. Furthermore, the CO ensured compliance with performance evaluations (PMD) and all mandatory trainings, reinforcing a culture of continuous development and accountability. We achieved 100 per cent in the Percentage of certification compliance of certification on Prohibited Conduct (Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Discrimination and Abuse of Authority) and SEA. The average length of employment in UN Women under staff contracts was impacted by the high turnover of staff, especially service contract/NPSA. Critical lessons emerged from this years' experience: (1) the imperative of establishing ongoing monitoring mechanisms to track process effectiveness and identify emerging gaps; (2) the value of systematically documenting good practices and lessons learned to create institutional memory and support organizational continuity; and (3) the importance of building feedback loops that enable HR to incorporate adjustments dynamically and responsibly. These insights position the CO to continue building institutional capacity, fostering a more inclusive and equitable organizational environment, and maintaining alignment with evolving UN system standards and stakeholder expectations.