The United Nations Secretariat employs tens of thousands of staff and spends funds entrusted by member states on operations across several continents. President Macky Sall's candidacy for UN Secretary-General also commits him on the management of the house he would run. From the individual taxpayer to a whole continent, everyone judges the Organization by what they see of its management.
Doing more with the means already voted. Budgets tighten as mandates lengthen. Before answering a crisis with a request for extra credits, the Secretariat has to show that the money already voted produces measurable results, mission by mission, line by line.
Recruiting and promoting on merit. Competence comes first among the criteria; fair geographic representation follows, with gender parity kept as a standing commitment. A post filled for reasons other than competence wrongs two parties: the person who earned it, then the people the mission was meant to serve.
Making management legible. Performance reports, independent evaluations and the follow-up to internal investigations would gain from being accessible and written to be read. By documenting its failures as fully as its successes, an administration gives itself the means to correct course faster.
Protection for whistle-blowers. An organization is worth its principles only if the staff member who reports an abuse does not risk a career for it. Protecting those who report and sanctioning misconduct, including at the top, is what gives any speech about integrity its credibility.
Twelve years of running a state. These commitments on the management of the Secretariat rest on twelve years as head of state and on the chairmanship of the African Union in 2022. That experience explains why the vision statement filed with the United Nations frames them as obligations, among them stronger governance of the Organization.
Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
The budget and audit reports of the United Nations are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net