Monday, 4 February 2013, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Mr Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission -- Kingston Rhodes,
- Mr President of the Federation of the International Civil Servants’ Associations -- Mauro Pace,
- Ms General Secretary of FICSA -- Marie-Thérèse Conilh de Beyssac,
- Mr Chairperson of WHO/AFRO Staff Association – Jean Tchicaya,
- Distinguished participants and observers,
- Dear Colleagues Members of WHO/AFRO Executive Management, and other WHO staff-members,
- Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is my great pleasure today to warmly welcome you to Brazzaville for the 66th session of the FISCA Council. I am particularly delighted that you have chosen to hold this year’s session at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, following last year’s session at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Since its creation in 1952, the Federation of the International Civil Servants’ Association - FICSA has played an important role in promoting the concept of an international civil service and to ensure equitable employment conditions for all staff of the United Nations system. I was very pleased to find out that the WHO staff association is one of the first members of the FISCA, and the Federation now groups 29 staff associations/unions representing the interests of about 50 000 international civil servants worldwide.
One of the fundamental principles agreed by the Constituent Assembly of FISCA in 1952 was that the Federation should not merely defend professional interests, but also further the aims and objectives of the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
This principle is as important today as it was in 1952. The world needs a strong United Nations and an effective international civil service. This is particularly true for the African region where there are so many people in need.
The UN plays a crucial role in Africa through peace keeping, development aid, capacity building, emergency and humanitarian assistance, as well as promoting health and wellbeing for all. The United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000 has provided new opportunities and defined a frame of reference that puts health at the core of human development; and in this context, the World Health Organization has a very important role to play. However, the United Nations system has faced so many challenges in recent years. During the last two years, the global financial crisis has adversely affected the UN and its specialized agencies. It has resulted in scaling down activities, budget cuts, reduction of staff in many UN Organizations, and the WHO Regional Office for Africa is without exception.
In our experience, a constructive, transparent and open dialogue between staff and management is crucial to overcome the challenges during such a difficult time. I strongly believe that FISCA and its member associations can help us - international civil servants to better overcome the challenges ahead and to better serve the people of this world.
In this sense, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a very successful 66th session of the FISCA Council, and again I welcome you all to the WHO Regional Office in Brazzaville.
I wish you an excellent and productive stay here and the best success in your deliberations.
Thank you.